Best balconies and rooftops – Part 1

Thursday 28 October 2010, 12:10 PM
By The Team | Posted in Places

Recently we asked our fans and followers to name their favourite balcony or rooftop in Melbourne. If the enthusiastic responses are anything to go by (we’ve lost count of the number of exclamation marks used) our love for open spaces and city views did not waver during winter.

Fortunately for us outdoor-loving souls, Melbourne has no shortage of quality bars offering a perch above the city streets. We’re so perch-happy in fact that we’ve had to split this story into two parts. If we missed your favourite here, wait for the part two, we have more coming!

And so, on with the show: Part 1 of our guide to rooftops and balconies in Melbourne city ­– as dictated by our Melbourne-loving fans and followers.

Siglo Bar

With one of the most impressive views in the city, Siglo is the icing on the cake for the building that houses The European (ground floor) and The Melbourne Supper Club (level one). Flanked by the beautiful Princess Theatre, and facing Parliament House (pretty as a picture at night), Siglo offers an elegant, sophisticated balcony experience with an extensive drink list.

Red Hummingbird
Flamboyant but tasteful décor, an array of actually comfortable couches plus generous cocktail mixes is enough to get noticed in the Melbourne bar scene, but when you add an awesome rooftop bar to the mix, you get a special scarlet feather in your hummingbird’s cap. Look for the red bird cage on Russell Street to find the entrance to this lovely spot.

Emerald Peacock
There’s plenty to admire at the Peacock. Vintage wallpapers give each space its own distinctive look. Perch on a plumped ottoman sipping the house cocktail until the sun comes out, then dash up to the knock-out rooftop deck and roost yourself in front of a respectable view.  During summer Emerald Peacock hosts Manhattan Sundays on the deck with DJs, laid back urban beats, ‘hot dawgs’ and a summer breeze.

Sarti
Found in Russell Place, Sarti is a sophisticated spot for those who like their al fresco authentically Italian. Boasting a seriously urban view and extensive wine list, Sarti offers a stylish, quiet nook to hideaway in the middle of the city. Toast to good food, wine and friends. This is living!

PALMZ at The Carlton Hotel
If you like Piña Coladas, make the climb to the top of The Carlton Hotel for a touch of tropicana above Bourke Street. The split-level PALMZ is where you might expect Malibu Barbie to hang out should she visit Melbourne. Vividly coloured plastic furniture, bar staff in Hawaiian shirts, and bamboo, bougainvillea and palm trees make the colourful cocktails (and you’ll need one after the final flight of stairs) seem right at home.

Madame Brussels
The darling of Melbourne’s balconies is Madame Brussels. The décor – the astroturf, lawn furniture, staff in old fashioned country club outfits – makes a casual drink feel like a fancy dress party. Enjoy cucumber sandwiches, delightful frosted cupcakes and a Pimms on the terrace. Then garden party like it’s 1869.*

The Deck, Mercantile Place
Summer is perfect for wandering along the Yarra. Why not wander past the Aquarium to the corner of Flinders and King Street and up the stairs to Deck Mercantile Place, atop The Waterside Hotel. This open air deck is huge and boasts a barbecue, comfortable outdoor lounges and unique views of the city. On Tuesdays, nibble on a gourmet pizza and wash it down with a beer or glass of wine for a mere $10.

Match Bar + Grill
There’s nowhere quite like Match in Melbourne – although it does have sister bars in London and Ibiza. This swanky clubhouse comprises a restaurant, cocktail bar, lounge and ‘Wine Wall’ (just insert credit card). But Match’s pride and joy is its sprawling, partly-covered deck overlooking the State Library lawn, where you can loll blissfully upon lounges as though Swanston Street is your Mediterranean Sea.*

Transit Lounge
On the roof of Transport Hotel, Transit Lounge is cosy in a sumptuous, leather-upholstered, flatteringly-lit kind of way. The spacious outdoor deck offers river and city views, perfect for a sun downer. For a birds-eye view of the Yarra, Transit Lounge Garden is a pole-vault away on level three at Transport.*

Campari House
Campari and soda with a slice of orange is the definitive taste of summer, so the happily named Campari House is a good spot for a bit of wiling away a hot summer nights. The 1968 building has been lovingly restored, offering multiple floors from which to marvel at the décor and art-lined staircase. On the rooftop you can sup on tasty wood-fired pizzas while taking in amazing city panoramas.*

Stay tuned for Part 2 featuring Rooftop Bar, Cho Gao, Workshop, Cabinet, Blue Diamond, Order of Melbourne and Cookie.  Have we missed anything? Let us know!

