Bar Fly: Goros

Goros  
84-86 Mary Street, Surry Hills (02) 9212 0214 goros.com.au
A woman walks into a bar, and two minutes later, she’s got her favourite Japanese beer in a can – Yona Yona Pale Ale ($11) – in hand, watching B-grade film clips, while casually eyeing off a diverse crowd venturing behind back-lit rice paper screens. She makes quick work of a classy, ceramic flask of Houraisen ‘Bi’ Junmai Daiginjo Sake ($36/180ml) whilst wondering idly if ‘private room karaoke’ is a euphemism. Knocking back highballs of Yamazaki Distillers Reserve ($12) lengthened with Amaro, orange blossom and soda, she barely bats an eyelid when the infamous Christa Hughes starts belting out Iggy Pop’s Lust For Life whilst mounting random pieces of Japanese-inspired décor. While it might have been the perfect storm of landing at Goros on one of Jay Katz’s eclectically curated Toho Nights (Thursdays), she is left with the impression that this bar is a place where amazing shit happens, and that’s not just because it’s outside the Lockout Zone.