This is a cool bar. It’s not the décor, which is cool and laid back, or the massive leather couches that you can sink right into until only your ankles are showing. Or the outside area so you to take advantage of warm balmy Melbourne nights. Or the friendly staff. No.

It’s the giant sized cocktails that arrive in retro, oversized cups, shaped like sports balls. Golf balls. Footballs. We partook in a Champagne Smash, consisting of Wyborowa lemon vodka, muddled with fresh peach, lemon and mint, topped with champagne and given the size, designed for two to share ($30).

When I came to write this review and I got online to look up the URL, it became apparent that this Match is run by the guys that started Match and Sosho in London. So now it all makes sense. The inventive, colourful cocktails. The cocktail menu at the Melbourne branch features drinks devised by London and New York-based mixologists and the wine list is compiled by Matt Skinner.

And the other thing – they have pretty damn good food too! There’s a restaurant menu and a bar menu. We only partook in the bar menu. Baked medjool dates with gorgonzola and prochiutto ($1.50 each), french fries with aioli ($8), prosciutto and gruyere croquetas ($1.50n each) were all fresh and fabulous.

The music wasn’t overbearing, the crowd didn’t make me claustrophobic. A definite win.

Website: www.matchbar.com/galleryMatchMelbourne.php

Started by two former baristas from Vue De Monde who invested in their own Synesso coffee machine, these guys are always ready with a pleasant greeting, a charming smile and a fantastic cup of brew.

They usually have a single origin or house blend and have a really good understanding of the coffee, so they can tell you the exact features of the single origin they have on offer. I’m a huge fan of Ethiopian coffee (it’s the only kind I stock at home), but unfortunately take my coffee in the tofu style. These guys suggested I try it with honey instead of sugar – it really brought out the flavour of the beans and balanced out the soy. Delicious.

Another feature are the prices -$3.20 a regular,$3.80 a medium and they also have a large size. Soy is only 20 cents, which is a pleasant change from the 50 charged elsewhere (total rip off). They also sell re-usable cups.

You might be mistaken for believing you’re in little Italy when you stop here in the mornings – it’s one of the only places I’ve seen in town that regularly has punters sitting at the bar having a quick espresso stop – it’s a testament to the quality of the Joe.

This place is up the top of Bourke Street and while some of my favourite bars up this end of the city tend to fill up and get packed out (Meyer’s Place for example) this relatively unknown gem always seems to be able to fit us in.

They’ve got a full menu, but on our most recent visit we only sampled the polenta chips ($8.50), which were supremely tasty and very crunchy, gorgeous warm plump olives, served with some bread ($8.50) and hot, fresh, whitebait fries ($11.50).

There’s a very reasonable wine list; reasonable both because of the variety, prices and the fact that almost everything comes by the glass. They also have some local and Italian beers.

I really like this place. It’s comfortable, not loud, you can have a real conversation and it feels like you’re right at home.

Website: www.messhall.com.au

These guys are serious coffee drinkers and while they will make you that weak, soy, latte if you ask for it, they won’t like it. There are a few different blends on offer and all of them are fairtrade and cruelty free.

The cafe itself is small and can be a squeeze at rush hour, but for some reason I find it comforting and don’t mind braving the crush to sip my espresso in the corner.

Once you start you can’t stop – this place will have the serious coffee drinker coming back again and again. Check out the website for ‘cupping’ opportunities, which is what they call tasting sessions.

Website: www.brotherbababudan.com.au

17 Chapel Street, Windsor. (03) 95214119
The Windsor-end of Chapel Street is maturing into a trendy, fun place to hang out, and mothersMilk is a case in point.

While it’s not terribly new to the scene, it has managed to retain a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere that makes it still feel like it’s the brand-spanking new kid on the block, with sky-high intentions still in hand.

Big, worn leather sofas punctuate the main room, with a large open fire-place.  Outside there are benches and tables and a lovely terrace upstairs that you can hire for events, with a small minimum fee.

There is a good wine list, with options by the glass, and beers on tap. There is also a cocktail list with offerings from about $15 to $20. The night we were there they were also reasonably flexible about fixing us up with mixed drinks that weren’t on the menu.

And because they don’t serve food, they allow people to order pizza from the joint next door and have it brought over. A tip: if you’re going to go for a pizza, make sure you go for the gourmet offerings – the classics are somewhat lacking. But the pumpkin patch, for instance, which is feta and pumpkin-based, is absolutely mouth-watering.

