Five years after closing its doors, Jacksons on George has returned to Sydney’s George Street care of Maurice Terzini and DTL Entertainment Group.
It’s been a long time coming for one of the city’s most iconic venues, which has been demolished and rebuilt in Lendlease’s new Sydney Place precinct.
The new Jacksons now covers three levels of dining and drinking including an indoor-outdoor Public Bar on the ground floor, Bistro George on the first floor, and the Rooftop bar on the top level.
“Great food and drinks intersect with contemporary art and music … to create a vibrant, contemporary venue,” says Terzini, who is the creative director of the project.
“Our goal was to create a destination that had broad appeal yet retained a firm identity and we’ve achieved that.”
Icebergs alum Steven Sinclair has been appointed head chef of the venue, which can host up to 600 patrons at a time.
Sinclair has designed a joint menu for the public bar and the rooftop bar, putting his own twists on classic pub fare including a spatchcock cotoletta, a sanga featuring a sausage from LP’s Quality Meats, and a duck sausage roll teamed with saltbush and tomato relish.
“Everything is designed to be accessible and familiar,” says Sinclair. “Think pub and bistro classics elevated with the best produce and on-point service regardless of what dish you order.”
The chef’s experience in Euro fine dining kitchens in Northern Ireland is on show at Bistro George via a beef tartare with hot mustard emulsion and hand-cut chips and coral trout served with seasonal greens and a limoncello beurre blanc.
“The ethos at Bistro George is all about recognisable bistro classics elegantly executed,” he says.
Sam Kirk is heading up the drinks offering as bar manager, creating a different menu for each level of Jacksons.
The Public Bar takes the classic route with cocktails including a Dark and Stormy and the Japanese Slipper, while Bistro George follows the Italian classics – think a Negroni with pandan and blanco tequila and martinis made tableside.
Sommelier Anais Pierre joins the team from Manta and has put together a 250-strong wine list covering emerging Australian producers as well as classic European drops.
The Rooftop bar is open until midnight, but Bistro George kicks on with its own late-night bar open from Friday 22 September from 11pm until late.
It’s here where patrons can move down a level and get stuck into a bespoke menu of fried chicken and burgers as well as cocktails.
Jacksons on George is now open seven days a week – bookings and walk-ins are welcome for Bistro George, with walks-ins available for the Public and Rooftop bars.