The White Hart

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Oh my. What happened to Neutral Bay? This is not quite how I remembered the surrounds of the choked-up Military Road. Grosvenor Street may as well be Crown Street, an elegant night-time strip of trendy eats and drinks, home to Pony Lounge and Dining, Enopizzeria, Garden Brasserie and now The White Hart. The trees on the footpath are lit up with fairy lights and the buzz of diners washes up and down the street. Hang on, where am I again?

THE WHITE HART IS THE CREATION of three bar guys, led by Grant Collins who is famed for his way-out cocktail creations, which is where we begin the night. For Collins, it's where he begins the morning it seems. The Breakfast Mojito, a drink that took him six months to invent, is beyond weird. It's a "deconstructed cocktail" with all the ingredients taken apart and put back together again in your mouth. Take the toothbrush and mojito toothpaste, brush it all around your mouth, follow it with a rum and mint mouthwash, then some candied mint leaf and fizz powder and wash it all down with a citrus and rum finisher. It's an adventure, not something you can kick back and sip on but I love the shake-up. Next we try a Speakeasy Iced Tea ($32). Our lovely waitress comes over with a "nice pot of tea and some light evening reading", only the tea is spiced rum, spiced ice tea syrup, Cointreau, gin, vodka, Coca-Cola and citrus and inside the book is a cut-out space hiding a bottle of mint and absinthe. Normally I'm getting thrown out of festivals for spiking my own drinks but here it's mandatory.

LESS-ADVENTUROUS BUT STILL-FABULOUS cocktails are also plentiful. There's a Pepper and Smoked Daiquiri (homemade pepper-spiked light rum and caramelised baked lime, $17), a Southern Punch or a "La Premiere" (popcorn-washed rum, Coca-Cola and lime, $17). It'd be criminal not to try at least one while you're here.

DOWN THE BACK are tables for dinner while up front are royal blue velvet couches and small tables for drinkers. The bar is supposed to channel an Old English ale house with its flagons, pork roasts and leatherbound menus but there's a bit of an identity crisis. The decor, menus and vibe are all incredibly polished but they're trying to be too many things at once. The sexy lighting and sumptuous velvet are more cocktail lounge than cockney tavern, while the soulful music and wall-mounted stags are more funked-up small bar. Whatever the theme, the stuff that matters is damn good. The wine list is not too overwhelming and full of gems like the 2010 Cape Mentelle semillon sauvignon blanc from the Margaret River ($12). The bar food is great, too, user-friendly and full of nice pickings such as roast pork belly and spiced cherry skewers ($12).

DON'T COME WITHOUT A BIT OF CASH. It's not exorbitant but things add up quickly, especially if you're hungry and thirsty. Best value picks are the flagons o' mead (an in-house blend of the mediaeval honey and wine drink) and burgers.

YOU'LL LOVE IT IF you're after adventurous, top-notch dining or drinking on the north side.

YOU'LL HATE IT IF new, swanky bars don't do it for you.

GO FOR some adventurous cocktails, mead, pork belly and cherry skewers.

IT'LL COST YOU cocktails $14-$32, wine by the glass $8-$16, beer by the bottle $7.50-$10.50, bar snacks $7-$21.

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