so those melbourne bars …… (pt 1)

A few months back I had made a trip to Melbourne and did a brief post that contained a list of bars I had accumulated for Melbourne from a couple of different sources, but I have been rather remiss in actually following up on that, thus I find myself back in Melbourne on a very warm Thursday night and seated at Der Raum.

Melbourne is a funny place, the past couple of weeks have been witness to an early onset of summer, so lots of temps in the high twenties, low thirties (high 80s for my Fahrenheit conversant friends) mean that Melbournites are sitting at homes worshipping their air conditioners as opposed to heading out to the quality bars and enjoying something in a tall glass with lots of ice & rum, and maybe some mint or fresh fruit.

But I am not one to complain about such things as it means that I get sample some of the great bars without the noise and crowds, but I digress….

So here is the first part of what will be a multipart series on bars in Melbourne. 

1806

1806 was the first Melbourne bar that I was told about, and as the recommendations came from multiple sources it really only seemed fitting that it be the first one I talk about.  Located on Exhibition St in Melbourne, not far from Chinatown and just next to Her Majesty’s and opposite the comedy theatre, it is ideally placed for a pre or post show drink.  For me though, it provides entertainment enough, though you may be advised to go else where for dinner before hand as while the toasted sandwiches are tasty, their food is not at the same level as their drinks (see Seamstress below for food options as they are just around the corner).

 

Given that it is surrounded by theatres it does seem fitting that 1806 has been decorated in the style that seems reminiscent of a turn of the centaury vaudeville establishment.  The bar is framed by a stage curtain and if you stick around for last drinks then you will get to see the theatrics in full flight.

The bar itself appealed to me immediately with its bar stools and rich wood finish. Behind the bar there is in an impressive array of spirits and depending on when you visit, a signature spirit will be showcased.  Of late the signature spirit has been Chartreuse and if you are  lucky enough to wander in on a night when Merlin is behind the bar, then you can get a full run down on the history of this interesting herbal liquor.

In addition to the bar stools, there are also two levels of tables and leather couches on offer, again both in keeping with the spirit of the establishment, the upstairs effectively a mezanine that over looks the bar and provides a great view.

Enough of the surrounds though, the primary reason for visiting 1806 is the drinks, and here they don’t disappoint.  The name of the bar is a reference to the year in which the cocktail was first acknowledged in print, so a perusal of the menu will take you from the early days of spirits being combined through to the modern era. The signature spirit idea also provides a little variance as you will find a collection of drinks built around the spirit being highlighted.  As the current spirit is Chartreuse you will find a collection of offerings based around both the green & yellow variants.  It is also worth nothing that at the 2008 Tales of the cocktail conference in New Orleans, 1806 collected an award for the best cocktail menu, which is no small feat in itself.

As far as the drinks the go, two that stand out for me at 1806 are the Cartrusian flip and the margarita custard.  The Cartrusian flip being a combination of yellow Chartreuse, islay malt whiskey and egg yolk, while the margarita custard being cuervo, cointreu, lemon & egg which is then steamed and served with a spoon.

One of the other interesting offerings that 1806 has is their cocktail deconstruction event. This 4 hour offering on a saturday provides great foundation in the history of spirits as well as the evolution of mixed drinks.  The Saturday I attended I was fortunate enough to have Sebastian Reaburn deliver the course, which if you can arrange, is something I definitely recommend.  His combination of an encyclopaedic knowledge of spirits and drinks with his humility and his passion to share make for a thoroughly engaging event which if you are interested in cocktails is definitely something  to add to you calendar.

If I am to level any criticism at 1806 it would be that on occasion the staff can come across as a little cool, and potentially a little elitist.  I have been to 1806 on a number of occasions though, and always endeavour to drop in at least once on any visit to Melbourne, so don’t let this really put you attending this quality Melbourne bar with its well deserved reputation.

 

Seamstress & Sweatshop 

Growing up with a mother with a love of sewing and crafts, Seamstress seemed to welcome me from the moment i ascended the stair case and was greeted with an array of bobbins on the wall and then a ceiling resplendent with an array of silks of all colours and again that familar warmth of sofas and tables and a bar complete with water & glasses & bar stools to welcome the thirsty patron.

Seamstress itself is the bar on the top floor of the building, with the first floor housing a great asain fusion restaurant that is described as bringing “a contemporary Australasian perspective to traditional Cantonese cuisine” so think small plates and shared dishes with fresh ingredients and a nice balance of flavours.  The ground floor houses the kitchen while the basement contains the second bar sweatshop, but more on that in a moment.

