St Jerome's little sister is a cutie with substance to boot. This place is cool without even trying. Come here for cheap beer and no fussing.
There's a lot that can be said for a bar that feels just like home, or the home of a friend who is very liberal minded when it comes to randoms showing up and drinking all their schnapps and eating all their crisps. Sister Bella, the aptly named sister of that Melbourne boho icon St Jerome's, embodies this very ideal.
A naively sophisticated establishment filled with cheap beer and quality individuals, Sister Bella has become a magnet for anyone who wants a no-fuss, pretension-free bar for a few quiet ones. Of course, if your preference is for a few 'loud ones', that can also be arranged.
Sitting smack in the city's heart, Sister Bella's interior is an eclectic mix of found objects and objets d'art (I so don't know what that means). Rusty iron gates hold court, along with '70s wall prints and fencing wire lamp shades.
Aside from the decor with a personality of its own and the lunchtime pasta costing less than a BMW hubcap (a rare thing in this city), Sister Bella is an antidote to the plethora of throbbing, over-marketed bars where the posters yield a far greater experience than the bars themselves. Like the perfect girlfriend Sister Bella won't drain your wallet but you might lose a few brain cells.
Mark Gambino
