White Rabbit Cocktail Room – Canberra – ACT – Australia – October 2017

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ACT, Australia, canberra, Friends, White Rabbit Cocktail Room, Wine Bar & Restauant

A new wine bar in Canberra

I wanted to catch up with two of my good friends over a drink and dinner so made a reservation at one of the newer cocktail bars in Canberra; the White Rabbit Cocktail Room.  I arrived early to this Alice in Wonderland themed bar and took a good look around as there is so much to see inside and of course started taking photos for my blog.

The main bar runs along the whole back wall and is brightly lit with greenery at the top and a well lit backdrop of tens and tens of bottles of spirits and mixers.Along the right hand wall as you walk in there are wooden and glass ‘lockers’ where regular patrons can store their bought alcohol for each time they visit; great idea I thought!  On a closer look though I did see bottles which I think are just for display, for example Moonshine – not sure many people still drink that!!

The cocktail menu is whimsical and based on themes from Alice in Wonderland, for example The Caterpillar which is made with gin, St Germain and lemon, shaken with house made lavender and vanilla bean syrup and topped with prosecco. I am not a fan of cocktails so stuck with my white wine and sparkling mineral water.And at the back of the menu you will find excerpts from Alice in Wonderland and lovely drawings to match.We decided on snacks to share as this bar is one of those types of places where plates are meant to be shared.  I ordered the pan fried gnocchi which was served with broad beans and a basil pesto sauce along with sun-dried tomatoes [delicious] and a side dish of Persian feta.  Sharon and Liz ordered the charcuterie platter for two which arrived on a huge wooden board with smoked meats, duck liver parfait, olives, pork rilette, pickles, Persian feta and a toasted baguette.  It looked fantastic and the girls said it was very good.

Sharon [girl after my own heart] ordered the shoestring fries with house seasoning and ranch dressing – very good fries and I can say that being a total ‘French fry connoisseur’.

The dessert menu looks fabulous but on this occasion we didn’t try any – but I really have to return to try the bag of mini doughnuts served with salted caramel and vanilla ice cream. The bar theme also centres around floral displays of stunning orchids and other greenery which makes the bar very feminine…I loved it!  The visual centrepiece of this bar is a large LED flatscreen attached to the roof, showing a live feed of the movie Alice in Wonderland [minus the sound] – what a fabulous idea!

Velour couches frame all areas of the interior, with a lower area complete with an antique sideboard as a DJ table. The decorations are lovely and the checkered wallpaper just adds to that classiness.A great place for a cocktail before dinner or a longer evening with drinks and snacks.