A five-minute walk from its four-level Circular Quay hospitality precinct Hinchcliff House, House Made Hospitality has just opened a sprawling bar and a restaurant in Sofitel Sydney Wentworth – with chicken salt martinis and passionfruit Yo Yo cakes.

Both ground-floor venues Tilda and Bar Tilda, their names inspired by the famed Banjo Paterson folk song, are created with every detail meant to evoke Australia. This theme is carried through from the earthy-toned Fender Katsalidis interior design to the menus decorated with drawings of Australian flora from the State Library and the 100-strong Australian whisky list to the native ingredient-spiked martinis.

“Qantas purchased this site in the ‘50s and built Australia’s first five star hotel… as well as engaged the Australian Government to start a really great international marketing campaign. There’s a reason why this hotel has such prominence in Australian tourism history,” says House Made Hospitality Director Justin Newton. “Bar Tilda is an homage to the old-school glamour of a ‘60s bar. There’ll be jazz in the corner, a martini trolley and a whisky cabinet featuring Australian spirits. The Australian concept flows through the color palette in both Tilda and Bar Tilda and is reminiscent of the Outback.”

The bar’s martinis, overseen by Director Jason Williams and Head of Beverage Christian Blair, feature five signatures starring the likes of eucalyptus-frosted lemon sherbert, chicken salt and saltbush, as well as botanical-infused onions and anchovy-stuffed olives to garnish. Choose The Martini Experience and the bartender will turn the cocktail into theatre: stirring, shaking and throwing it right in front of you. The bar’s menus continue with a 30-glass Australian-focused wine list, ‘60s-inspired cocktails and a more global-leaning food menu. Whipped cod roe, raw tuna with green tomato, fried chicken sandos, Rangers Valley steak and wattleseed crème caramel are just some of the dishes designed to take you through from lunch to dinner.

Next door at restaurant Tilda, Williams and Blair are working together with Head Sommelier Paul Sadler to create a similarly impressive Australian-focused beverage list, but it’s here where the food is set to be the star.

When you enter the restaurant “three of four cakes of the day” greet you – think lemon cheesecake trifle, upside-down pineapple cake, passionfruit Yo Yo or neenish tart – but this isn’t where you’ll start. Instead, there’s a ‘bread and butter service’ (for $39, mind you) with A.P Bakery saltbush focaccia and Jersey milk cheese, a seafood raw bar, steamed pipis and crab toast, lamb and pork tomahawk – and ten different varieties of Australian fish and seafood, served fileted or on the bone, and all cooked over charcoal in the raised central kitchen. A view you can appreciate the moment you enter the hotel lobby.

“We thought, ‘what is Australia famous for?’ Steak, but also seafood and barbecue. So we have live fuel – a big charcoal oven – and we position this as an Australian seafood grill.”

Tilda and Bar Tilda will soon be joined by the Vietnamese-French Delta Rue restaurant and al fresco Wentworth Bar, both by House Made Hospitality, at the end of October.

Bar Tilda and Tilda are now open at 61-101 Phillip St, Sydney 2000. For more information, head to their websites bartilda.sydney and tilda.sydney.