Wash down wagyu beef burgers with creative cocktails served in carafes at this Kings Cross nightspot.
Billing itself as the "Australian equivelant of a European-style gastro pub", the Elk offers up a decently sized drinks list and a menu of both sharable dishes and others you'll want to keep all to yourself.
The bar might be small in size but the cocktails whipped up within are worth their weight. The carafe-sized servings of fruity concoctions were made for gatherings, while the house speciality - whiskey sours with a twist - are best savoured solo. There's also a handful wines by the glass if the occasion calls for something a little more subdued.
Dotted with antique-like ornaments, the split-level open-plan venue has four main areas: a softly-lit upstairs lounge area; the playful basement games room; a narrow beer garden; and a small dining area adjacent to the bar.
Gastronomic delights to be had include a wagyu beef burger topped with gruyere cheese as well as a King Island grain-fed 300g sirloin served with red wine and bearnaise sauce. The gourmet pizzas such as the one topped with chorizo sausage, field mushrooms, olives and fresh basil, are a popular accompaniment to afternoon beers, except on Sundays when the barbecue is fired up in the beer garden.
Liz Niland
