Pontoon Bar

Sucker for the smell of a barbecue? Pontoon is an easy sell. Its menu is dedicated to the good old fashioned Aussie barbie and the open kitchen means that the aromas of burgers, sausage sizzles, steaks and kebabs waft down onto the concourse of Darling Harbour and lures in the punters. But it’s not just the kitchen at Pontoon that’s open. The whole joint is a study in open-plan design that takes complete advantage of views across Darling Harbour. During the day, kicking back at Pontoon is like settling in at a mate’s place for a barbie – albeit a mate whose place has cracking views, a fully stocked bar and a chef manning the grill. At night and over the weekends Pontoon angles itself as more of a nightclub, with the requisite R'n'B tunes, dance floor heaving with scantily clad drinkers, and flatscreen televisions playing Beyoncé clips. Pontoon also fancies itself as a cocktail bar and while the list covers off on all your standard faves, you might want to ask the bartender to go easy on the lime: my Cosmo had more in common with a Mojito, thanks to some over-zealous juicing.