Top Table
Outside in the 'secret' courtyard garden when it's balmy, nestled near the open fireplace when it's not. The timber tables can be pulled apart or shoved together to offer different seating options – it's a movable feast.
Dress Code
Artist in residence: silks, denim and cashmere in dark, smudgy colours.
Hotel restaurant
Monster Kitchen may sound scary, but it's a good soul at heart – the menu is completely meat-free, so veggies can dine with abandon here, although carnivores will also be tempted by the seasonal, riotously flavourful fare.It spreads out over four spaces constructed of woven concrete lintels. Of these, the Mosaic Room is hung with colourful modern artwork and the Salon and Dining rooms weave a tale of Australian immigration. Eats are imaginative with unique pairings of ingredients, offerings change seasonally, but expect to try dishes such as wild-mushroom karaage with smoked-tomato relish, grilled head of cauliflower with macadamia satay and fermented chilli sambal, or twice-cooked new potatoes with vichysoisse. Once you've had a meal here, explore the NewActon precinct's wealth of eating options, which include Mocan and Green Grout, A.Baker, Parlour Wine Room and Bicicletta.
Hotel bar
Watch a local or international band play at the bar and lounge, which serves a comprehensive range of domestic wines and distillations as well as some more exotic libations. (If you’re after a quieter tipple, stake out the stylish little library.) Every Friday, the barman launches a new cocktail; don’t miss out. We liked One, which features Turkish delight, gin, rose and pomegranate; on a hot day, a Four (gin, Marco Polo tea, kaffir lime and cucumber) wouldn’t go amiss.
Last orders
Breakfast is served from 7am until 11am; bar snacks are served from 2pm until 10.30pm; and dinner runs from 6pm to 10.30pm on Thursdays only. The last drinks are mixed at 10.30pm.
Room service
Order light breakfasts, sandwiches, salads and shared plates from the 24-hour room service menu, which mimics the main menu.