Gin Lane Chippendale Review British Comfort Food and Theatrical Cocktails

If you are looking for a cosy Sydney bar this winter Gin Lane in Chippendale has launched a menu of British comfort food by chef Nel Robinson alongside some of Sydney's most theatrical cocktails. Think fish finger sandwiches, pork pies, sticky toffee pudding and unforgettable drinks served with smoke, magic and plenty of theatre.

Winter takes a little bit more to lure you out of the house. The rain, the cold and shrugging on layers and layers of clothing. But Gin Lane on Kensington Street in Chippendale's Central Park has a new menu of British comfort food created by English born chef Nel Robinson as well as a new upstairs dining area that is so cosy that you will feel like you're in an English Pub.

It's finally a day without rain and we start our evening al fresco on the outside terrace at Gin Lane next to the patio heaters. Gin Lane's owner Grant Collins is a mixologist who is known for creating sensory driven cocktails with elaborate presentations. He also designs cocktails for restaurants and bars and you may have seen his name on cocktail menus in the UK (where he hails from), USA, Hong Kong, Bali and Australia.

We start with two of Grant's creations. Gin Lane has a wide variety of gin and tonics along with around 60 original cocktails. Mr NQN is besotted by the olive one with a distinctly savoury flavour and made with Gin Mare, rosemary, olives and Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic water that is appealingly savoury. I go for the Luminous G&T made with Lume botanical gin, lemon balm, lemon, elderflower and Mediterranean tonic that is bright and floral and just to my taste. We nibble on the cheese plate that comes with three types of cheese as well as lavosh crackers, walnuts, strawberry jam, and gin-soaked cucumber pickles.

We watch as other tables receive their cocktail orders and every cocktail is basically an event. We try a couple of their Director's Cut cocktails that were created in collaboration with Tanqueray 10 Gin. The Casino Royale is a James Bond themed cocktail that starts with the music playing and then the theatre of dry ice and a clear gun-shaped cocktail holder that gets poured into two martini glasses with olives and plenty of dry ice. This cocktail is made with Ketel One, Tanqueray 10, Lillet blanc and is shaken not stirred and served from a smoking Walther PPK gun frozen to -20C. And to give this the full experience, try the caviar bump for an additional $16.

If you love Old Fashioneds, the Thank You For Not Smoking is made with smoked Tanqueray 10 infused with cacao nibs, orange and cherry bitters and Angostura served smoked over an ice block with edible ash and edible "cigarette" in an ash tray. I'm not usually an Old Fashioned girl but I really enjoy the intense sweet smokey richness of this cocktail.

The Devil Wears Prada cocktail is inspired by the red stiletto in the movie poster. This is made with Tanqueray 10 infused with raspberry and cacao, with prosecco, elderflower and lemon and served from a glass stiletto with a prosecco perfume atomiser and a champagne, raspberry and Tanqueray 10 sorbet lipstick. This is a sweet, fun cocktail with the distinct flavour of raspberries. All cocktails can be made mocktails too reflecting the current trend of low or no alcohol.

After that we head upstairs to the brand new dining room that resembles a cosy English pub or library. Grab a banquette seat or a table on the terrace looking down at the busy street below.

Grant's brief to Nel was "British comfort food" and there are a range of British classics as well as French items by Chef Batiste Gouroud formerly of Bistro Gavroche. We start with some nibbles: some leek and potato croquettes that are soft on the inside with a silky leek and potato puree and crunchy golden crumb on the outside.

Chef Nel Robinson designed this entire menu including the rosemary and sea salt crackers with smoked salmon rillettes spread on top. Break off a little piece and crunch on that cracker.

The perfectly puffed crumpets come with honey butter and soak up that delicious honey smoky butter perfectly.

A must order is the fish finger sandwich with cos lettuce and spicy mayonnaise on a soft bun. It's a cute little sandwich and fits the vibe well.

One of my favourite items is the pork pie served warm with HP sauce mayonnaise. The pork filling is so juicy and encased in the hot water crust pastry while the HP sauce mayonnaise gives the rich pie a tangy counterpoint.

Another favourite item is the oysters with apple and gin and elderflower snow that's sweet, refreshing and bright. Diners also have the option to serve these with avruga caviar on top.

The thing about having theatrical cocktails is that once you see one you want one for yourself and we saw people getting some very eye catching cocktails. The Rings V Potter is made with spiced rum, salted caramel, Biscoff espresso and cacao and is served in a glass pipe with a spell from a wand. I don't want to give it away but there is a bit of "magic" at play.

Just as eye catching is the Book of Spells cocktail housed in a stack of books. This is made with dry gin, gingerbread liqueur, lemon bitters and gingerbread. They torch some cinnamon as a final flourish. This has a nice sweetness like a mulled wine but it is not overly sweet.

For the mains there are items like steak & chips, fish & chips, double smash burger, lamb kebab or a farro salad but the Irish spice bag caught my eye. It's fried chicken and fries served in a brown paper bag. There are salt and pepper fries and pieces of super juicy and tender fried chicken tenderloins with a little pot of curry sauce that brings it together. I know they are a late night food but it's absolutely delicious and hits the spot.

It's dessert time and we try a couple of desserts. The first is a strawberries and cream trifle with genoise sponge, whipped cream and fresh strawberry sauce. This is gorgeously fresh and not overly sweet so you get the real taste of strawberries - Mr NQN loves this dessert.

Whereas I am all about the sticky toffee pudding, one of my favourite desserts in the world. This one is a slice of spiced cake with a rich toffee sauce spiked with brandy and a house made vanilla ice cream. The sauce has a nice hit of salt to balance the sweetness.

And to finish, an espresso martini made the Gin Lane way with Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum, Kahlua, salted caramel, cold drip coffee and a nitro foam on top!

So tell me Dear Reader, do you go out less in winter? What do you think of the food and drink here?