The Rum Diaries

Reoppened after 2 years renovation, Huge Rum list and modern australian cuicine.
Live music session on sunday.

Awesome cocktails, happy hour (pre 7pm I think), half price cocktails is very good value and worthwhile. You could sit here and drink many cocktails and not realise the time had passed...!

This cosy, low-lit, unpretentious bar/restaurant in Bondi is a fantastic place to come on a date. The waiters are trendy, professional and friendly. The small, rustic, wood-filled room is always full of people. Today we are seated on stools at a bench table near the window, which makes for some great people-watching out onto busy Bondi Road. There is an extensive drink menu with wine by the glass or the bottle, and as it's name suggests, rum is the speciality drink. The other thing that this place does extremely well is the food. Sharing is the way to go here. To start with we order the bread plate which comes with 3 varieties of fresh bread and a selection of condiments including hummus, pesto, roasted garlic, olive oil & chili. We also order a sharing plate that comes with deliciously seasoned king-fish sashimi, grilled scallops and some seared tuna and a house salad as a side dish. The presentation is perfect and the flavours are fantastic. We are very pleased with our ...read more

Rum Diaries is a quirky little joint where you can expect to find absolutely anything inside, including great food. Candle holders covered in wax, purple velvet lounge chairs, chandeliers, an old wooden piano and various other forms of antique art make up the different style of atmosphere. As the name suggests, there is a long list if dark and light rums to choose from which come from all over the world so it is recommended you have one during or after your meal. In terms of seating you may be put on a larger dining room style table with some others, or you may be lucky enough to be seated in a booth. The food is Fusion Tapas which is very similar to other places in the area, but seems to excel in quality and taste. We had the lamb rump which melted away in our mouths, along with the chicken dish and a salad. We then added a bottle of wine and a white rum each to the bill which came to about $120 for two of us, which we thought was excellent value.

The Rum diaries comes nailed to a heavy board of wood and promises to supply you with a headache of epic proportions the next morning. As I was still battling the affects of the previous nights drinks I steered clear of the rum and opted for a beer.

The entrees were small but packed full of flavour some come with an accompanying shot of whisky. The Main meals are platters for two, they aren't large portions and might suit a big eater to have one on their own - served on chopping boards the presentation set's up an expectation of "you must try this" which works perfectly with the lounge-room like intimate rooms adorned with mismatched furniture and classic whisky drinking paraphernalia.

The cheese platter we shared between four had ample amounts of bread and fruit to mix to your taste. I've never need much of a fan of blue cheeses but found the roast pear made it perfect for my pallet.