Bacar Bar

It's feast or famine at Sydney Olympic Park. On game night or show night, swarms of people crowd the few bars and restaurants with an exciting buzz. On other nights, it can be a bit of a ghost town. When I visit Bacar, a restaurant and bar in the Hotel Pullman near ANZ Stadium, it's the latter. Wandering around the concrete jungle is almost eerie, with barely a soul in sight, but inside I'm surprised to see quite a few people kicking back for a cocktail or meal.

THE RESTAURANT HAS A GOOD REPUTATION - apparently Olympic Park is not a culinary wasteland of McDonald's and Subway. Online reviews are glowing, giving the food, service and ambience top marks. But for those who just want to wet their whistle, the bar is the destination. With both restaurant and bar located in the hotel lobby, however, it doesn't feel quite like a ''destination''. The bar is a bit transitory, with a steady stream of people who are either having a drink before dinner, a drink before they go out or something before they retire to their room. The ceilings are high and the decor is very ''hotel lobby''. Red leather couches, perfectly placed cushions, a plasma screen and printed carpet are immaculate but lack character. One area of the bar is very brightly lit - odd - but another area with dim lighting and chocolate brown couches is much more pleasant.

COCKTAILS ARE A STEP UP from the boring usuals and while hardly groundbreaking they're summery and fruity. A Hummingbird Martini (peach, orange, Galliano, Tuaca, vanilla vodka, $18.50) is an interesting combination and is strained to a nice consistency like liquefied mousse. The Ginger Bacar (ginger beer, cointreau, lime) is simple and refreshing but perhaps not worth the $18.50 price tag. Mocktails are normally cringe-worthy but Mum's Mint Julep catches my eye - limes and mint leaves muddled, shaken with orange and pineapple juice and topped with lemonade ($12.50).

ONE ADVANTAGE OF A BAR attached to a restaurant is the extensive wine list. There are some big Australian names among lesser-known local and international drops. A Corte Giara pinot grigio from Italy ($49 bottle, $12 glass) is great with our salted squid, and a 2008 Poliziano chianti from Montepulciano ($63) is a smooth red blend to finish on. More than 60 wines by the bottle include some interesting varietals.

THE FOOD IS A FAIRLY UNINSPIRING selection of bar snacks such as caesar salad, sandwiches and oysters. Vegetarian spring rolls, crisp and delicate, come with a tangy nam jim ($12). Chilli salted squid, while a touch gluggy, is wolfed down with a set of chopsticks and a puddle of soy sauce ($12). We order strawberries and a dessert cocktail (the Cornetto - Mozart dark chocolate, Frangelico, pistachio chocolate, $17.50) but by this time the bar has closed. It's 10pm. Not quite my bed time yet. I'm later told the bar stays open depending on the night. If there's a big concert or football game on, it will still be pumping at 2am. But tonight we're out on the kerb before the clock even strikes midnight. It's basically a hit-and-miss night that I'd really only recommend to parched partygoers wandering the streets of Olympic Park after dark.

YOU'LL LOVE IT IF you're looking for a cocktail or wine after a big event.

YOU'LL HATE IT IF you want to drink late into the night.

GO FOR Hummingbird Martini, spring rolls, Corte Giara pinot grigio.

IT'LL COST YOU cocktails $17.50-$18.50, wine by the bottle $31-$529, wine by the glass $11-$14, beer by the bottle $7.50-$9.50, bar snacks $8-$12.

Bacar Bar Address Hotel Pullman, Olympic Boulevard, Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush Bay, 8762 7959 Open Mon-Sun, noon-midnight