24 October 2024
By Hannah Wilcox
Lil Darlin is the newest addition to the area’s rejuvenated late night scene, bringing a groovy, sophisticated touch to the area’s eatery and drink offerings.
Located at 23 Willoughby Road Crows Nest, the bar sports an innovate spread of cocktails, tapas and woodfired pizzas for any occasion.
It opened its doors on September 24 and has proven to be a hit with locals ever since, filling its capacity of 60 to 80 guests almost nightly.
Owner Peter Augoustis said: “We wanted to expand to Crows Nest to connect communities to the area and bring that feel we have created in Surry Hills over the bridge for more people to enjoy.”
“We provide a fun, casual and inclusive venue, what we like to think of as a ‘home away from home’, where people can come together to celebrate – whether it’s for a casual night out or a special occasion.”
“We also aim to ensure accessibility by offering a good happy hour, along with daily specials so that any day of the week customers can host their birthday, hens party, corporate event, or date night without breaking the bank,” he added.
Augoustis explained the Crows Nest location will have the same handcrafted cocktail experience as the original venue.
“Every cocktail at Li’l Darlin is made from scratch with fresh, high-quality ingredients, ensuring that no matter which side of the bridge you’re on, you can enjoy the same vibrant, fun, and fast service that has become our signature,” he continued.
“We’re looking forward to sharing our passion for great drinks and memorable experiences with a whole new community.”
Lil Darlin’s food menu is created to share, with dishes catering to a range of dietary requirements.
“The main goal for our menu is to create dishes with the mindset of inclusiveness and something for everyone,” Augostis added.
The Sun dropped in to try Crows Nest’s own little slice of the Inner West.
First off, a mention must be made for the decor. It’s funky, retro aesthetic with maroon ceilings, gold highlights and textured surfaces are well illuminated by warm, mellow mood lighting.
The draping of plant objects across cleancut and well organised shelving really uplifts the elegance of the bar and welcomes diners in for an intimate experience.
This was brought together by the accompanying music – smooth, upbeat RnB. Unfortunately, the venue’s acoustics were not great and often the volume of the music, along with the chatter of other diners, made it difficult to hold a conversation.
For starters, the Sun ordered a serve of the Arancini Balls with parmesan, saffron, feta and herb aioli, the Crispy Chick Gyoza with honey soy and chilli and Charred Brocollinin with hummus and almonds.
A classic fusion of flavours, Lil Darlin did them well. All three were of a decent serving size, cooked and presented nicely.
The Sun ordered a Greek Salad as a side. A classic reinvented, it also added capers, large breadcrumbs and jalapenos which we felt didn’t really add much to the flavours, or presentation of dish.
A standout of the evening was the truffle and goats curd pizza. Lil Darlin has found what it’s good at and excelled in it. The honey was an incredible touch, with the perfect combination of ingredients, saltiness and smokiness.
That, alongside the deluxe pizza, were both a great size and served nicely.
The venue has mastered their ‘dinner-and-drinks’ speciality and I could not recommend the pizza selection more.
Brownie Swirls – chocolate brownies with nutella, pastry and vanilla ice cream – caught the Sun’s eye for dessert. It had a good balance of not being overly sweet and came in a notable size of seven pastries.
To accompany, the Sun could not leave without trying one of the bar’s highly recommended cocktails. A selection of the Fairy Floss and It Takes 2 To Mango was a good indication of its popularity.
Innovative, delicious and served beautifully, it really stands as strong competition as one of the more unique bars in the area.
Service was a little extended and is something for them to work on.
Overall, Lil Darlin – with its groovy interiors and creative takes on classic bar tucker – shows promise at rejuvenating North Sydney’s nightlife.
It has strong potential to become one of the North Shore’s greats with a bit more time and fine tuning.