Sunset Bar

What a spot. Even a dreary day can't dampen the little piece of magic that is Shelly Beach, a secluded hideaway looking across to Manly in the distance. Although, really, sipping wine on a balcony overlooking the tiny slice of beach would be that much more enjoyable if the sun was warming our backs. However, on this particular Sunday it's not and we instead look out on rolling grey skies. Still, it does feel a world away from civilisation.

LE KIOSK IS AN INSTITUTION in the sun-and-sand-loving town of Sydney. The heritage-listed cottage at Shelly Beach, once a pub for fisherman in the 1800s and then a tearoom, has housed Le Kiosk restaurant for almost four decades. It's charming, cute and casual, nestling perfectly beside the underdeveloped beach that with its overgrown jungle creepers, sky-scraping palm trees and hidden location, feels almost like something out of jurassic times.

THE BAR UPSTAIRS IS AN EXTENSION of the restaurant; a very casual, beachy affair. It has the feel of a surf club with its cheapo, basic furniture, surf pictures on the walls, acoustic guitar duo strumming away and small, RSL-style bar set-up in one corner. The best seats in the house are on the balcony where a long, thin bench looks out to the beach and across the seas to the big smoke, i.e. Manly.

THE BAR TRADES ON THE VIEW and offers a very basic menu of food and drinks to back it up. There's a cocktail list that belongs to the restaurant downstairs, with a small list of usual suspects such as Cosmopolitan, Espresso Martini, Margarita, Caipiroska and Mango Daiquiri (all $17.50). Our cheery bartender tells us on a Sunday arvo that, because the restaurant is closed, we can't order a cocktail but the owner, Kylie Hearn, later tells me that you should be able to order one any time. Hmph. He did manage to rustle up a Mojito ($17.50), which wasn't too spectacular. Instead, I eye off a glass of Jansz rosé ($14) or Tar & Roses pinot grigio ($9) from the limited menu of six wines by the glass and 12 by the bottle, most of them very basic. Other than that there are two tap beers and a handful by the bottle as well as the standard collection of spirits. Not much to inspire the savvy drinker but enough to sip on contentedly as the sun (usually) sets over Cabbage Tree Bay.

THE BAR FOOD IS SPRUIKED AS TAPAS but it's mostly light snack-type items as well as basic pizzas, fish and chips and beef nachos. The antipasto platter for two ($21.50) is good to graze on. The trio of housemade dips ($10.50) are nice – although the hummus pales next to a brilliantly coloured beetroot dip and a yummy, chunky avocado and crab dip – and come with a generous amount of crusty white bread. The food and drink may not live up to the spectacular location but we won't throw the baby out with the bathwater. We'll just wait for the sun to come out instead.

YOU'LL LOVE IT IF you want a secluded spot with a great view.

YOU'LL HATE IT IF you want sophisticated food and drinks.

GO FOR cheap drinks and a bite to eat.

IT'LL COST YOU bar food, $3.50-$21.50; wine by the glass, $6-$14; beer by the bottle, $5-$7; cocktails, $17.50.