The Sydney Paradox

For visitors to Sydney, the Paradox hotel provides the perfect base from which to explore, and for Sydneysiders it is the popular home of the renowned Bentley Restaurant + Bar.

As dish grows its presence in the Australian market, with distribution into Coles, Woolworths and Ritchies supermarkets, it seemed timely to nip across the ditch and help spread the word. Luckily for me, I secured a gorgeous room at Sydney’s Paradox hotel. From 1st July this year, the Radisson Blu was renamed and rebranded, and while the name might be new, the building itself has a long and rich history. Incredibly, this stylish five-star hotel is just the third tenant in the iconic building that began life as the Fairfax headquarters.

From 1856, and for the next 100 years, The Sydney Morning Herald was created and printed on-site, before being sold and transformed into a Westpac bank and offices for a further 50 years. In 1997, the building was given a new lease on life — with two new floors and a complete re-fit it was transformed into a stunning hotel. And although the name may have recently changed, the owners and many of the staff remain the same, in fact the doorman has been in his role for around 25 years! It is this heritage and history, reflected in the building’s exterior, that makes the hotel so special. The level of personal care, and incredible knowledge shared by the staff, is a step above cookie-cutter hotel service.

Loved by local and international travellers alike, Paradox’s position is incredibly convenient. It’s just a seven-minute walk from the shopping mecca of Pitt Street Mall and King Street, a stone’s throw from the Sydney Tower and, in the other direction Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House. Add to that the Botanic Gardens and the City Recital Hall, and guests really are in the heart of this vibrant city.

With 364 rooms, Paradox is clearly bigger than a boutique hotel, yet shares that style of approach in terms of hospitality and retains an intimate feeling throughout. The rooms are generous in size, all featuring the normal five-star amenities you would expect, and all with a full-size bathtub. Over a beautifully presented high tea and a veritable feast of small and stunning nibbles, Paradox marketing manager Terry Oomens — a relative newcomer with more than 10 years at the hotel! — talked about how Sydney has bounced back into life post-Covid. With less restrictions than some other regions, the city didn’t take long to once again become a bustling hub. And while there are a myriad of sights, activities and eateries in the Paradox neighbourhood, Terry encourages me to head a few steps from The Fax Bar, where we’ve been enjoying cups of tea and our delicious bite-sized treats, to meet with chef Brent Savage (twice awarded The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide ‘Chef of the Year’, in 2005 and 2015) of Bentley Restaurant + Bar — long-term tenants of the hotel, and famous in their own right.

In late 2014, Bentley Restaurant + Bar relocated from Surry Hills, and the evolution continues, as Brent and the team strive to continue growing and pushing their offering. A fine-dining restaurant offering elevated Australian contemporary fare, it received a two-hat rating in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide in its 2025 awards and features an extensive collection of over 1500 wines. While the restaurant is in the hotel, it has nothing of the homogenous feel that is sometimes the experience in a ‘hotel restaurant’. The design was undertaken by acclaimed architect Pascale Gomes-McNabb, with a further refurbishment in 2018, and is both restrained and stylish, yet warm and welcoming.

As we chat, dishes start to appear — first exquisitely plated smoked eel cream with jet-black brioche and a kombu seaweed gel — while Brent explains that the clientele are a real mix, from hotel guests to corporate movers and shakers, to families and couples celebrating special occasions. The restaurant is renowned for its beautiful, modern food, but it also boasts an extensive wine list and the Bentley Wine Vault, an online wine store that delivers “unparalleled access to some of the world’s most sought-after wines”. This is not somewhere to grab a bite and a beer, (although I’m sure that you can), rather it is an experience to be savoured and enjoyed — as much an ‘event’ as any of the world-class entertainment in Sydney.

PARADOXHOTELS.COM