Like any decent Melbourne bar, the menu at Seamstress provides a good mix of drinks.  I have now been there for both their Winter & Spring menus.  On both occasions I was quite pleased with the array on offer, not a crazy amount either and good to see a mix of both sweet and sour, the staff are also quick to offer suggestions and whip up a classic or two.

Being connected to the connection downstairs, they also offer a selection of bar snacks that can definitely suffice for a light dinner if the mood takes you.  For me, the not so vegetarian wok box is my pick.

The sister (ugly step sister?) to Seamstress then is Sweatshop. You’ll find her toiling away in the basement, surrounded by raw concrete & brick, exposed beams and industrial wire mesh, a stark contrast to the oppulence & splendor of Seamstress. But like any good fairy tale, this sibling has her own hidden beauties waiting to be discovered, and they are worth discovering.

Don’t let the industrial feel or unpolished appearance put you off though. Great drinks are definitely the order of the day, with bar staff who know their product and care about what they serve, sweatshop is definitely worth visiting.

Be aware though they are not open every night, so my first visit on sunday night found me heading upstairs to Seamstress, in no way a bad thing, just something to note if you are planning a visit.

A flying visit to Hobart

Another week see me on the road again, and this time the destination was Hobart.  The last time I visited Tasmania was in 99 and I left with fond memories of the scallop pies and a visit to a local distillery that produced an array of apple & peach brandy’s, so I was looking forward to returning.

As always, the trip was started with a couple web searches looking for cocktail bars that might be of interest as well as any other options for my brief visit.  The resulting list really only had two entries, Onba and the Lark Distillery. So for this first post I shall discuss Onba, then follow it up with posts for Lark, IXL, T42 & Das Zimmer.

ONBA

First up then is Onba.  Located in North Hobart it is a kilometre or so away from the waterfront and is located in a nice old building which according to the menu, dates back to the early days of the colony.  The layout is very much that of a restaurant/cafe with a small bar with 4 or 5 seats being located in what I gather was originally a hallway or entrance, but is now home to a array of tables.

Obviously some thought has gone into both the cocktail and the food menus.  My initial reaction to the drinks menu though was one of derision. Once you make your way through the array of coffees, beers & wines you are then find the cocktails broken down by their base spirit, starting with Vodka.  This is one of those areas that I struggle with.  I can appreciate that reality of cocktail consumption is that the primary consumer is probably younger females who’s taste lends more towards fruity & sugary with any alcohol present being  deftly hidden. So in this regard, Onba doesn’t disappoint. The vodka drinks utilising lots of syrups & fruits.  From there the menu continues in a similar vein with the theme appearing to be that any drink can be improved by the addition of berrys, infusions or honey.

The menu does acknowledge the classics though, so I was pleasantly  surprised to see the Sazerac listed, and also encouraged by the note on each page stating that the original variants were also on offer for the asking.

When it came time to order though, after having initially been asked twice in quick succession if I was ready to order, I was then apparently forgotten for what seemed like 15 minutes (maybe 10?) a waitress from another section asked if I had placed my order, so a Sazerac was ordered along with some bread & olive oil and a main to accompany.

For the sake of brevity I will focus on the drink. As I have previously mentioned, the Sazerac is one of my favourites, so I also find it a good measure of any bar.  In this case it did really sum up my experience at Onba.  It had all the right elements, but the execution was lacking and everything was just a little off. First off was the presentation, as you can see, the drink came out with a second glass filled with ice and an instruction to add ice as desired.  This in itself is not big deal, but when the glass that the drink was served in was warm, and the drink itself was barely below room temperature then this is not a good start.  As for the drink itself, garnishing a Sazerac with a twist of lemon is traditional and is done so as to release the oils into the drink and give it that extra edge.  In this case the rind had been poorly cut and the I would guess that it had been placed in the drink without either wiping the rim nor squeezing it to extract the the oils.  The other notable addition was the maraschino cherry, again not in keeping with either the traditional drink nor the drink advertised on their menu.

As for the rest of the experience, the bread was stale, but the chicken breast stuffed with chorizo was well done.  With these consumed though, I had no desire to seek either a second drink or to look at the menu, instead my desire was to head back to the waterfront for a return to Das Zimmer (review to come).

Given my visit to Onba, I can’t say I would be I am in a hurry to return.  From what I observed, they do have some talented & diligent staff, but they would appear to lack consistency and some short cuts in the kitchen leave some basic elements wanting.

note: an email was sent to Onba detailing my experiences so  I am curious to see their response, so will update this post with any developments on that front.