By Sacha Delfosse
Sydney bar owners Anthony Kaplan and Brent Mills have opened the doors to Panama House; a new restaurant bar located a few doors down from their other Bondi Road venue, The Corner House.
The Corner House bar manager, Ben Blair, who helped set up the new venue, said Panama House is more "food-led" than The Corner House, with a food menu drawing influences from Central America and southern US-states.
"It’s an all-day eatery, kind of Central American but with influences from Louisiana down to Colombia. Think things like jerk chicken, gumbo, huevos rancheros and influences from different parts of Latin America."
Apart from sharing the same block as The Corner House, the new venue adds to a collection of popular venues on Bondi Road that includes The Rum Diaries, Stuffed Beaver and The Flying Squirrel.
"It’s a good little strip there, every bar or restaurant that's opened complements each other so it's kind of like a destination strip. You can easily spend the whole night going between all venues," Blair said.
Panama House will be open for breakfast and lunch as well as late into the night. The drinks menu draws influences from the same regions that the food menu does, with a strong focus on tequila and rum.
"There are six tequilas, three mescals and seven rums – they are the spirits we are essentially showcasing and there are five cocktails that can be served individually or in a three-person carafe," Blair said.
The cocktail selection ranges from the classics like a Margarita, to some more original concoctions such as the Smuggler's Rum Punch and The Fresh Prince of Jalisco, made with Milagro Reposado, grilled peach, black pepper, chilli, lime and spiced agave syrup.
The fit-out is all about contrasts – weathered doors framed with shiny new copper, large glass-trimmed windows surrounded by exposed brickworks and old arches – with tables out the front and in the rear courtyard as well as plenty of room at the bar.
Panama House is located at 251 Bondi Road, Bondi.