The shabby velour couches are gone, but in their place are bar stools with reassuring backs (hooray), and comfortable almost Scandi-style wooden lounge chairs with leather, velvet and tactile fabrics in olive greens, greys, blacks; the odd watercolour-print throw pillow by Eloise Rapp. The bar sits in the middle of the room; an oval temple to drinking clad with yellow and orange back-lit resin.

While we’re at the bar, join the mostly hipster crowd for a (very) local draught beer by Batch in Marrickville, and there’s an Australia-only list of bottled beers as well. They’ve had some pun fun with the cocktail list. Give Peas a Chance is a medley of Illegal Mezcal, spring pea, lemon, vermouth, egg white and “flower power”. The Kahuna Colado is a spritzy, fresh and strong concoction of Pineapple Pampero rum, tropical citrus, Big Kahuna Batch Ale; the masterstroke being a transparent sheet of dehydrated pineapple on top, and a thin cracker that turns out to be an actual pina colada (rum, pineapple, coconut milk), dehydrated. The cocktails mean serious business.

The new fit out, the brushed velvet-like grey carpet, the sharp black paint job around the top of the room, allows the old tiles on all walls to stand out. They’re tatty, yellowed, just like those old watering holes that wreaked of beer and sweat, yet here they’re striking vintage chic. Allowing the old to exist proudly and even beautifully despite a massive refurb shows extraordinary foresight and confidence, a willingness not to just move with the trends. And that’s true for the drinks list as well. The Old Clare is an innovative and gleaming addition to the city.

Tel: (02) 8277 8277

Social feed