THE DECK

The Deck is one of those bars I would never go to normally, but always seem to end up there for after work drinks. They do have a nice outdoor area, so it’s good if the weather is nice. On Thursday nights they have a $10 pizza + drink deal which is pretty good value. I had a greek pizza with salt & pepper squid, tzatziki and greek salad, it was quite tasty actually.

It does get really busy though on a Friday night, so be prepared! They also play generic Ministry Of Sound music, so why they even bother employing the services of a DJ is beyond me – just whack on the MOS annual, it’s pretty much what you’re playing anyway! So when you’re at the deck, make sure it’s with work people and you go in with an open mind!

THE QUIET MAN

271 Racecourse Rd Kensington, VIC 3031
Ph 03 93766232

We wandered in here on a Wednesday night after our laksa King adventure, and the Quiet Man was a little quiet, but a cute little pub nonetheless. Although even though the pub was dead it still somehow took us 20 mins to get served!! I’ve been told by a girlfriend who lives in Kensington to go back on a weekend before I make my final assessment. So stay tuned.

ARGY BARGY

263 Carlisle St, Balaclava VIC 3183


Ph (03) 9527 2122

Are you suffering from 90’s nostalgia? Find that no-one’s getting your Fresh Prince of Bel-Air pop culture references?? Well head down to Argy Bargy on Carlisle St. It’s like being in your mate’s share house lounge room, except this share house has beer on tap and makes wicked pizzas. Argy Bargy is decorated with 90’s images…so there’s a lot of fun to be had remembering how much you loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Captain Planet! Staff and patrons are friendly - I’ve gotten into a few random conversations! Jugs are cheap and they have lots of specials and a happy hour. Try the dirty sanchez.

MADAME BRUSSELS

59 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Ph (03) 9662 2775

Madame Brussels is fabulous. It is one of the many wonderful themed bars in Melbourne – I love them! The Alice in Wonderland, croquet-and-a-Pimm’s theme works a charm, and there is a great rooftop area. And a pool in summer when it’s hot!! The staff all dress in line with the theme, which makes it work even better. They only sell international beers, which I think is a little weird. They have Quilmes though which is pretty nice! They also do tasty Pimm’s jugs (although the amount of actual Pimm’s in the jugs is questionable) and cocktails. Very refreshing after a hard day’s work! Great bar to take out-of-town visitors (like my Mum, who loved the place!!) and great for a knock off or a nightcap if you’ve had dinner down that end of town.

GYPSIES BAR AND CAFE

107 Acland St, St Kilda VIC 3182




This is a cute little place down Acland St in St Kilda. I had a lovely salmon steak and my girlfriend K had a good serve of eggs with salmon and avocado. Prices were reasonable and the staff were friendly. I’m not writing a lot because it didn’t differentiate itself greatly from other restaurants but the food was nice and I would definitely go there again.

NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB

301 High St, Northcote VIC 3070

Ph (03) 9489 3917

One sunny Sunday afternoon, I thought I would head to Northcote and see what all the fuss was about! The social club was a cool place. The deck out the back is the perfect place to while away a lazy afternoon. The social club is also host to some great bands, and attracts a good crowd. The food was good, reasonably priced pub fare. My friend and I shared a vegie burger and a serve of nachos. Both were huge serves and tasted pretty good. Another friend had a calamari salad, and told me that adding pickles to the salad was “a stroke of genius.” So you’ve been told!!

LAKSA KING

Shop 3, 320 Racecourse Road, Kensington, VIC 3031

Ph (03) 9372 6383



Recently I was complaining to a friend that I had not yet found a laksa that is comparable to, or even in the same solar system as the laksa from Chinatown café in Adelaide. This friend told me that I had to try Laksa King, as they did the best Laksas in Melbourne. A big call, but I was keen to check it out! So on a Wednesday night went to Kensington and dragged a group of mates with me.

Well I’m happy to say it definitely was the best laksa I’ve had since I’ve been in Melbourne! The soup was pretty good, I liked the combination of vermicelli and egg noodles, and they didn’t skimp on the seafood either. There was also a good amount of tofu and eggplant in the dish. Some friends got the vegetarian version which looked great too. It was a Wednesday night and the place was packed, there were people waiting for tables and a huge crowd getting take away too.

How does it compare to Chinatown café? Well I am definitely biased since I’ve been a Chinatown café devotee for about 11 years now, so I still like Chinatown café better, but Laksa King is a close second. Check it out!

SHARK FIN HOUSE

131 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Ph (03) 9663 1555

I just got back from a lovely brunch with two girlfriends at Shark Fin House. I can’t believe I had never been there before!! It was so good! As far as Yum Cha goes, the food was excellent and there was a great variety of dishes to choose from. I am supposed to be at the gym now working it off, but I decided I was too behind on the blog to exercise!! The dumplings were superb, the prawn toast was excellent, the chinese broccoli was nice, but the best thing EVER was the sago pudding – Oh my GOD! I had never had it before; because I don’t really have much of a sweet tooth I usually fill up on savouries at Yum Cha and skip the desserts. I was about to do the same today, but decided to have a taste of the Sago pudding before the girls finished it off, because they were raving about how tasty it was. I had basically just finished my little monologue about not having a sweet tooth, blah, blah, blah when I had a taste of the pudding and it was so good my eyes almost popped out of my head with excitement! Then I proceeded to scoff the rest of the pudding, much to the amusement of the girls!! We decided to get another one to share because one third each wasn’t enough!!

A few people have said to me that the service is pretty bad, but I found it to be OK. You shouldn’t expect silver service at Yum Cha; it’s all part of the experience. There was always a trolley coming around to our table, and I even got a couple of smiles out of our waitress. They had a lot of staff working the floor; all in all I thought it was a very tight operation considering they have three floors to manage! I definitely recommend this place and will be going back again soon.

SECTION 8

27-29 Tatersalls Lane Melbourne VIC 3000

0422 972 656

Section 8 is a great bar to start a night. As long as it’s not pissing down with rain, of course!! But Section 8 is so good it can usually draw a crowd despite inclement weather. This bar (also known as the container bar) started as a somewhat temporary fixture, but over time has shown somepromise of of permanency, for example when they installed a roof for winter! I love the simplicity of the idea - everyone sits around on wooden platforms, people watching and admiring the cool graffiti.

The bar serves a good array of bottled beers, wines and cocktails. Always attracts a good crowd. One of the other things I love about this place is if you go for after work drinks, they make guys take their tie off before they can come in! This is my kind of place.

2 DOORS DOWN

159 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda, VIC 3182
Ph (03) 9525 3383

Uhhhhh…..this place had a $5 Pimms special, so my girlfriend and I stopped by for a couple on a hot Saturday afternoon. The Pimms was lovely and the staff were friendly. Comfy seats out the front too. $5 Pimms peoples!!