Melbourne's inner north - the new hub for bar and restaurant action!

I've noticed that in the past year the Melbourne CBD has faced some serious competition to its status as the ‘must-visit’ destination for the sophisticated bar lover . It seems like all the new bar action is taking place in the inner northern suburbs. It seems a new bar, refurbished pub or groovy new diner is opening every week in either Fitzroy, Brunswick and Northcote.

Check out these quotes I've read from critics lately:

"Northcote's High Street is having a small growth spurt at the moment, with some idiosyncratic new businesses adding their two bobs' worth to an increasingly pleasing mix of places to drink, dine and make merry." (Age, epicure, reviewing The Estelle on high street)

here is an interesting crawl happening on High Street, starting in Northcote and heading north..Slow and steady would be an apt description of the area which is becoming home to café venues, bars, boutique stores and everything in between. (selador wines blog)

So, without further adew, here is my own top 10 list of cool eating and drinking list in Melbourne's north. Not in any order of importance - they are all great!




Cibi - tucked away in side street off Smith Street Collingwood, Cibi is cool Japanese cafe /gallery / design shop.

The Estelle (high street, northcote) - this place is like the quiet person standing in the corner who turns out to be the most interesting person at the party. Its not attention seeking in any way but once you've spent a bit of time in their company you'l'll be hooked. A 'designer diner', with sleek retro furnishings and a sophisticated menu for meat lovers. If you are looking for something beyond steak there is plenty to try. There's also a great (but not overly massive) cocktail and wine list. Although its only been open for a few months its already gotten into the Gourmet Travellers Hot 100 list, which called it "one of the most unique dining spaces in Melbourne" while a recent review in The Age commented 'It has helped to push High Street another step closer to destination status.'

Collingwood World (Smith street, collingwood)

This one has 'your local' written all over it. Go through an umarked door and up a set of stairs on Smith Street to get to it. The vibe is unfussy, thr staff friendly, with a penchant for vinyl records circa 1982, many of which have been obtained from The Searchers, a nearby treasure trove of second-hand books and vinyl. The drinks menu, too, is economical. There’s only a handful of beers, and just one red and one white wine to choose from but there’s a good reason for this: the focus is on cocktails, which vary from $10 - $14, very cheap for a bar of this calibre. Also worth noting is the huge blown-up Melways map of Collingwood / Fitzroy / Carlton that decorates one wall – handy if you wander out of the bar after one too many cocktails and forget where you are.

Joe's Shoe Store - in her write up of Time Out's top 10 melbourne bars, Jane Rocca, the writer, described Joe's shoe store as " is one of those totally unassuming but eminently character-filled hole-in-the-wall bars Sydney envies so much. " I think that sums it up for me too...but also things I like are the fact you can order in the amazing pizzas from pizza mein leibe next door, the fact they have their own 'house cat' and there's a great beer garden / courtyard out the back.

Southpaw - It’s no secret that Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, has been gaining momentum over the last few years. This small street is now a fully fledged destination - it is a little hub of alternate cool with a mix of locally designed and vintage fashion, retro music stores, groovy bars and restaurants and cutting edge galleries. There are so many places to eat and drink around there I could probably do my own top ten for this street - there's so many great places to mention! But one place I love and have returned to again and again is Southpaw. It's unassuming but fun. I like thethe astrof turf and white picket fence out the front and its Fitzroy terrace house interior (narrow and long). There's the menu that is deliciously old-school in a stodgy English sort of way, offering up such delights as Devils on Horseback, Pigs in Blankets and vol-a-vents. And the fact that they manage to get Melbourne into half their menu and cocktail list - there's the Toorak tarts, Brunswick stew and the Lionel Rose cocktail ( named after the famous indigenous boxer who used train around the corner).

Rancho Deluxe - Coffee and Hot Rods in Collingwood

During the week Rancho Deluxe is a workshop that fixes Hot Rods (the classic 1930s Ford car) but once a week, it turns into a café too. For espresso, cakes and a chance to peek at classic and vintage cars as they undergoing their transformation (and hear some serious hot rod talk at neighbouring tables), drop by on a Saturday between 10am – 2pm.

Bus Projects to open new 'mobile gallery' in a bus

Interesting news just in from artist-run space Bus Projects. They have closed down their Little Lonsdale street premises in Melbourne CBD and will be re-launching the gallery in - wait for it - a bus!


