With unsurpassed spectacular views of the Coral Sea, real Cairns Cuisine showcasing local produce, an extensive Natural Wine list, and a friendly team who always offer heartfelt welcoming service, HB&K provides the perfect place to eat, drink and enjoy the stunning daytime and moonlit panoramas.
Best Sake List – sponsored by, Deja vu Wine Co, Sake can fit all the different stages of the meal, and good lists will have varied styles such as sparkling, low and high polishing rates, kimoto and yamahai methods, unpasteurised (nama), cloudy (nigori), alcohol-added, flavoured (umeshu, yuzushu etc) and aged (koshu). Different size formats, guidance on what to expect, and a spread of familiar and little-known brands all add to the appeal.
Judges comments: This is quite a remarkable wine list with a near total dedication to natural wine, though the spectrum under that banner will have you drinking from Bindi wines of Macedon Ranges to Chateau le Puy of Bordeaux and through to distinct wines of Jura, wonderfully chosen obscurities from Savoie, brilliant Friulian winemakers and Austrian cult producers. There’s deep collections of Australian back vintage wine, horizontal selections of distinguished producers of Europe and a set of homage pages at the end of this lengthy menu that revel in cellared wines from Castagna, Domaine de la Romanee Conti and Giaconda. While the list touts itself as natural-focussed, those seeking the fine-wine paradigms and prestigious Burgundy, Champagne and Bordeaux wines that adorn all great wine lists, well, you’re also very well catered for here. Outstanding selection, and one that surely is the prized jewel of northern Queensland.
Harbourside Bar & Kitchen overview:
Cuisine: Tropical Interpretations of World Food
Sommelier/s: Chris Ford
Number of Wines: 940
Wines by the Glass: 26
Wine Price: $$
Address: Holiday Inn Cairns, 209-217 The Esplanade Cairns QLD 4879
Deja vu Wine Co: Deja vu Wine Co is focused on being relevant for our customers and finding new products and conversations to have with them. In July 2012 we started our journey introducing Japanese Sake into the wine world by importing directly some of the finest sake in Japan, and it is exciting to see the interest now being shown in this category.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST AND NEVER MISS OUT!
Subscribe to our mailing list to keep up to date with the latest news and announcements for the Awards
Featured
Qantas magazine and Travel Insider, an official partner of the AWLOTY Awards, is the leading destination for travel content in Australia. It is not only a celebration of travel and all that it offers but also an insider’s guide to the best experiences in Australia and overseas. The partnership with AWLOTY is an opportunity to recognise Australia’s best wine lists and share the restaurants that are excelling with a very premium audience.
