Since my last post, it seems the dating app Tinder has exploded onto the dating scene. If you’re a girl, I’m sure you’ve got a list of budding boys begging for a cheeky date. And if you’re a boy, I guess as all the boys do, you just flick left to every girl on Tinder and play the waiting / stalking game. Let’s say there’s one particular person on your list that you’re willing to ‘trial’. How about you go for a drink first to break the ice and if after the ice is broken and you don’t want to stick that shard of ice into your dates eyeball then I’ve got a lovely little one street date for you that will impress any of your new found Tinder admirers.
Daylights savings is well and truly upon us which means rooftop bars are back in vogue. Living locally (pardon the upcoming pun), I’ve known about this pub for a while. It seems though that it’s flown under the radar, as it’s never really the place anyone suggests for a beer. Well The Local (said pun) Taphouse on Carlisle Street in Balaclava is just that, a hidden gem of a rooftop pub. Climb the stairs and you’ll discover a rooftop bar that smacks of character and old school English pub charm. It’s absolutely spot on for that first drink. The Local is a microbrewery, so ordering that first drink is a challenge as there are options aplenty, but a fun challenge that your date and you can share. The barmen are happy to recommend you something similar to your usual drop, and equally willing to let you taste a few options.
So you’ve negotiated that first drink, they’ve passed the test and you want to move on to dinner. Not to leave you high (see what I did there? High? Roof…) & dry, right next door is Melbourne’s newest Vietnamese restaurants.
Uncle has recently opened up and the way they are trading you’d swear they were restaurateurs from way back. Well they kind of are, but you don’t care about that. What you care about is getting that tricky table at the new and cool restaurant in town without a booking. Here’s the trick. I’ll take you back to before you meet that date at The Local Taphouse and ask you to head upstairs on your own to Uncle and let the lovely man know you’d like to put on the waiting list for a table. Give him your mobile number and that nice man will call you when your table is ready.
So back to current time and things are going well at The Local, all of a sudden your phone goes off, you politely answer and say thank you, then seamlessly after that drink you walk up to Uncle and feel like a boss as you have a table waiting while the bar downstairs is heaving with waiting patrons. Uncle is a Vietnamese restaurant that is giving the punters what they want with a very cool and casual fitout, seating on a rooftop, a reasonably priced and lip smacking menu and all this is done with absolute aplomb.
So they may have passed the ice breaker, and now they’ve come up with enough banter for you to want to continue again on this lengthy trial date, so let’s now finish it off with a sweet treat that’s not just 98% fat free but it’s also just a hop and a skip up the road.
Yo-Chi has almost singlehandedly made yogurt cool. It’s a yogurt bar, so it’s not normally the kind of bar you want to end a date in, but this is no ordinary date is it? The first thing you’ll see is the giant Yo-Chi Koala (I think it’s a koala) on the wall, so straight up your date will realise you haven’t just brought them to the local ice-creamery. It’s all self service, so grab your choice of yogurt and have fun loading up on the toppings. But be wary, the more it weighs the more you pay. Maybe you can even suggest sharing one, and hope for a Lady & the Tramp moment with a slice of cantaloupe.
A pint of boutique beer on the rooftop of a hidden gem, a bowl of pho at the coolest new restaurant in town all finished off with a night-cup at a yogurt bar. I do hope your date was worthy enough for all three spots, because this is a great little date that’s all on one street.
And if they’re not worthy? Just log back into Tinder and flick away.
- The Local Taphouse – 184 Carlisle St St Kilda East
- Uncle – 188 Carlisle St St Kilda East
- Yo-Chi – 292 Carlisle Street Balaclava
50 First Dates | Melbourne 