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Jacksons on George tells the story of Sydney, as seen through a beer glass. There has been a pub of some sort at 176 George Street since Tooth & Co built The Blue Anchor Hotel in 1905, which then became the Port Jackson Hotel in 1933. Sadly, it was demolished in the 1970s, a decade of great demolishment.

By 1983 it was the Port Jackson Tavern, only to be rebuilt into the original Jacksons on George in 1986. Scene of many a boozy late night, that, too, was wrecking-balled in 2018.

Now, guess what – 176 George Street is a pub again, or rather, a template for the modern urban Australian pub. The new J-on-G is the pride and joy of the ritzy new Sydney Plaza development with its broad square and buzzy laneways.

It’s an architectural marvel, an ant farm of three strikingly different floors cloaked in a porous white ceramic veil that references (sort of) Aussie pub tiles. It looks as if it’s about to take off, lifted by its own swirling metal parachute.

The beating heart of the building, Bistro George, is a long, glass-lined space built for people-watching.

There’s a rooftop bar for Americano spritzes, a ground-floor public bar for sausage rolls and beer, and in the middle, a glammed-up old-school bistro. It’s a big change, but that’s what you get when you spend multitudes of millions.

While Lendlease is the power behind the project, the offering is shaped by the creative director of new hospitality group DTLE, Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Bar and Dining), and general manager Michael Broome.

The beating heart of the building, Bistro George, is a long, glass-lined space built for people-watching. Terzini calls it a homage to the great bistros of Melbourne – France-Soir, Cafe Di Stasio and his own original venue, Caffe e Cucina – so it’s heavy on European hospitality, lightened by Sydney sunshine.

At night, it seems opulent, glowing softly in tones of burgundy and olive, with wall-to-wall carpet, double-clothed tables, long-stemmed white roses, and the works of the late Melbourne artist, David Band, adding narrative to the walls.

The Euro-inspired bistro dishes from former Icebergs chef Steven Sinclair are rich, buttery and decadent. There’s caviar and Sydney rock oysters; lobster mornay and salt-crusted rib eye. Clams casino ($26) makes the perfect picky starter, perhaps with a sherry-spiked Italicus Bamboo cocktail ($22); the Goolwa pipis baked on their half-shells under a crunchy, garlicky roof of guanciale-infused crumbs.

A dish of Ora king salmon gravlax ($36) is modelled on that of France-Soir; the cured salmon sliced over a cloud of horseradish cream, dressed with a fine dice of cucumber, apple and herbs. On the side, a sourdough crumpet is as light as a sponge.

Floppy rigatoni in a gin-laced tomato-pink pomodoro sauce ($32) is the sort of pasta dish that might have to become a regular order; lightly creamy with a nice warm kick from fermented chilli.

The haute comfort food theme continues with rotisserie corn-fed chicken ($45/$90), that even comes with a ladleful of savoury lemon thyme stuffing. A side of Paris mash ($16) is gooey with butter.

Sinclair’s 1.5-metre-long Brazilian Scheer grill is kept busy as everyone orders big steaks to share. A more modest 250g O’Connor grain-fed striploin from Victoria is fine without being exciting, coming with a full condiment service. Long, skinny fries ($14) are crisp and golden, good to mash into its sauce au poivre.

To end with an oh-so-summery flourish, get the platter of compressed fruits on ice ($18) crowned with a perfect ball of pineapple gelato. At night, try the nostalgia-triggering charm of after dinner mints ($20) from Melbourne’s Hunted & Gathered bean-to-bar chocolatiers; the world’s most luxurious breath fresheners.

As a bistro, George is a charmer, a safe haven of luxury, nostalgia and steaks priced for the corporate crowd. But with fun to be had on the rooftop and the outdoor tables of the public bar as well, it actually is the template for the modern urban Australian pub that it says it is. The story of Sydney continues.