*Words taken from our beloved Hot Spots publications.

Slow Sundays: Woolshed Pub

Saturday 31 July 2010, 11:15 AM
By The Team | Posted in Places

The weekend has come around at long last and Slow Sundays is in full swing.  Come in from the cold this Sunday and perch yourself at the historic Woolshed Pub for some good old Aussie tucker.

It’s hard to believe  this sleek, contemporary space started its life (back in the 1800s) as a wool storage facility. The interior reflects the building’s humble beginnings – the original wooden walls line the restaurant space.

The Woolshed Pub’s Slow Sundays offer is a shearer’s board and a drink for only $15. The board features a selection of cured and smoked meats with pickles, aged cheddar and organic sour dough bread – the perfect fuel for a frosty Sunday afternoon.

Plus you can choose from one of four Slow Sunday drink options: Carlton Draught, Cascade Light or a house red or white wine.

Slow Sundays at Docklands,  every Sunday until 29 August, between 2pm and 6pm. Enjoy a small meal and a selected beer or wine for only $15. At participating restaurants. Conditions apply.

LINKS:
Slow Sundays
Woolshed Pub

Winter cocktail brews

Monday 7 June 2010, 9:32 AM
By The Team | Posted in People and Places

We wanted to get the lowdown on winter cocktails and who better to ask than Sebastian Reaburn, owner of 1806, Bartender of the Year (2008), winner of Best Cocktail list in the world, and one of the first people on the scene to include the art of molecular mixology in his drinks.

With winter upon us, we’ve moved from BBQs and salads to soups and lamb shanks. Do cocktails also change with the season? What sort of ingredients and spirits do you use more of in the colder months?

Yes they change a lot. People are looking for warming drinks so we start to sell less gin and vodka and more whisky, rum and cognac. And at 1806, many, many, flaming blazers, for which we’ve become a bit of a Melbourne winter destination.

Many people are familiar with Ferran Adria’s molecular gastronomy through his use of culinary foams; can you explain what ‘molecular mixology’ is?

The concept is essentially the same as that of gastronomy. We have a lot less toys and machinery behind the bar, but we do try and play with forms, texture, and expectations. We are running a cocktail special at the moment that serves four cocktails at once, using powders that react once you add alcohol to them. We are also well known for our molecular-style Margarita Custard.

While Australian beer consumption is at its lowest for 60 years, we have noticed the steady rise of wine sales and a more sophisticated cocktail scene. What do you think are the reasons for this trend and how do you see this developing in the future?

Drinking in Melbourne is changing. People are out looking for a great drink, not great volume. There is a movement away from consuming loads of cheap rubbish, and towards sipping a few premium offerings. This is true in cocktails, as much as with beer and wine.

I think that it is fair to say that Melbourne’s drinking population know that drinking to excess is unhealthy, anti-social, and likely to end up on the front page of a tabloid paper. So people are choosing better booze, but less of it.

Many people are little intimidated about making their own cocktails. Can you tell us a little bit about your ‘Make your own cocktail’ course?

We can teach anyone to make great cocktails. Just like with cooking, there are rules and techniques to learn. With our Saturday courses for the general cocktail drinker, we focus on three things:

1. Building blocks of cocktails where we taste a whole range of spirits and demonstrate how to flavour match.
2. Essential skills of the bartender - shaking, stirring, measuring, and pouring.
3. How to balance a cocktail and create your own recipes.

Everyone who does our course has to create their own cocktails from their favourite spirits and liqueurs – with no recipe. And everyone succeeds.

What is your favourite winter tipple?

As the cold moves in, the Blazer has got to be right up there. There is a variation we make that uses dark rum, black chocolate, chocolate liqueur and fire. We pour it burning from hand to hand and create what has to be the ultimate adult hot chocolate. It’s called the Black Blazer, and on a cold night, it is unbeatable.