Nestled below the Westin Hotel on Collins Street, this is the third and latest cafe-cum-bar brought to Melbourne's city revellers by entrepreneur Gerard Anderson.
Designed by the group of architects known as Six Degrees who are responsible for the striking fit-out in Anderson's neighboring Caboose and Three Below, La Vita Buona is a cosy wine bar and bistro. Outdoor tables on City Square lead back, through an open red brick cellar replete with fireplace and cigars, to rear banquettes and quaint wooden table settings that lend euro elegance.
Although it dabbles in coffee and cocktails, La Vita Buona is definitely a haven for wine lovers. The bar hosts wine courses on Monday nights and features a wall mounted glass bottle-keep for vino enthusiasts who want their purchases name-labeled and retrievable at each visit. And it may take quite a few visits to work through the very generous wine list - a wine list so extensive that it has its own index arranged under grape type for the 500 labels of white, red, rose, dessert, fortified and digestif whose sources vary from Italy France, Australia, Austria, Spain, Portugal and Greece. La Vita Buona doubles as a retail cellar where all bottled wines are up for sale, as well as thirty labels available for trial by the glass or in 500 mil giraffes that are ideal for a party of two.
A small selection of cocktails is crowned by the signature Life's Good (Averna, Lillet Rouge, Citrus Twist, crushed ice and chinotto), a play on the venues name, La Vita Buona, which translates from the Italian as 'the good life'. The wine-dining menu ranges from cafe fare to drinking snacks like pistachio nuts, marinated olive, croutons and cured meats. The custard date tart paired with fortified white port from Quinta La Rosa orchards is a perfect finish to the long lunch or late night.
As a wine enthusiast, I visited the unknown wine bar and discovered the staff were aptly knowledgeable in wine and I was treated with the utmost of respect. I was given a detailed guided tour of their wine list and even allowed a small sample of their wines before committing to the full glass (a move I'm sure isn't customary to the regular patron). This is the kind of specialist wine venue the CBD really needs. A fantastic venue with a broad range of boutique wines that you would be hard-pressed to find even at Dan Murphy's, with talented and friendly staff who have a passion for wine. Definetely a place I can myself becoming a "regular patron" at!
Drinks:
Visit: Sat 28 February 2009
Service:
Atmosphere:
Talent:
Write a review about La Vita Buona
Email a friend
Email this page to a friend and start planning your night out:
Feedback
If you have found something incorrect, missing or would like to add some information, let us know!
You're not a registered user. If you would like a response, please include your email address in the feedback description or register/login to your account.