As I understand it, the idea is that the gallery will be 'mobile' - you never know where it might pop up around the city. Anticipated launch of the bus is sometime in June 2010. Picture here is of the bus will look like. This from their newsletter I just received today:



As most of you will be aware, we moved out of our Lt Lonsdale Street digs at the end of March. Since then we've been working on buying a bus that will be fitted out complete with gallery walls, a projection screen and track lighting. The bus is a 1981 MAN SL200 town bus that was bought secondhand from National Buses and looks like this. The bus is currently being mechanically assessed and serviced and we hope to begin the fit out in the next couple of weeks. We have a design team and a fit out team all ready to go, and we can't wait to get out hands on the bus when it is ready. We hope to relaunch some time in June, so keep an eye on the Bus Projects website for more information: www.busprojects.com.au."

They are seeking donations for the bus fund - go to the 'chip in' widget on their website to make a donation.

And while Bus Projects are currently without their own premises, this has not been an impediment to putting on their next exhibition! They are using the gallery at fortyfivedownstairs to host a special 'offsite' Bus Projects exhibition called The Sound Playground which will happen July 6-17. It's their very first 'offsite' exhibition. The Sound Playground will be an exhibition and performance series featuring experimental instruments, sound sculptures and sonic installations that span the borders of craft and sound.

One of my favourite places in Melbourne is the Abbotsford Convent. Its one of the few locations where you can feel like you are in the country and yet be only 10 mins drive from the city...quite an achievement. It's also a great hub for artists, well-being practitioners, foodies and eccentrics. Case in point...Steve Miller, aka 'Handsome Steve'. Musician (he used to be in Dave Graney's old band The Moodists), indie record label owner and former publican (he used to run the Standard in Fitzroy in its glory days in the mid ‘90s), Steve has a fascination with pop culture ephemera (he once bought a dalek for his 4 year old daughter for her birthday) and a record collection to die for (I used to share an office with him so I know) - and one of the most elegant coif's in Melbourne. A few years ago he opened Handsome Steve's House of Refreshment at the Abbotsford Convent. The idea? he wanted to recreate the old-fashioned 'wog bar' those mysterious places where old men of Mediterranean extraction used to convene for espressos, beer and cards. The House of Refreshment is easily sighted, but not easy to find. A conundrum perhaps? Well, as you arrive through the gates of the convent you can see it - most of the tables are on an outdoor balcony in a building on the right. However the entrance is not easy to find - there is no signage. This is quite deliberate on Handsome Steve's part. As he told me when I visited 'I like my customers to be intrepid'!!!
Once you do find it, you will find a convivial host who will serve you a pie or a pannacotta (they are made in Thornbury and they are DELICIOUS!), tell you a joke or a story about the latest happenings at his favourite football club, Geelong (the place is a bit of a shrine to them..). Because I LOVE this place so much I thought I'd end this post with a few words from the man himself, from his website..because it really sums this place up.

“I’m able to pay tribute to those increasingly rare oases that I reckon have played an unheralded part in changing Melbourne for the better since 1953….. the timeless beauty of the Wog Bar. Coffee, Beer, Snack. T.V. What more do you need? Not a low fat muffin in sight.Pork products abound, salted nuts, curly nuts, nuts in a shell, cheese, a beer tap, some wine, Jackie Mittoo on the stereo the French Connection on the telly. Throw your rubbish on the floor, go outside on the terrace and fag all you like. You might forget you’re in Melbourne but you’ll certainly know you’re in the House of Refreshment.”

On the weekend I visited Castlemaine in the Goldfields - very interesting place, its sort of 'Northcote in the country' - lots of creative people and things going on. The artisan market - which happens once a month on Sunday in the courtyard of the old Theatre Royal - is particularly impressive. I've been to lots and lots of crafty / artistic galleries, markets and studios in my time in regional vic. And they are not all great, in fact some are downright amateur. The ones here in Castlemaine are really high quality - I could see them selling at some of the quirky laneway / inner city boutiques in Melbourne. But whereas in Melbourne you'd be looking at paying $100 or more for a piece of handcrafted resin jewllery necklace - here it's $50. There's also some great crafts - this image is of 'The Noodle Sisters' - little asian dolls, each one comes with its own noodle box. Had to buy one for my mum for mother's day!

Assembly of sausage dogs at Melbourne Museum

As part of the Next Wave Festival (13 - 30 May 2010), an artist is building a mini replica of the UN outside the Melbourne Museum which will be populated by - wait for it - real Dashunds!
Rock up to the Museum forecourt every Saturday afternoon to witness a live 'performance' by the dogs. See pic (awww!!)....

Hi my name is Gabrielle and I work in the tourist industry in melbourne. I absolutely love this town , and in my job I am fortunate to find out about lots of interesting, creative people, products and things. Things which, due to lack of interest or space in the mainstream media, don't always get their moment in the sun. I am dedicate this blog to them....