The industry icon opens two new ventures, on the same day, in Double Bay

Neil Perry’s latest venture, with friend Linden Pride who runs New York’s famous Dante bar, opens on Friday with 10 signature martinis on the menu.

It’s been Neil Perry’s most stressful opening, as well as his biggest, but this Friday the industry icon will open his 90-seat bar Bobbies and his 240-seat restaurant Songbird inside his $12m Double Bay hospitality precinct.

“This is the most stressful opening I have done,” Perry told The Daily Telegraph.

“You can spend ages talking and training and doing tastings but you never really feel it until you go live. It’s keeping me up at night.”

Both venues are housed inside the heritage-listed Gaden House, just metres from Perry’s venues Margaret and Next Door.

Songbird, is a Cantonese-style restaurant that as well as bringing back Lazy Susan’s will focus on peking-duck.

Bobbies is a basement cocktail bar, which Perry is opening in collaboration with Linden and Nathalie Pride, who run New York’s famous Dante.

That bar, which was voted the World’s Best in 2019 which looks like an Italian cafe and is said to have popularised the negroni and made it the seminal drink in the US.

Neil Perry and Linden Pride at their new bar Bobbies, in Double Bay, which opens this Friday. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

So what will Pride have everyone drinking?

“Bobbies is about the martini,” he said.

Bobbies is a tribute to Australian hall-of-fame disc jockey, and Pride’s Grandfather, Bob Rogers.

Pride explains that the martini was his drink and he recalls him drinking them at 5pm.

“He introduced me to that drink. Now, we’ll have 10 signature Martini’s on offer.”

For Pride, the focus is on creating cocktails that are balanced, not boozy, so you can have a couple.

While Perry has curated a snacks menu which includes his ever-popular finger sandwiches.

There is also going to be a live music program at the venue including DJs and bands.

Pride believes the bar will become known for its martini’s. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

Perry added that while Double Bay has great pubs like The Sheaf and The Oak, it’s missing a world class bar.

“Bobbies add world class experience and will give people a chance to drink best drinks in the world. It’s not only a point of difference for the suburb but also in the city.”

Perry said the decision to open Bobbie’s was so he could collaborate with Pride and give him a chance to grow.

“I’ve been really lucky, I’ve had a lot of amazing opportunities over my career and now I’m sitting here owning all my own restaurants,” he said.

“These joint ventures is because I want to support those guys.”