Goldfish Review

Review By Kat Pollard

Being a Melbourne girl I'd consider myself to be one of the toughest and slightly bias critics of all Sydney nightlife. For this reason you simply must believe me when I say I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Goldfish.

My adventure at the bowl was a little different to the previous contribution. I wasn't as respectable when I entered Goldfish, I would consider my 2.30 am entry fashionably late. Despite this late arrival I witnessed Goldfish at what I presume to be its best. Full to the brim of Friday night party goers, the crowd was a mix of business people who'd topped their best efforts at Friday night drinks, indie kids, alternate types, techno heads and ladies of the Cross. In retrospect this mix wouldn't work so well, but just like the cocktails, everything was unexpectedly perfect.

As mentioned, the cocktails were excellent and not overly pricey; however they were delicious and therefore dangerous, a few of those to quench your thirst and you'd be praying for a bottle of aspirin and a cheeseburger the next day. To accompany any good drink is good company, and the crowd at Goldfish boasts a feel good vibe to match the happiest of places. Not the slightest air of pretention, the crowd is ready to get messy, enjoy a good chat and bop their heads to some serious music. The venue is classy, so try and remember your manners and tuck your shirt in for goodness sakes.

Not the type of disco dancing venue, I'd recommend for drinks and chats with strangers. Don't get too engrossed though, the dim lighting and inviting atmosphere makes the hours simply disappear.




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A 2nd Goldfish Review

By Nastasia Campanella

Once known as one of the oldest and seediest pubs around town, the Goldfish is still a happening joint, but it's had a facelift. Located in the main street of Kings Cross, the Goldfish no longer has the smelly, tainted image. Rather, since its revamp in early 2009, it's gone from a downtown cheap hotel to a cool and classy club. It boasts old school furniture, amazing cocktails and very flirty waiters.

My friend and I headed into the Goldfish at about 8.30 on a Saturday night and were pretty surprised to find the place relatively empty. We'd always noticed this bar whilst heading to one of the other hip and happening places within the Cross, but we'd never actually walked into this one.

Boy were we glad we did! You notice the huge, plush lounges right away. They are dark red leather and remind me of sitting in my grandma's house on a couch I've been trying to make her get rid of for years. Suddenly, though, the couch seems very appropriate. It goes well with the white shear drapes, the tattered material covering the walls and the small windows overlooking Darlinghurst Rd. This place has somewhat of a cabaret feel with huge light bulbs, a killer sound system and beautiful candles lining the huge room.

With every great Cabaret show comes killer drinks and the ones served up at the Goldfish are fabulous. Head bartender, Ben Walsh is friendly and his waitstaff are as well. On the night we go, he has two very flirty, French waiters shaking things up at the bar. We enjoy our glass of Sauvignon 2004 from Western Australia at $11 a pop. The thing to come here for though, really, is the cocktails. My friend sampled one of the best tasting Bellinis in Sydney. Oh yes, that refreshing sparkly tangy taste of peach puree was creamy and caramely up against the slightly rough presseco wine. I sipped on a West Indies Yellowbird - lime, Havana club rum, pineapple juice and roasted banana. Despite being told by the French staff that my drink looked like the colour of pooh, it tasted beautiful. I'd never tried roasted banana in a drink before, but boy it worked well!

The prices of the cocktails are very reasonable. They bounce between $14 and $18. There are some very expensive alcoholic iced teas in the $40 range. Food wise, there is the usual bar snacks I seem to be finding on every menu I get a hold of these days. Olives and roasted nuts seem to be the flavour of the year. The couple of snacks we did choose to order weren't available on the night we went. We really wanted the salt and pepper squid and the Japanese style cooked king fish, but instead settled for the lam meatballs with cheese dipping sauce. Food prices range between $9 and $24. In my opinion, we paid a little too much for not enough snacks and we were left fighting for the last scraps of bread and meat.

Overall though, if your after a spacious place with great beats, friendly service and fabulous cocktails, this is the place for you.

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