Bar Fly: Bondy’s

Bondy’s
Level 1, 16 Philip Street, Sydney (02) 9251 2347 bondys.com.au
My date takes one look at the black, pink and bright turquoise décor of Bondy’s and promptly declares a striking similarity to the board shorts he had in high school. Not the most compelling imagery to start an evening with, but we are in an ’80s theme bar. Bondy’s is reviving not just the music, excess and colour scheme of the decade, but the taste palette as well. The finger food is classic ’80s, like and the Devils on Horseback ($12), almond-stuffed dates wrapped in bacon, are tiny, tasty treats. Some of the cocktails, like the Pixie Skase ($19), are outlandishly sweet (and bright blue) and most are laden with colourful garnishes. There’s a sense of fun and frivolity in the list, which my date disapproves of (garnishes are “disconcerting” barriers between his mouth and his drink), but then we’re both won over by the delicious Lethal Weapon ($19): a Mezcal-based Negroni – sharp, smoky and conspicuously simple.