Manchuria
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Having booked a night out in Manchuria, what was one of my fav Melbourne bars, I was looking forward to a wonderful night.
What a shocking disappointment. From the start of the night the waiter that was serving us took a liking to a 'swingers' speed date style group that wanted the couch space next to us, I'm assuming men with foul mouths and women with bad roots (no pun intended) take the preference here. Or at least our waiter had decided that they were going to tip more than us, civil individuals. After first trying to sort out the incident by looking at me and the man and shouting 'which one of you two can give me a $100 bill now' ...obviously class all the way...He then blatantly told the customer who was taking over our reserved space, 'don't listen to her she doesn't exist I'm the only one that matters here.'
By goly he was right, my party was then splintered into 3 different groups, despite all being polite to him, unlike the unruly speed dating group. I proceeded to wait 45 minutes at the bar for a drink with no one in front of me. When a friend commented how long we'd been waiting the barman rolled his eyes at her and said in a conceited tone 'this is a cocktail bar'.... we certainly thought....and? so is every other decent bar worth its salt in melbourne now, get with the program speed it up, or book less guests surely that's a management problem, and this isn't 'bar school'.
In short, by the time I left 1 hour and 45 minutes later, i only had 1 round of drinks, my credit card 'lost' by the bar staff. Despite various people seeing me hand it to them, and left with a terrible last night out in my city of Melbourne.
If you are looking to pay $20+ for a good cocktail in Melbourne try: seamstress, emerald peacock, murmur, but don't go here, because let's face it, if you are paying $25 for a cocktail, it's not just about the alcohol or the mixing, everyone in Melbourne knows how to pour a good drink these days. You want ambience, character and a place with charisma. That's what Manchuria used to be in 2005, now it's just a dodgy bar, with some particularly feral clientele and some very sorry 'has been' bar staff.
Go to Murmur! Better cocktails, quicker, smarter nicer people, and the class of clinetele, was much better last time I checked... wish I had gone with that!
If you choose to enter through the pair of lion doors, you will disappear into an unknown world where spies might just rendezvous, Martini in hand, negotiating secrets under cover of soft lighting. The décor is decidedly Oriental, and so it should be, because you are in Manchuria – the last bastion of opulence and the last hiding place of the decadent Qing dynasty.
You’re not, however, in the country Manchuria – it doesn’t exist any more, having been absorbed by China and Russia. You’re in a bar inspired by the romance of Manchuria, and what better location for it than Chinatown? Manager Kane has taken the Oriental theme and created a deliciously enigmatic twist to your average watering hole – think James Bond meets The Last Emperor, to a soundtrack of “obscure disco”. Manchuria is an Aladdin’s den of private sitting areas, hidden away by hazy curtains. Each alcove is slightly different, and invites you to recline among the plush cushions, as though you’re about to partake in some serious opium smoking. If you look closely, you will find an 18th century opium pipe hidden in plain sight.
Manchuria boasts a beautifully crafted drinks menu, which celebrates the virtues of The Cocktail. Kane emphasises the quality of the drinks on offer, and this is reflected in the detailed descriptions of classic cocktails on the menu. His personal favourite is the classic dry Martini with a hint of Regan’s no 6 orange bitters.
So next time you’re hankering after a bit of mystery, an indulgent cocktail or two, and a good dose of decadence, wander up those stairs off Waratah Lane and step into the world that is Manchuria.
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