The Rum Diaries
| Favourite: | 100% say it is one of their favourite businesses. |
| Value: | 0% say they get great value for money here. |
| Service: | 50% say the customer service is something special. |
Location
Reviews
I like this new world
When I lived off Bondi Rd it was never this cool, but something that is appearing as a result of Gen Y coming into its own is the emergence of a series of laid-back yet hyper-cool bars of which Rum Diaries is a great example. As with any good bar it has to have that low-lit, slightly dangerous feeling when you walk in the door and Rum Diaries does not disappoint, it feels a little bit Rue Mouffetard meets some secret society. This is not about how much money the fit-out cost or which over-PR'd architects' firm did the design, this is low-cost, found-object, meaning-making hip. Which is a reflection of the other thing that Gen Y is doing really well: indulging their whims and creativity which means it is totally acceptable to have a rum obsession in your 20s and parlay that into a business. If the 80s was about making money, and Gen X about being a slacker then making a living from your quirky, off-beat passion is the lesson Gen Y is teaching the rest of the world. Our bartender for the night is charming and very well-informed with nary a lack of condescension when I tell him that I like whiskey. He is so knowledgeable about rum that you can smell his authenticity. No bored out-of-work actors here. The crowd is eclectic as a result of this lack of pretention. A gay couple dine quietly while a group of Swedish girls celebrate a birthday (while this might have jarred in another nationality, the Swedes pull it off - probably by tapping into the fantasies of the rest of the crowd). I like this new world: passionate yet subtle; creative yet professional; expert yet embracing. It makes me feel like a stepped out of reality and into a rosier, rummier place.
Fabulous rums from all over the world, but slightly ramshackle service
Service here is well meaning but a little ramshackle and, as befits a Bondi 'cool dudes' haunt (not me, I mean the regular clientele), the waiters tend to be [insert name of visiting foreign hottie with no experience]. The food should also be skipped where possible - really nothing special and occasionally terrible. But that's not why you're here - you're here for the experience of about 100 rums from all over the world, and the excellent advice you'll get on which ones you should try. At around $8 to $10 a glass, it's not even that outrageous (again, a plus for the Bondi bar scene). If you try only one thing, asked for the heated, spiced rum, prepared at your table (more expensive, but truly superb).But if you're a rum aficionado, or someone with aspirations to be, you've found what you've been looking for.
Welcome to Customer Underground
We're a growing community dedicated to finding the best businesses in Australia, starting in Sydney. Help your fellow customers find a gem or dodge a bullet.
Like this business? Share it.
