Reign At The QVB

Arched windows, lashings of pearly marble, blush coloured velvet, brass accents and oysters galore. Welcome to the CBD’s stunning late-night champagne parlour: Reign.

On the first floor of the heritage-listed, 19th century Queen Victoria Building, this beauty overlooks Town Hall. You’ll find a lengthy menu stacked with over 150 champagnes and sparkling wines, straight from the top producers in France’s Champagne region as well as rarer boutique drops created by craft producers. 

Here, champagne flights are the norm, and we highly suggest you give them a try. You’ll be able to sample everything in the sparkling world from Loire Valley Vouvray, to extra dry Italian Prosecco, artisanal cuveé from Montagne de Reims and drops from Reign’s rotating producer spotlights, like special cuveés from G.H. Mumm vineyards. 

There are also plenty of handcrafted cocktails to delve into, like “The Hummingbird”—this delicious work of art combines Young’s Noble Cut Gin, St Germain Elderflower liqueur, lemongrass, citrus and actual lavender bitters. There’s also a “Corpse Reviver”, loaded with Beefeater 24 Gin and Lillet Blanc, and a “Champagne Cocktail” with lemon zest, brown sugar, Martell VS, Angostura bitters and Petit Cordon sparkling. 

Food here is divided to fit any occasion. The nibble section covers goat’s cheese tortellini, drunken chicken bao and Okonomiyaki beef sliders (built with kimchi, katsu, gruyere cheese and shallots). The lunch line-up sports heartier royalty plates, like smoked salmon and house crumpets and a standout ham and clothbound cheddar toastie. 

Come weekends, brunch is also on the cards with bacon and egg rolls pretty much made for kings and queens. You can also add bottomless bubbles to your feasting with G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon, sparkling rose or prosecco (mimosa and bellinis are available on request).

If you’re really craving the royal treatment, Reign also whips up a very fancy cheese high tea, every day of the week (until 10pm). It’s a savoury spin on the classic sweet-dense high tea, and you’ll get to dig into three types of cheeses, lavosh, oat crackers, grapes, quince, chutney, dried fruit and nuts and—if you’re feeling really extra—you can add a big splash of that G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Brut Champagne for $99. 

Image credit: Damian Flanagan