New Bar: Yah Yah's

What do Pony and Bar Open have in common? They're owned by the same people as the latest Smith Street arrival - Yah Yah. As Clem Bastow describes in her latest Epicure review, "Yah Yah's is a rock'n'rollin' bar like they used to make: from its ruby-red walls and "beer or beer or hard stuff" drinks menu to its no doubt soon-to-be-sticky carpet and Superman II-esque chandeliers..." Click here to read the full review.

New Bar: Southpaw

Gertrude Street continues to be revived with another new bar, Southpaw, in bustling Fitzroy according to the Deck of Secrets team. "With original bluestone walls, arched doorway and a stained glass window, the cavernous fit-out of this latest Fitzroy bar addition gives way to a comfy, unpretentious vibe. The massive hard wood bar top, open fireplace and chandelier lend a classy edge and there’s a colourful courtyard out the back." Click here to visit Deck of Secrets.

New Review: Black Pearl

Clem Bastow has given a briefer-than-usual account of the Brunswick Street staple Black Pearl. In Epicure she writes that despite the boastful showiness of the venue, Black Pearl offers a decadent experience in the heart of the Bohemian strip. "A visit to Black Pearl could start from pre-party drinks, carry through to all-night whisky tasting and onwards until you're asked to leave." Clem also recommends visiting mid-week to avoid the "Brunwsick Street masses on a Saturday night." Fine words indeed, click here for the full review.

New Review: Napier Hotel

Michael Harden reviews the eccentric Fitzroy local, The Napier on Napier Street, for Epicure. "The Napier Hotel is one of the suburb's most Fitzroy-ish pubs and not just because of its proximity to the over-the-top grandeur of the Town Hall." And of course, like every good Napier review, there is a mention of the infamous Bogan Burger; "a stomach-turning stack of steak, chicken schnitzel, potato cake, bacon, egg, cheese, onion, pineapple and beetroot served between slabs of Turkish bread, with wedges and salad on the side, $15.50". Click here for the full story.

New Review: Little Creatures Dining Hall

Clem Bastow works her magic on Brunswick Street's newest arrival. "The Dining Hall is the boutique brewery's first large-scale foray into nationwide supremacy. Housed in what was once ground zero for brides with money to burn, the old Mariana Hardwick shop, the fit-out is impressive in its size and effect, if a little cavernous. All exposed bars, beams and pipes criss-crossing white-on-white, it creates a sense of a brewery "cellar door", or at least what Joe Public probably thinks a brewery looks like, while an open kitchen at the far end provides movement and warmth." Click here for the full Epicure review.

Police powers increased

Friday onwards, Police will have the ability to ban people for 24 hours in the precincts of Fitzroy, St Kilda, Ballarat, Geelong and Warrnambool for being drunk and disorderly. For more serious offences Police can apply for a court-order banning individuals from an entertainment zone for up to a year. The move follows on from the successful testing in Melbourne's CBD and Prahran. People banned for 24 hours won't incur a criminal conviction and the infringement will be excluded from a criminal history check. Breaching a 24-hour ban carries a penalty of up to $2,202. The measures are intended to reduce alcohol-related crime, The Age believes this move could signal an end to the existing lockout measures.

Source: The Australian & The Age

New Reviews: Little Creatures Dining Hall

It hasn't been open a month yet, but the reviews are already flowing in for the Little Creatures Dining Hall (222 Brunwsick Street, Fitzroy).

Marinella Padula, Deck of Secrets;
"Almost as long-awaited as the iPhone, there was little chance of a ‘soft’ opening where Little Creatures was concerned. Conceived as a concept pub and retail store to showcase the range, brewery operations are still run out of Fremantle but it’s definitely the next-best-thing for LC fans." Click here for the full review.

Michael Harden, Epicure;
"Little Creatures Dining Hall is certainly a beer barn, but a good-natured, reasonably stylish member of the species. It does the usual industrial-chic shtick that you expect in a place this size - concrete floors, exposed metal pipes, massed metal light shades, foil-lined roof, industrial-strength heaters - but it also cosies it up a bit with some cute, slightly kitschy touches such as strings of coloured lights and posters describing the brewing process glued to the brick walls." Click here for the full review.

The Fitzroy Dining Hall now also has its own page on the Little Creatures Official website.

New bar & restaurant: Little Creatures Dining Hall

You've been waiting for it, and now it's here! 222 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy is where you'll find the much-awaited official venue for drinking one of Western Australia's favourite microbrews - Little Creatures. Open seven days from 10am, this new beer hall is ready and waiting! Click here to see the first picture on the official Little Creatures website. Thanks to MelbournePubs.com for the tip-off, click here to see their venue page.

New Bar: Radio

It doesn't seem that long ago that Gertrude Street was known for alcoholics, now it's a little hipper the old pubs are being renovated and new ones are popping up too. Radio is a cafe during the day, but after 5pm it becomes a late night attraction too. According to Deck of Secrets, "the raw, earthy decor is as understated as the outside except for an attention grabbing city-scape panorama plastered across the wall." Click here to read their impression.

New Review: Sentido Funf

Sentido Funf, once called Yelza, on the corner of Gertrude and Brunswick Streets, Fitzroy, has been delighting patrons for some time now. Clem Bastow sums it up for Epicure with "Sentido Funf will please those looking for a corner to sink into as much as it will those with partying on the agenda." Click here to read the full review.

New Bar: St. Jude's Cellars

Michael Harden has reviewed the new St Jude's Cellars on Brunswick Street, Fitzroy for Epicure. Highlighting it as a nice change from Brunswick Street's typical "vomiting hell" on a Friday night.

"Those seeking an interesting drink far from the madding crowd should find St Jude's just the ticket." Read the full review.

Matt Hurst over at ThreeThousand has reached a similar conclusion, stating it's an improvement over former tenants The Hideout and Bungalow 8.

"Enter St Jude’s Cellars, a big and beautiful establishment that has instantly raised the bar. No longer will Fitzroy foodies have to venture into the city for culinary gratification." Read the full review.

Car free Brunswick Street?

Councillor Paul D'Agostino, has put forward a proposal suggesting no cars on Brunswick Street between Alexandra Parade and Johnston Street. The councillor claims "this plan will increase outdoor dining and stop it being an outdoor ghetto for binge drinking." The proposal will go before Yarra Council tomorrow night.

Source: The Age & Herald Sun