Jacksons on George revives a CBD landmark with a fresh outlook. It’s classic but contemporary, with a rooftop bar, pub and bistro across three levels.
Cocktails are the place to start. Opt for the Japanese Slipper and see a retro classic reborn with melon liqueur, Cointreau and lemon juice shaken into a lurid-green concoction that’s just the right amount of sweet and sharp. Pick a 50-50 Martini, and the extra vermouth ensures it goes down smoothly. Order a Margarita and it comes classically made, with an optional hit of spicy agave to ramp things up. Move to wine and the menu plays hits, but is equally geared for today: there’s a chilled red in the form of Vinden Gamay from New South Wales, or golden-hued orange wine from Italy’s Lazio that’s all texture and spice. Beers such as Balter, Carlton Draught, Peroni and Pirate Life are on tap.
That’s upstairs and downstairs, but Bistro George on the middle floor leans fancy, offering premium wines with a Euro edge, supplementing a more refined cocktail list (think a Pandan Negroni or classic Sidecar). And did somebody say “Martini trolley”?
Flexibility is the key – each space is different, but builds on the rest. Downstairs in the Public Bar, it’s pub classics given a twist, with the odd curveball to keep it interesting – a slab of soft white bread overloaded with caramelised onion and topped with a grilled sausage from LP’s Quality Meats, fried chicken with aïoli shot through with Calabrian chilli, or a straight-up-and-down cheeseburger made with dry-aged beef. Schnitzel? They have it, but you’ll find it billed as spatchcock cotoletta and served with tasty Diane sauce. Familiar, but enticingly unexpected.
At Bistro George, where waiters tread the floor in white worker jackets, it’s line-caught coral trout with buttery limoncello sauce, rigatoni alla gin (a spin on vodka pasta), carved rôtisserie chicken and top-notch steaks. A far cry from the original Jacksons.
