Chinese lucky charms and a retro-communist theme collide at this cute little bar. Succumb to a killer cocktail or a yum cha steamer basket filled with fruity liqueurs.
If you're around the corner from Chinatown and feeling superstitious, then this laneway bar could be a place to fill up on some extra luck. Yes, Double Happiness is a fortuitous little drinking spot - from the tip of its feng shui setting right down to its deliberately auspicious phone number.
This bar actually takes its name from the traditional Chinese symbol that represents joy, marriage and good fortune. But aside from the lucky theme, there's also a retro-communist mood at work inside. Check out the Maoist pop-culture artifacts and the propaganda posters touting the People's Republic. There's even a statue of Mao himself.
The cocktail range carries the propaganda theme further, with drinks such as the Great Leap Forward (made with sake, Cointreau, coriander and lemon) and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat (which blends smoked paprika and fennel vodka together with Chinese spices and choy sum).
Aside from the cocktails, guests can order up yum cha steamer baskets filled with assorted Chinese liqueurs and bottled beers such as TsingTao and Tiger. Hard booze can also be bought by the bottle and then stowed behind the bar, awaiting your next visit.
Clearly the drink list here is sozzle-worthy, but really, you wouldn't expect anything less from a place that pays homage to happiness doubled over.
Andrea Tomaz
