Bayly’s Restaurant

Bayly’s is the companion restaurant to the Ensemble Theatre in Kirribilli. It’s right on the water and in summer this makes for a really beautiful evening looking out on the harbour. In winter it’s dark, and the restaurant is well lit (possibly too well lit), so you can’t actually see outside. But if you’re after a restaurant with a view, somewhere to take your Gran or your mum, this might be a winner.
I liked Bayly’s in a mid-​1990s sort of way. What do I mean? It felt really dated — both the crowd eating there and the menu itself. It’s the kind of place that sexes up a tart with goat’s cheese, because that’s still kind of exotic at Bayly’s. There’s slow-​cooked pork with caramelised apple & leeks, there’s barramundi with wilted spinach, there’s risotto, there’s crab linguini. The meals are generous and usually well cooked, it’s just it all seems a bit bland and uninspired, a bit like an expensive restaurant in a country town, catering towards relatively conservative clientele. We were probably one of the few non-​white-​haireds in the room, I should add.
I do recommend the affogato, which comes with a huge shot of frangelico as well as espresso.