Paramount House Hotel review, Sydney: Hipster haven a perfect spot for foodies

Opened in April 2018, Paramount House is a converted warehouse and the former home of the movie studio of the same name. The boutique hotel features 29 rooms and and a hipster vibe, with reception reached by walking through the ground-floor cafe, Paramount Coffee Project.

The cool design elements are apparent from the moment you check in – your keycard is provided in a small envelope that at first glance seems to be just a series of numbers, but is actually a clever, minimalist map to your room. On the rooftop is the Paramount Recreation Club and Kiosk, a gym and cafe open to the public, while the basement is home to the Golden Age Cinema and Bar, providing live music, movie screenings and meals.

The room

The door to my "Sunny" room opens to a long space with polished boards, exposed brick walls and seemingly original pane glass windows. The bed, with French linen sheets, is large and comfortable. The Sunny rooms feature a corner conservatory complete with large indoor plants.

The bathroom is integrated into the main space, with the basin and mirror located along one wall, while the shower and toilet are in two separate enclosed spaces opposite. Toiletries are from Aesop, but in large containers so don't think about packing them into your bag when you leave.

There's a mini bar featuring a variety of gourmet goods atypical of most hotels, including boutique beer, cured meats and herbal teas (though no regular tea).

The design in some cases favours style over comfort. While I like the polished tree stump that serves as a bedside table and the coarse stoneware coffee cups, instead of a couch there's a daybed (which seems redundant since it is right next to the actual bed) and there's no desk (the breakfast table in the conservatory has rather uncomfortable metal chairs that I cope with by stealing a large pillow off the bed).

There's no wardrobe, just a rail to hang your clothes on. While the windows have been retroactively double glazed, this corner room remains quite noisy as Commonwealth Street, despite being fairly narrow, seems highly popular with trucks and buses. I'd probably opt for a room set further back from the road if staying here again.

The food

Paramount House does not yet offer a dinner option, but Poly (a sister restaurant to Sydney's famous Ester) is set to open this winter. The ground-floor cafe is open for breakfast and lunch and offers room service until 3pm on weekdays and 4pm on weekends. Dishes include an excellent avo on toast and cuisines such as Japanese friend chicken burgers, Korean rice or Creole jambalaya.

Directly across the from the hotel is Chin Chin and just further up the block is Longrain. Both of these restaurants are favourites of Good Food's reviewers and are extremely popular, so book ahead. When Poly opens this single block will be further established as one of the city's best spots for foodies. Read Good Food's Chin Chin review and Longrain review.

The verdict

Paramount House is a stylish new addition to Sydney's boutique hotel scene and its location makes it a perfect spot for foodies.

Essentials

Rooms at the Paramount start from $240 a night. See paramounthousehotel.com

Highlight

The attention paid to the little details in the hotel's design are impressive.

Lowlight

Room 201 is exposed to a lot of street noise.

The writer stayed as a guest of Paramount House Hotel.