The Maybe Sammy team has been busy this year. After opening espresso and cocktail bar Sammy Junior just two months ago, the group is preparing to open another Sydney CBD venue later this month.
Located in premium apartment hotel A by Adina, Dean & Nancy on 22 will be the group’s first hotel bar offering. Similar to Maybe Sammy and Sammy Junior, at the heart of the venue will be a cocktail list that is playful and inventive.
One of the more theatrical offerings at Dean & Nancy will be the Rolling A Double cocktail. Customers will receive a pair of dice with their order and if they roll a double, they will be treated to a cocktail upgrade.
The signature offering at both Maybe Sammy and Sammy Junior is the Espresso Martini. At Dean & Nancy, this coffee base will get a new spin with the Coffee Champagne cocktail, the flavour of which transforms with every sip.
The beverage menu will also include a selection of reinvented non-alcoholic classics.
Although there will only be a bar menu, the food is worthy of mention all on its own. To create the dining menu of snacks and substantials, the team has engaged executive chef Jane Strode, who has spent 25+ years in some of the country’s best restaurants. Most recently, Strode worked as head chef of catering business, food delivery service and social enterprise Two Good Co.
Similar to the bar side, Strode’s work is all about messing with expectations. Some of the snacks she has created for Dean & Nancy include the Fireball, ‘nduja whipped into a ball with cream cheese, marjoram and lemon, encased in crunchy Kataifi pastry, and served with tomato jam and pickles; and a smoked eel and cauliflower bhaji served with house-made pickle.
The 120-seat venue will be set against a backdrop of panoramic city views. For the interiors, the Maybe Sammy team has engaged iconic hospitality designer George Livissianis, whose previous projects include Sammy Junior, Chin Chin Sydney, The Apollo and The Dolphin Hotel. For Dean & Nancy, he has created a glamorous black-and-gold palette complemented by low black leather banquets, intimate tables for two and high bar stools.
Dean & Nancy on 22 will launch mid-May in A by Adina Sydney.