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Drinks Directory|Date night|Canberra|Bar

Cicada Bar

Shop 3-4 Constitution Place, 1 Constitution Avenue, Canberra, ACT, 2601
Phone
No phone
Website
chairmangroup.com.au
Instagram
@cicada.bar

Read time 3 Mins

Posted 05 Aug 2024

By
Michael Harden

Holding glasses of wine at Cicada Bar in Canberra

This suave, Japanese-influenced cocktail bar with a standout sideline in sake will make you feel at least 50% more sophisticated than before you sat down.

The setting at Cicada Bar in Canberra
Why you goPart of the impressive street-level food and drinks offer at Canberra’s imposing Constitution Place, Cicada Bar delivers the precinct serious cocktail smarts. The beautiful double-height, dramatically lit space successfully channels upmarket Tokyo hotel bars, particularly with sheer curtains masking the reality of the ACT on the other side of the expansive windows. Top-notch service and a sharp list of sake further add to the illusion. Money and care have been lavished on Cicada – not surprising given it’s part of the Chairman Group, the folk behind local favourites Chairman & Yip, Lanterne Rooms and elegant Mu Omakase, the 12-seat Japanese restaurant that uses Cicada as its entrance – making for an excellent excuse to have at least one pre- or post-dinner cocktail.
Why you stayWith vintage Tannoy speakers flooding the room with smooth, warm sound, and a variety of stylish and comfortable seating options – upholstered modular armchairs and curved plum-coloured banquettes – there’s no difficulty settling in at Cicada. It’s a seriously lovely room, the brutalist raw-concrete bones and exposed utilities softened by carpet and upholstery, with further texture supplied via stone, brass and timber finishes. The sculptural light fittings, some of which resemble abstract glowing jellyfish, are worth a visit on their own. There’s a similar design-forward aesthetic with the beautiful glassware, including the frosted sake sets. A compact list of food brings both Asian and European flavours to the mix – sushi rubbing shoulders with France’s Comté cheese, for instance – and is designed for both snackers and those who decide to make a meal of it. It’s a clever move – once ensconced here, you may lose all desire to leave.
Sculptural light fittings at Cicada Bar resemble jelly fish
Cicada Bar in Canberra offers a great range of cocktails
What drink to orderA cleverly annotated two-page sake list (“fresh like a cider”, “massive and mushroomy”, “soft and heavenly”) might have you tempted to park yourself there for the night, and there are few reasons not to, except that would mean missing out on Cicada’s elegant and clean-lined cocktails. There are drinks on the list that stay with the Japanese theme – the refreshing Amazing Grapes combines South America’s pisco spirit, gin and muscat, citrusy yuzushu sake liqueur and shiso, aka perilla mint – but Cicada’s masterful Spicy Margarita, which includes jalapeño chilli and saltbush in the mix, is one for the ages and a mistake to miss. Check out the page of whisky, too, which lists Australian, Japanese and Scottish labels with a little something for everyone at prices great and small.
What to pair it withCicada’s menu is a compact but versatile number, readily catering to the snacking crowd with the likes of chips served with mentaiko (spicy cured cod roe) mayo, exceptional duck salami and pan-seared scallops teamed with spicy XO sauce while also providing heftier ballast via a 200g eye-fillet served with mushroom sauce. Those after something sweet and smooth might opt for the gelato bowl, a pretty, border-crossing combo of blackberry-swirl gelato, burnt chocolate and citrusy yuzu jelly.
A range of dishes served at Cicada Bar
Refreshing cocktails served at Cicada Bar
Why we love itFor bar aficionados, there’s nothing quite as relaxing as being in the hands of operators who know exactly what they’re doing. Cicada Bar emphatically fits the bill, starting with the drink-building skills of the bartenders. Then there’s the dedication to great design – everything from glassware to light fittings to a magnificent bonsai – with similar attention paid to the quality of the ingredients in both food and drinks, and in the light-touch smarts of the service. It's one of those serene places where nothing is rushed or frantic, but everything arrives in good time and is delivered with charm and flair, even when the place fills up. Plus, you get to feel more sophisticated than you are just by being in the place. If Cicada had a checklist, all boxes would be ticked.
Don’t leave withoutConsider a visit to Cicada’s new next-door sibling, Karl Bar. A tiny but similarly beautiful, almost sculptural watering hole named after the late and occasionally controversial French designer Karl Lagerfeld, it offers a list of only five cocktails, all scintillating and creative takes on the Margarita,  including a spicy, creamy and completely delicious number called Yellow.
Authour image
Michael HardenAfter 25 years writing about wine and food, Michael Harden is getting the hang of it.
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Drinks DirectoryCasual catch-upCanberraBarDate nightNon-alc OptionsAfter work drinksKiller cocktails
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