Concrete Playground

While Sydney's small bar scene is slowly branching out into new territory, the supposedly up-and-coming suburbs which cling to the inner city are only just beginning to follow the trend. And sometimes in places you simply wouldn't expect, like the middle of Enmore Road.

A stones throw away from The Enmore Theatre, among the thrift shops, African hair salons and Lebanese pizza joints, you'll stumble across The Green Room Lounge, Enmore's very own small bar. Working on the premise that old is new again, The Green Room Lounge is still a bit of a local secret. Unassuming and relatively inconspicuous from the street, inside lies a 1950's-style lounge bar which equals Mad Men in its levels of retro chic.

The large interior is kitted out with '50s-era couches, low wooden tables and sleek lamps. A red velvet curtain frames the entrance and on the back wall classic Hollywood films, like Roman Holiday or North by Northwest, are silently projected for you to gaze at if there's a lull in the conversation. There's a selection of boutique beers and a good range of wine, including a couple of organic varieties, with a slender but excellent menu of cocktails. They do a particularly good Mojito. The food menu isn't expansive, but there's a good Cheese Platter and an array of Toasties with fancy additions: the humble ham and cheese sandwich is magnificently transformed with prosciutto, mozarella and fig jam.

You're unlikely to have to fight for a seat, and the dim lighting and low-level music encourage conversation. It also has an atmosphere which encourages relaxation, which is still quite rare for a small Sydney bar. While many small bars make you feel self-conscious, The Green Room Lounge has managed to overcome that kind of unease. I actually saw a man sitting alone with a glass of wine and reading a book, which I have never seen at any Sydney small bar before.

The Green Room Lounge is also, as it happens, the best place to start off the evening if you're headed to a gig at the Enmore Theatre. Within merry stumbling distance of the venue, The Green Room Lounge is perfect because it's an oasis in the steady stream of traffic and crowds. Moreover, by virtue of having spent a couple of hours reclining on a '50's-style upholstered sofa sipping a cocktail you'll be feeling a kind of suave sophistication a night out in Newtown and Enmore rarely affords you.