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Blaq

Monday: 5:00 – 9:00 PM
13-17 Brightlands Avenue, Blackheath, NSW, 2785
Phone
(02) 4787 8108
Website
thekyah.com.au
Instagram
@kyahhotel

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 24 Nov 2022

By
Alexandra Carlton

The setting at Blaq in the Blue Mountains of NSW

This retro-toned bar-restaurant in a thoughtfully converted 1970s motel has a ripper award-winning list of New South Wales and Canberra wines, and a menu packed with local produce to match.

The dining area at Blackheath bar and restaurant, Blaq
Why you goRespectfully, the Blue Mountains has not historically been known as a place you’d go to find cool bars. Generally – and again, I say this with a deferential bow – this well-known weekend destination an hour’s drive west of Sydney tends to be more about high teas, rickety country cottages and homewares themed around cats or lavender (frequently both). There’s nothing wrong with any of those things, but what the Blue Mountains region has long yearned for is some venues – restaurants, hotels, bars, shops – with a bit of energy and cool. Kyah Hotel and its restaurant-bar Blaq is one of several newish places in the area that have understood the assignment. The converted 1970s motel, which sits in a suburban street just beyond Blackheath’s main drag, has 46 comfy and surprisingly spacious guest rooms, but even if you’re not staying, you’re welcome to hang a right off the highway from Sydney to drop into Blaq for a drink or dinner.
Why you stayThe design team squeezed the worst bits of the 1970s out of Blaq and ushered some of the best back in: floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a cherry tree help to offset the old motel’s low ceilings – they open out to a pretty patio in summer – while velvet banquettes and chairs in soft shades of smoke, honey and peach give everything a dreamy mid-century ambience. Then there’s that Blue Mountains regional hospitality: cheerful, accommodating and always up for a chat. 
The decor inside Blaq in Blackheath
A cocktail at Blaq in the Blue Mountains of NSW
What drink to orderThe wine list is the shining star of the bar – it scooped 2022’s Best NSW Wine List and a Regional NSW Accommodation Venue gong in the NSW Sommelier’s Wine List Awards as proof. Every last drop comes from the best bits of NSW and Canberra, and the really strong selection by the glass includes Nick Spencer chardonnay from Tumbarumba, Robert Stein cab sav from Mudgee, and Nashdale Lane riesling and rosé from Orange. The by-the-bottle list is organised with pleasing readability: regular reds and whites are ordered from light to full-bodied, and there are separate subheads for “minimal intervention”, “Mediterranean and Old World”, and “aromatic and textural”, among others.  
What to pair it withYou can do a fully fledged dinner here, if that’s what you’re after, but an excellent small and small-ish snack section is also on offer. Chef Mate Herceg sources the bulk of his produce from within 80km of Blackheath – including the hotel’s vegetable garden and his own backyard – which he then magics into the likes of a snack board of cured meats with Black Cockatoo Bakery bread, Gibson’s Grove olives and charred vegetables, a salad of heirloom beetroot, Lidsdale goat’s cheese and radicchio, and gnocchi, with Kyah greens, roasted almonds and a herb-packed tangy salsa verde.
Don’t leave withoutDon’t leave without checking out the cute snacks-and-souvenir stand the Kyah folks have set up just outside Blaq’s entrance. No cat mugs or lavender bath bombs here; instead, you can stock up on local tasties like Whisk and Pin muesli, Blue Mountains Honey, and Shrubly fruit syrups. 
Dishes and wine at Blaq in Blackheath
The fire adds warmth and ambience at Blaq in Blackheath
Make it fancyRoaring fire? Tick. Misty mountains? Tick. This is exactly the setting for a big, rich, special-occasion red. Have a scan of sommelier Andres Aragon’s Blaq’s Vault list: fancy shiraz and cabs from NSW and Canberra that are worth every cent. Standouts include Nick O’Leary’s savoury 2016 Bolaro Shiraz from Canberra, De Beaurepaire’s 2007 Victor Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from just over the western side of the mountains in Rylstone, and a couple of standout vintages of Brokenwood’s classic Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz.
Who to takeTraditionally, the Blue Mountains is peak “romantic weekend away” for Sydneysiders, especially in winter, and couples will find plenty of low-lit corners to tuck themselves into. But the Kyah Hotel wants to position itself as top of mind for groups: wedding parties, friends’ getaways, even corporate retreats. With seating for 170 people, Blaq has larger bookings covered, and can even section off areas for private parties, so gather a gang and coordinate your diaries.
image credits: Steven Woodburn
Authour image
Alexandra CarltonAlexandra Carlton is a freelance writer who contributes to Australia’s leading food, wine and travel publications.
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Drinks DirectoryMeal and a bevTop notch wine listVego Food OptionsRegional NSWOutdoor areaGood for groupsBarRestaurant
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