08 June 2010

The Beresford Hotel: A new lease of life, Surry Hills (4 June 2010)

354 Bourke Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010


Homely touches of green

I thought The Beresford Hotel was a pretty slick hotel before Justin Hemmes bought the place for his Merivale empire but after only a month he's managed to transform the hotel into a much more homely and sophisticated place with the addition of hundreds of beautifully green potted plants both inside the bar and restaurant and outside in the beer garden. The simple yet effective inclusion of large Asian lanterns hovering above the beer garden and candles sitting on outdoor wooden tables provide a friendly warmth. The different leveled comfortable seating welcomes the patrons and now reminds me how sterile and unwelcoming the furnishing were previously. Perusing the drinks menu seems to give me confidence that they're much more reasonably priced now than it's predecessor. Even with the wet and cold weather the place seemed more alive and fresh. There's a lot to be said about adding real plants to the decor — it reminds me of the succulent plants I saw at sushi e but on a grand scale.

Other visits to The Beresford Hotel:
13 Feb 2011 - $5 pints, wines and spirits and $10 cocktails
4 June 2010 - Justin Hemmes makeover
31 Oct 2009 - Halloween drink time

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Nice decor and seating refurbishment
CONS: No cover for beer garden during wet weather
MUST TRY: Sampling the drinks and food menu




Beer garden courtyard


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3 comments:

Richard Elliot said...

I went in a couple of Fridays ago and the place had a good atmosphere, the drinks were more reasonable and it was busy without being packed.

Don't tell too many people or this place might get ruined!

I hear there is an upstairs level that is almost complete, but the old owners couldn't afford to finish it off. I don't think it will be long before Merivale get it up and running.

Jim said...

I've been reading a lot about this lately. Good to see what it looks like.

Simon Leong said...

hi richard, i'm sure merivale will be opening upstairs shortly. i'm not sure what they have planned for upstairs but i'm sure it'll be great.

hi j bar, hope you get to check it out when you get a chance. on a nice night the outside is really pleasant.

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