Month: January 2020

Once upon a time if you wanted a good night out with whisky and food, you were obliged to hit up two separate venues. You’d head to a restaurant for a quality feed, then migrate to a specialist whisky bar for some memorable drams.   Happily, there are venues around these days that can readily do both – and do both well. Mjolner is one such destination. There’s a Mjolner in both Sydney and Melbourne now, but for this little piece, we’ll focus on the Sydney venue.

Part of the Speakeasy Group (well known for its bars like Eau-de-Vie and Boilermaker House), Mjolner is on Cleveland Street in Surry Hills/Redfern – just a block from the sector made famous for all its Lebanese restaurants, and a short walk from Central Station. In keeping with many bar trends these days, there’s no street presence or signage, and access is via a small, unremarkable door. However, walk through the door and you descend down into a dark dungeon of drinks, drams, décor, and decadence.

Mjolner is a themed venue, and it’s Viking all the way. (For the uninitiated, Mjolner is the name of Thor’s hammer). A Nordic-inspired food menu, Norse mythology, and Viking furnishings and decorations ooze out of every nook and cranny.

Whilst the bar has an impressive array of staples, cocktails, and curios, it’s the whiskies that you come for. And there’s some genuine attractions that are worth crossing town for. (A Macallan 18yo 1979 Gran Reserva – one of the greatest Macallans from its glory years – being a good example, albeit at $500 for a dram!) Very shortly, the Speakeasy Group venues will each be launching new customised apps that make researching and ordering your whisky an incredibly immersive experience – W&W had a sneak peek at the Mjolner app, and they’ve pulled off the kind of functionality and features that we were all dreaming of five years ago.

Adjourning to the dining tables, don’t come without your appetite – when they say Viking feast, the emphasis is on feast. You won’t leave hungry. As part of the theatre, you’ll be required to “choose your weapon” for your meal, selecting your knife from a leather roll of assorted blades. The entrées, mains and sides are all mouthwatering, tasty, and well-presented. Beast, fowl, seafood, or veg, there’s something for everyone, but it’s a menu that’s better suited to larger groups of four or more and sharing the dishes. The food, whilst delicious and plentiful, is admittedly not cheap.

The pork was a highlight.

There’s something for pescatarians.

The meats are succulent and mouthwatering. (Image courtesy of the venue)

The roasted marrow is worth crossing town for. (Image courtesy of the venue)

Given the Viking theme, it’s no surprise that the venue has partnered heavily with Highland Park, and there’s a good range of Orkney malts to choose from. Most impressively, the venue recently concocted its own bespoke bottling of Mjolner Highland Park. Taken from a mix of 1^st-fill and refill sherry casks (both European and American oak), it resulted in 1,731 bottles of Mjolner-labelled 14yo at 56.5%. Presented to you in its own Viking longboat, it’s a Highland Park that has a lot more going for it than the bulk of the core-range expressions available at the moment: A good infusion of that classic, heather-honey peat; a good dose of sherry; some spicy and herbal malt; and all delivered at a worthy ABV.

For more on Highland Park and its current range of Viking-inspired whiskies, you can read Whisky & Wisdom’s feature piece, Highland Park – the Vikings are coming.

The bar at Mjolner is the work of Alex Dahlenburg (including the bespoke bottling), and she’s excelled herself with the concept, the stock, and the delivery. Little surprise that she was suitably recognised at the recent Australian Icons of Whisky 2020 awards, picking up Bartender of the Year – followed shortly afterwards with Bar Manager of the Year at the Australian Liquor Industry Awards. Never one to rest on her laurels, there’s another role for her in the pipeline, but we’ll save that news for the public unveiling.

In the meantime, for those wanting a whisky bar that’s on the fringe of the CBD rather than in the hustle-and-bustle of it all, Mjolner is worth a visit. May Odin reward your tastebuds accordingly.

Cheers,
AD

Main title image courtesy of the venue.