The team at Joe’s are attentive and creative when it comes to cocktails. Photo: Supplied.
The hotel lobby bar is the kind of place that can conjure up international intrigue and travelling romance.
At worst, they are soulless places to waste time during a stop-over.
But Joe’s Bar in the lobby of East Hotel in Kingston is the kind of place you can enjoy spending time, even if you’re not staying at the hotel. I’d previously only had cocktails before heading for dinner at nearby Agostini’s, or after a book event at Muse. I was recently invited to try their new winter menu.
After checking out their list of classics, house cocktails and specialty gins, I chose the Miele Beets – a cocktail that contains fruit wine made by Joe’s resident bar wizard, Lucas. He explained that they whole roast beetroots in the pizza oven before fermenting them with pineapple. The result is a pretty-in-purple liquid which they blend with gin, honey and mandarin for a complex and earthy drink with floral sweetness.
My friend had the Pompelmo Picate, a gin and grapefruit cocktail with a gentle chilli warmth.
It’s nice to see that even the cocktail list follows seasonal patterns, and the menu is the same, with winter ingredients like fennel, citrus and pumpkin featured in the snacks.
For the two of us, Lucas recommends three small plates and a pizza. My love of anchovies dictates that we order the alici, and we also go for pumpkin arancini in arrabbiata sauce and burrata with crispy prosciutto.
The anchovies at Joe’s Bar are a delectable snack. Photo: Supplied.
The anchovies are delicious on a bed of pistachio pesto, and while I admire the sustainable thrift of the toasted baguette croutons I would have liked a softer bread to fully soak up the oils and juices on the plate. The arancini (deep-fried balls of rice) are a great way to mop up the generous (and delicious) spicy tomato sugo on the plate and are a good, hearty snack. I enjoyed the freshness of the burrata, and the crispy prosciutto was a nice, salty addition to the creamy cheese.
Ready for our pizza, I flip over the drinks list to peruse the wines, which meander between local and international varieties. Lucas recommends a South Australian Cabernet Merlot, which is a lovely, rich pairing with our pizza. Having already tasted the tomato sugo prowess in the arancini dish, we opt for a pizza bianca (white pizza). The Francesco is topped with roast potatoes, pork sausage and spicy, soft nduja salami.
Joe’s Bar is eclectic and quirky but ultimately grown up. Photo: Supplied.
The pizza base was deliciously soft and airy, with a nice char on the base and good structural integrity, which was necessary for the heavy toppings, which were plentiful and tasty. The nduja offered a nice hit of heat, and it was an excellent combination.
The bar’s eclectic decor gives the place character without resorting to kitsch. The service was attentive, and the staff was knowledgeable about the menu and drinks list. The space was equally well suited to a group of women catching up over cocktails and charcuterie boards, two businessmen enjoying a post-work beer, and single travellers having a casual meal on their own.
We didn’t have a Negroni this time, but the barrel-aged cocktail was very tempting. Photo: Supplied.
We had managed to save a little room for dessert, and the house tiramisu did not disappoint. Served on a chunky wooden board, the sponge was very light and the combination of coffee, chocolate and cream was delicious. We enjoyed the small chunks of chocolate scattered on top as well. It was a nice, grown-up dessert for a nice, grown-up bar.
Joe’s Bar is located in the lobby of East Hotel, 69 Canberra Avenue, Kingston. They are open from 4 pm to 11.30 pm Tuesday to Saturday. Follow Joe’s Bar on Instagram or Facebook.
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Riotact.
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