There’s something about those dark back alleys that get to me. My first taste for it was in Europe, the alleyways of ancient Italian towns. The south of France. And who can resist the pull of Barcelona’s Barri Gòtic.
And so it is with Melbourne a city that hides laneways off laneways, among jumbled warehouses built when the city was a Gold town.
Hosier Lane is probably one of the most interesting, covered with stencil art and filled with various light installations, including a couple that whoop at you when you pass.
It’s also the venue for Misty, one off those cool hole in the wall joints that Melbourne does so well.
It is easy to pass it off the place as too hip, but in reality it is just loud and open to the club who’ve found there way there.
The usual drinks, but check out the lights in the pic.
Next door is one of Melbourne’s best-known tapas bars, Movida (one Hosier Lane, Melbourne 3000 +61 3 9663-3038). And it is a great place to sit and eat some cold meats, overcooked prawns, manchego if you are at the bar. After all, that is what tapas is about.
It was about Spanish bars serving small snacks with customer’s drinks – remember nobody eats supper until after 10pm in Spain.
But now the concept of tapas has been hijacked by chefs who quite rightly realize the public likes to graze on a large number off small dishes.
They are taking the concept of hawker stalls to Asian food to meet this need. And I suppose if you’re really posh you’d call tapas a deconstructed degustion menu.
The problem with Movida is when you sit in the blond wood Ikea dining room. The Barri Gòtic this is not. A screen divides the room between the halves – in this case the bar dwellers – and the have nots, sitting down.
Our debate finally centred on whether Movida or Basque, (159 Chapel St, Windsor 3181 +61 3 9533 7044) make the best chocolate sauce for churros (Spanish donuts). Both come with a pot of chocolate, Movida’s slightly thinner than Basque’s.
And Basque somehow has hit the concept better. I’m not talking theme restaurant but somehow dark wood fits the bill. With four of us staggering our arrival through the evening it was ideal as we picked through the small dishes.
Finally, Lo Spuntino (56 Acland St St Kilda 3182 +61 3 9525 3940) is serving a decent churro too. The tapas is the usual and I find my self there regularly. It also has some impressive Spanish wines on the menu.