This luxe adult funhouse in the heart of the CBD has found its place among the stylish Melbourne corporate crowd.
This lovingly restored cocktail lounge in the grand old Italian Society building attempts to preserve the elegance of a bygone era while still holding up to the scrupulous standards of Melbourne barflies. The result is an eclectic adult funhouse of sorts, well suited to corporates seeking a post-work blowout or Friday night launch pad.
After entering through the stately, art deco-style restaurant on the ground floor, I am hugely unprepared for the psychedelic proportions of the cocktail bar above — opulent gold mirrors, hand-painted wall murals, shiny coffee tables and leather poufs, elegant black chesterfields juxtaposed with flamboyant purple swirly walls, plush carpet and a grand marble bar. The DiMattinas must've had a blast doing up this place.
The first level is divided into multiple stylish spaces, from the Manhattan-style smoking loft to the wonderfully gaudy Versace Room, making it easy to dissolve into a cosy nook or retreat to somewhere more intimate. The pocket-sized Fornasetti Room (dubbed "the sexy room" by Society staff) is sultry and snug, a spot where one can sip on a Fuzzee Monkee (a peach liqueur and champagne cocktail) and come under the trance of the colour-shifting lighting and 1950s-style Fornasetti face prints adorning the walls.
Drinkswise, a good range of local and Italian drops is available by the glass, and the cocktail list has an extensive assortment of classic and signature concoctions to wrap your tastebuds around.
Katherine Scott
