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It still manages to surprise me to go to a bar in the city where you can sit around comfortably, and have a conversation without shouting. I guess that’s what happens when your bar becomes a test case for the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal over noise levels. Misty’s got a great drinks menu on offer, with a huge variety of beers, an extensive cocktail list, and a selection of wines, both domestic and international. The décor works on two levels, as well, with the worn stools providing both comfort and proof of the decades long popularity of this place.
I know they thought they were improving The Black Pearl with the new couches, redecoration, and changed menu; but unfortunately, they got rid of the spirit of the place with the patched leather armchairs. The new fit-out would look more at home on Chapel St than Brunswick St, and the overly pretentious menu spends more of its time trying to make you look stupid than provide you with beverage information. When you do find a drink you enjoy, they are good; but you’d really expect that for $18. It really is such a shame; this place used to be great.
If you like your bars dark, sticky, and with live bands each night, then The Evelyn is probably your kind of place. You won’t get a chicken parma here – but if you buy some take-away elsewhere, they’ll let you bring it in; but they do $10 jugs, and the bands that play there are wildly varied, but almost always good. There’s room to sit, both inside and outside, with comfy couches and tables, and there’s room for a boogie in front of the stage. There is a charge at the door, but it’s never much, and it’s always worth it.
With beautiful plush suede couches and armchairs, soft lighting, and more curtains that you could draw, The Alchemist was a bar that I’d been intending to try out for a while. But before anyone else starts thinking the same, I’d recommend not. Drinks are expensive, so you’d expect something quite fancy at $18 for an Amaretto and Cherry Whisky Sour – not Johnnie Red, lemon, Galliano Amaretto, syrup from a jar of cherries, and a dash of milk – that, I could make at home. There are so many better places than The Alchemist on Brunswick St. I don’t think it’ll last.
In all the hustle and bustle of Gertrude St, Sentido Funf had the longest line outside of everywhere I passed on my way. And that made me feel of the loop. I’m in the target age group (or maybe just slightly over), and I live within a few kilometres, yet I’d never heard of it. Three deep at the bar, you couldn’t have ordered anything special, but once you made it outside, the tables were big and standing heaters made the winter night air bearable. But I must be old, as I thought it would have been better less busy.
Not a great fan of the space here, and the drinks were priced a bit higher than I would have liked; but what really won me over at Sweatshop was the bartenders. I’m a whisky drinker, so when I’m on cocktails I tend to jump straight to a Godfather. Last night I wanted something similar but a little different; and on three separate occasions they were able to come up with a non-menu item for me. I learned three new drinks that I enjoy, and found a new bar to go back to with bartenders who really know their stuff.
It seemed to me that the popularity of HolliAva is really its downfall. They sell themselves as a funky bar with a great selection of drinks, and a nice place to relax with friends. When I was there, it was busy and loud. And standing three deep at the bar, if you’d asked for anything more fancy than a couple of beers, you’d have been lynched. I had a good night, but that was more a function of who I was there with. This bar is circular logic – people going there makes it popular, and its popularity makes people go.