Website: www.mothersmilk.net.au

The three of us have somehow developed a bit of a pattern of stumbling upon good, cheap Chianti over the last decade. So naturally, when I saw this classic looking package on the shelf at Cardamones Italian supermarket in Fairfield, I couldn’t resist. The fact that it’s a very drinkable light red in the classic Chianti style was a bonus. This is exactly the type of wine you need as the weather starts turning sunny. Think BBQs, picnics in the park and hot evenings in the back yard with our good friend daylight savings.

This little cane enclosed bottle will give you the perfect companion for all these times … well, almost perfect.

$20

I decanted it for about an hour before the first glass and, remarkably that seemed to be all it needed. I was a little surprised, as the 2002 I’d had a few months ago definitely needed more cellaring, but don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. While it’s not the most affordable wine out there, it’s a great wine for a special occasion – of course just opening one of these puppies would be cause enough for a good time. Great to have with any red meat. If you can afford it, I strongly recommend picking up a couple of these for Christmas.

$50-60

21 Liverpool St, Melbourne. (03) 9650 4488
Double happiness is the Chinese character used to decorate the home of newly married Chinese couples. I might not be getting married any time this millennium, but this particular Double Happiness never ceases to bring me joy.

The root of that joy is in the bar’s phenomenal cocktail list. It’s one of the most creative and inventive in Melbourne and there’s always something new to try.

On this occasion I decided to have an umeshu on ice (my absolute must have drink at the moment) and my friend went for one of the more fancy offerings, a Dictatorship of the Proletariat ($15), essentially a new take on the Bloody Mary, consisting of cardamom vodka, tomato juice and spices, witha real kick to finish it off.

Other cocktails include the Great Leap Forward (Double Happiness lychee vodka, ginger, mint and lime) and the Paper Tiger (Umeshuy, Noilly Prat, lemon and apple). Martinis come in lychee, classic, espresso, chilli and rum varieties. All cocktails and martinis are $15, which to me seems like good value, considering some of the prices I’ve seen for cocktails in the CBD lately. There’s also a wine list and a few beers, including Tsingtao and Kirin.

The staff here are always friendly and willing to help you out with suggestions or recommendations. And if you’re lovely and tip generously, because they don’t serve food they’re more than happy for you to order Japanese from the restaurant next door and get it delivered.

The only issue with this place, if there is one, is that it’s very, very small. That’s what makes it great, but can also make it difficult – it can all be a bit much when it’s crammed full, but when it’s not heaving at capacity, this place is surely one of the best to imbibe at in the CBD.

There’s also an upstairs bar called New Gold Mountain, run by the same mob, which takes up the first and second floors of the same building. We hope to review it soon.

Website: www.double-happiness.org
www.newgoldmountain.org

Pause is has Middle Eastern and Moroccan undertones. With a warm, cavernous feeling, it’s a great place to have a party or just chill out and relax.

It’s highly regarded for its cocktails – and with good reason. I’ve never been disappointed by the tipple on offer. And in a mega-bonus, at the moment there’s a Belvedere Vodka promotion, where on Thursdays and Fridays $20 gets you two of their Belvedere-based concoctions.

There is also a lovely mezze-themed menu and I’ve even stopped in here for dinner on occasion and the food is really quite good – better than you’d expect for a place that markets itself as a bar!

There’s also a fun open mic night on Thursday evenings, which is always good for a bit of entertainment.

Website: www.pausebar.com.au

They got the decor right. It’s just over the top enough to be great, with three tiered chandeliers, reproductions of the great classic paintings, parquetry and more than a little gold leaf.

But the problem is that the atmosphere, clientele and service just don’t really enter stage-left in this grand production.

It was loud. Too loud. The music was more Chapel Street doof doof than ‘take a load off and relax’.

I ordered a sparkling, a mineral water and a small bottle of Pipsqueak cider, as well as a bowl of chips. The tab came to $31 – not too bad, I suppose.

On the plus side, they seem to take bookings, which is nice if you’re going for a special event. The “rooftop terrace” is more like a beer garden, but reasonably spacious and despite the rain on the night I was there, patrons were still up there smoking and chatting like they were in the Bahamas.

Tuscan Bar has potential, but personally I think there are better watering holes up that end of town.

Website: www.tuscanbar.com.au