REKŌDO RESTAURANT & VINYL BAR 
HITS PLAY AT BARANGAROO HOUSE


Barangaroo House is set to get a little louder when Rekōdo restaurant and vinyl bar joins the house mix on level one, Friday 16 September. A nod to Japanese listening rooms, Rekōdo (Japanese for ‘record’) blurs the line between food, drink and music to create an immersive restaurant and vinyl bar with a Japanese bent. 


Expect Japanese-inspired food, sake, cocktails, and wine - all set to a killer soundtrack curated by a collective of tastemaker artists, played by vinyl DJs, and amplified through a Klipsch La Scala sound system. Each month a guest vinyl Selector curates the tunes -first up is Triple J Unearthed Winner and Aria nominated Meg Mac, followed by synth-pop extraordinaire Donny Benét in October, and dance-pop duo Lazywax in November, with more to be announced. Resident vinyl DJs spin from Thursday to Sunday, including the likes of Ayebatonye, Adi Toohey and Soul of Sydney DJs.


“I’m obsessed with all the amazing voices in the world, so I’ve included some of the singers I love like Sam Cooke, Amy Winehouse, Dusty Springfield, Enya, Leon Bridges and my new local discovery Telenova! My current favourite is Jimi Hendrix’s 'Axis: Bold As Love',” explains Mac. “One of the things I love about vinyl is the artwork. I like to put the covers up on my piano when I’m writing, it helps inspire me and I can swap them around depending on what mood I’m in. So, I'm excited to flick through some of these covers at Rekōdo next month!”


Elliot Solomon, CEO of Solotel says that Rekōdo blends perfectly into level one at Barangaroo House between rooftop cocktail bar Smoke upstairs and relaxed House Bar on the ground floor. “At Rekōdo we put music front and centre to create a new dining, drinking and listening experience that sounds as good as it tastes. It’s buzzing, it’s loud, it’s fun, it’s where you can tune into new flavours, drinks and music. A great addition to the Barangaroo House mix.” 


“Barangaroo House just got even better,” says Barangaroo House co-owner and restaurateur, Matt Moran. “The Rekōdo experience is about mixing sound, drink, and good times with shared friends. Paddy has done a great job creating a menu that reflects this, with a mix of small and larger dishes all designed to share so you can tailor it to whatever vibe you’re after.”


Audiophile and Rekōdo head chef, Paddy McDermott (formerly Pirata Group Hong Kong; Grand Hyatt Hong Kong) serves up a playlist of approachable and fun Japanese-inspired dishes designed to share that draw on his love of Japanese food and culture.  “Leaning into the music vibe of Rekōdo, I’d say we’re going for a ‘high-fidelity’ approach to the menu - familiar flavours but having a little fun in the way they’re presented,” says McDermott. 


Hit play on a megamix of DIY tuna belly, avocado, and roe temaki hand rolls; kimchi and fontina cheese taiyaki waffles; picture-perfect pickled watermelon with ume, coconut and shiso; and melt-in-your-mouth wagyu tataki with ponzu and onsen yolk. A whole fried snapper drizzled with sweet and sour sauce and served with bean sprouts, pickled ginger and seaweed equals good times for your tongue. As does the modanyaki noodles, and the red miso sesame eggplant which arrives at your table smoking over charcoal in a donabe clay pot. Make a smooth transition to dessert with mango lightly brûléed and pressed oshizushi-style on top of coconut rice and pandan and cleverly disguised as tamago sushi. Say ‘omakase’ and the chefs do all the choosing for you.


Bar lead, Pauric Kennedy heroes a growing collection of 20-something sakes served tableside by the glass, a sake flight, or in cocktails like the refreshing Tokyo Tipple (brown sugar umeshu, tangerine, elderflower tonic). There are more than 50 Japanese whiskies, a selection of beers, and an eclectic mix of classic and new wave Australian and European wine styles with some interesting Japanese additions.


H&E Architects (Barangaroo House, Chiswick Woollahra) designed the restaurant-bar-performance space with a DJ stage front and centre, surrounded by an eclectic mix of seating for 140. Cosy booths, high bar and kitchen seating, and casual low tables span indoor and on to the outdoor terrace, taking advantage of the quintessential Sydney waterfront setting. Solotel’s creative director, Anna Solomon, focuses the interiors around a modernist Japanese-inspired aesthetic. Clean lines, touches of ply, cork, zinc, natural linens, denims, midnight blue worn leather, and a nod to the traditional Japanese Noren curtains. Pops of colour and neon salute the quirky bars of Japan’s buzzing Harajuku night life. Rekōdo’s growing vinyl collection is on display behind twin McIntosh MT2 Turntables.


Rekōdo restaurant and vinyl bar is Sydney’s lively new home of sound, food and drinks. Located on level one of Barangaroo House below New York-inspired rooftop bar Smoke and above relaxed, waterfront House Bar on the ground floor.


Rekōdo restaurant & vinyl bar
Opens Friday 16 September
Reservations now open
Level 1, Barangaroo House, 35 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo
barangaroohouse.com.au  I  @barangaroohouse 

 

Opening hours:
Tuesday – Saturday, 12pm – 12am
Sunday, 12pm – 10pm

 


About Barangaroo House
A three-level hive, buzzing day and night; each level within Barangaroo House has its own drink and dine adventure. From day to night, all under one roof. House Bar is the casual waterside watering-hole. Upstairs on level one is Rekodo restaurant and vinyl bar offering Japanese-inspired flavours, sake, cocktails, and wine - all set to a killer soundtrack curated by a collective of tastemaker artists, played by vinyl DJs. Upstairs is New York-inspired rooftop cocktail bar Smoke. Come for the cocktails, stay for the stars.

 

The three-level Barangaroo House opened in 2017 and is co-owned by the Solomon family and restaurateur Matt Moran. Solotel Group, led by CEO Elliot Solomon, manages and operates Barangaroo House.