Vibe Rushcutters
Editorial
Vibe isn't the sort of place that you're going to walk into, wave at all the regulars and have the barman ask, how's the world treating you today? In fact, you'd be hard up to go in there and wave at anybody at all on a weeknight. That's not to say it isn't a nice bar. Especially if you like hotel chains where blue neon never goes out of style and the wine display shares space with the breakfast cereal dispenser.
The bar area at Vibe wants to look like something from Bladerunner, but it looks a little more like something from Red Dwarf - a bizarre design of fluorescent armchairs and little blue boxes to sit on. The beer taps face off against the herbal teas, the air temperature is lowered to penguin-friendly and Rod Stewart butchers Sinatra somewhere in the background. The overly sweet, strawberry and lime Sex in the Park cocktail only added to the sensory confusion.
In short, this is a slightly tacky drink and dinner experience aimed at the in-house international guests and not really recommended for the curious locals. However, the Angus Beef and the Barramundi were both more than passable, the service is extremely fast and friendly and the Vibe menu does a very good job of matching your meal to a wide selection of Australian wines. Even if they don't reveal what year it's from, the T'Gallant Juliet Pinot Grigio is still very fine.
Instead of dinner, Sydney visitors should make use of the mild winter weather and sit outside for lunch. Vibe is a great place to settle in for the afternoon, on the outdoor deck overlooking the bazillion-dollar view of Rushcutters Park and the yachts in the harbour. Not too shabby at all.
Blake Williamson, May 2008
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