Melbourne - Australia 2004 - page 560

Bennetts Lane Jazz Club Often exceptional and always varied, this venue is
simply the best in Melbourne for jazz. The back-lane location may be a little
hard to find, but inside it's everything you've always imagined a jazz club to be.
The best international players seek it out. 25 Bennetts Lane. & 03/9663 2856. www.
bennettslane.com. Cover A$10 (US$6.50).
Cicciolina Back Bar This softly lit, alluring hideaway offers plush leather
booths and a fine range of cocktails. Add in a particularly attentive staff, and
you've got one of the best little bars in the greater St Kilda region. 130 Acland St.
(enter from arcade), St Kilda. & 03/9525 3333.
Double Happiness This tiny but hugely atmospheric bar is detail at its best.
The retro-oriental theme would make Chairman Mao proud. Mix with the hip
crowd from the CBD (Central Business District), and try the “Gang of Four”
cocktail (mango, vodka, Cointreau, and lemon). 21 Liverpool St (off Bourke St).
& 03/9650 4488. www.double-happiness.org.
Hi-Fi Bar & Ballroom Featuring lots of live music mostly of the hard rock
and contemporary persuasion and patronized by the younger set, this cavernous,
underground venue features many visiting acts. 125 Swanson St., City. & 03/9654
7617. www.thehifi.com.au. Cover Sat A$20 (US$13).
Honky Tonks Head down a dark lane into a nondescript warehouse and up a
flight of wooden stairs to discover this bar's happy revelers enjoying live but laid-
back jazz or a DJ weaving his magic on the turntables. The cocktail bar is
buzzing and the view from the deep lounges across the Yarra River to the botan-
ical gardens is surreal. Duckboard Place. & 03/9662 4555.
KingPin Why not combine your two favorite pastimes? Ten-pin bowling and
drinking! Experience the newly refurbished lanes and the new purple lounge,
which really mixes it up with cool live DJs and great cocktails. Situated in the
Crown Casino complex, this venue is open 24/7, so happy days really are here
again. 8 Whiteman St., Southbank. & 03/9292 7009. Cover varies. Bowling around A$20
(US$13).
Melbourne Supper Club Upstairs above the ever-popular “European”
cafe/restaurant, the Melbourne Supper Club is a perfect posttheater venue.
Deep, leather lounges and a giant circular window that looks directly onto the
beautifully lit Parliament House buildings make this bar a place to idle, smoke
a cigar, or dwell over a bottle of your favorite wine. 161 Spring St. & 03/9654 6300.
Misty Funk meets Barbarella in this ultrahip and arty venue, one of the quin-
tessential Melbourne bars, down a cobbled lane. Here smooth cocktails mix with
live combos or soulful DJs. 3-5 Hosier Lane. & 03/9663 9202.
Revolver This venue usually pumps with techno music, although bands play
on weekends with dancing later. 229 Chapel St., Prahan. & 03/9521 5985. Cover $10
(US$6.50) on weekends.
Tony Starrs Kitten Club Don't be put off by the name because this is one
great place. A restaurant/bar on the lower level serves an array of excellent tapas
and more exotic fare. But the action is at the upstairs Galaxy Lounge, where
most nights you'll find entertainment—ranging from the peculiar to the ani-
mated to just plain bizarre. Don't forget to visit the Love Lounge, with its floor-
to-ceiling red fabric, heart-shaped lounges, and secluded booths. The club is
open for lunch and dinner until 1am. 267 Little Collins St. & 03/9650 2448. Cover Sat
A$5 (US$3.25).