NOW EXPERIENCING:The Hamsa Room

Read time 4 Mins

Posted 30 Jan 2024

By
Fiona Donnelly


Pocket-sized and powered by natural wines, The Hamsa Room is a dietary-friendly bar that serves stylish twists on Middle Eastern plates as an upbeat playlist sets a holiday mood.

The interiors at Hamsa Room
Why you goThe Hamsa Room is a versatile Paddington 26-seater bar that looks and feels like a standalone destination, but is actually an offshoot of Naim Restaurant, a Middle Eastern venue around the corner on Collingwood Street. Over the years, Naim has become well loved and known for its plant-embracing, halal-friendly and respectfully updated Levantine dishes. You’ll encounter the same approach at Hamsa, which rocks a separate contemporary Middle Eastern snacking menu, along with a lo-fi-leaning wine list that includes half a dozen sparkling options by the glass. Handily positioned for warm-up drinks before dining at Naim or an evening-extending nightcap, Hamsa is also fully tooled for self-contained good times. The interiors are eye-catching, with a bar clad in colourful Moorish tiles, plush dark-blue banquettes in the window alcoves, and striking painted artworks and amulets said to protect against the evil eye and invite good fortune.
Why you stayCo-owner Vince Estacio is a sucker for a playlist heavy on French and Brazilian artists, and the on-vacation vibe conjured by these upbeat tracks will have you in the mood to stick around. Add a generous range of bubbles by the glass that, apart from a few imports, sticks pretty close to home and the dial is set to good times. There’s a cheery list of beers, too, including Twøbays lager for the gluten-free community, and Yulli’s Seabass Mediterranean lager and Garage Project’s IPA on tap. Those handsome window banquettes and the bistro-style chairs and wooden tables that fill the rest of the room are equally good for making the most of the share-plate menu (and you should).
What drink to orderHamsa’s backbar may be small but it packs in some top drops. The house gin, for instance, is Four Pillars, while Applewood’s Davidson plum gin and US-based St George Botanivore gin are also on pour. The Four Pillars barrel-aged gin features in cocktails like The Gloria, a twist on the Negroni, turbo-boosted with orange-tinged Cointreau. Notice a smoky note to your Margarita? That’s because Hamsa’s version swaps the more usual tequila base for mezcal. Wine choices, meanwhile, are just as carefully chosen, with around 17 wines by the glass (ask about any unlisted choices, too), which might include Collet NV Brut Champagne or Das Juice Rosé along with on-trend names like Arc, Minim, Jilly and La Violetta. 
The bar at Hamsa Room
A Middle Eastern-style dish at The Hamsa Room
What to pair it withThe bar conceals a tiny kitchen with an impressive output. What image does the menu description “shawarma parfait” conjure? Hint: it’s not a shawarma as we know it. This dainty pastry tart is filled with a spiced duck-liver pâté stacked with spheres of tart pomegranate gel and a scattering of micro-herbs, and arrives on a doily, for goodness sake. Harissa prawns are another flavour bomb, served on a thick garlicky sauce with pickled red chilli and toasts of sourdough from Toowong’s excellent Riser bakery (ask nicely and they might let you have some of the addictive tahini butter to spread on it). Wagyu bresaola, meanwhile, is a tasty arrangement of slices of air-dried beef with a tangy rémoulade sauce and seeded crackers that plays nicely with most wines on the list.
Don’t leave withoutChecking out the colourful painted “hamsas”, aka hand symbols and amulets, on the left wall as you enter the bar. Some of the pieces depict an open right hand facing up; others are downward facing. Both are good-luck charms – protecting against evil (upward facing), or inviting in good fortune (downward). Either way, it’s nice to know so you can explain the bar name to your mates.
Hand symbols and amulets in The Hamsa Room
Who to takeProximity to the former Paddington Antique Centre (now called Empire Revival) and a commanding location on Latrobe Terrace make The Hamsa Room a tempting afternoon spot for a post-shopping drink with friends, particularly with a few prettily assembled snacks alongside. It’s also a perfect hangout for locals, who pop by on a regular basis.