Occupying the former Mietta's building, this bar is a wickedly decadent space of marble and mirrors, luscious cocktails and, of course, Champagne.
Just a short skip off the corporate end of Collins Street, down one of Melbourne's many secret laneways, the high-end Comme Bar attracts a constant drift of customers, from business locals to those traveling from afar to seek out one of the city's hippest hangouts.
House beats from an eclectic selection pound out into Comme's slick marble lobby, enticing thirsty revellers to its plush, bustling downstairs bar. Marie Antoinette wouldn't feel out of place in Comme's two upstairs function rooms, the Grand Room and the Onyx Room, which feature Murano glass chandeliers, decorative plaster cornices, marble and mirrored bars, large arched windows and an overwhelming air of rococo decadence.
Indulgent excess continues with a wine list of more than 350 varieties, hand-picked by noted Melbourne wine buyer Chris Crawford. The list drifts across Champagnes and sparklings, to Burgundy, grenache, nebbiolo and various fortified and dessert wines drawn from France, Italy, Spain and local Australian growers.
Exotic bar snacks abound with nibbles including ultra-luxe, acron-fed jamon (Spanish ham); or salt cod croquettes with romesco sauce, to complement the adventurously blended and reasonably priced cocktails. Try the seductively titled Mills and Boon - Belvedere Cytrus vodka and Cointreau, with white cranberry and blood orange juices.
Maya Linden
