Sister Bella
Is it me, or has the hidey-hole laneway bar been done to death in Melbourne? I applaud people for creatively using space in the CBD but it seems these days that bars get a good billing simply for being difficult to find. Where are the new ideas?
Sister Bella is the brainchild of the same crew who brought us the grungy St Jeromes. Some ideas are carried over: cheap drinks ($4 for Coopers Premium Lager), casual vibe, young and suitably ‘alternative’ staff, and eclectic music. Bella, though, aspires to be a little bit more grown up. Spread out over two levels, the leather chairs, ornate frames, fancy tiles and tealight candles hint at sophistication, while lashings of pine panelling, quirky religious iconography, and a rickety stairwell are geared towards maintaining street cred.
However, it all feels a bit contrived. Jeromes was naturally happening by virtue of its reclaimed concrete space. Whilst Bella is indeed difficult to find, it seems the owners are trying to push the shabby-chic envelope a little too hard, especially since this idea has already been done in more established places like Troika and Rue Bebelons. Granted it’s early days, with sawdust still fresh in the unisex toilet cubicles, and we did visit on a quiet Tuesday evening. With time and more crowd buzz, it may become, as Threethousand enthuses, “too awesome”. I did like the Virgin Mary statuette near the toilets and the seating poofs with innards of synthetic grass. However, I thought that such a space needed fresh ideas. Maybe I’m just getting too old.
Written by ElegantGourmand on
April 2nd, 2007 | Tags: bars | Category: Uncategorized
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April 2nd, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Congratulations on your first post EG.
Welcome to tummyrumbles
xx
April 4th, 2007 at 3:39 am
Thanks Mellie! Great to be here. Look forward to lots more eating and drinking, then writing about!!
April 4th, 2007 at 5:53 am
*echoing Mel’s comment*
May 11th, 2007 at 1:04 am
I went to Sister Bella on Wednesday night and the vibe was great. I prefer it to st Jermone’s because it has more space and has a more subdued ambiance. However, it is not a ground breaking concept but that doesn’t mean it is not a good bar. This type of bar is done well in Melbourne and is well suited to the seemingly deadends that they are found in.
I am not sure what elegantgourmand means by ‘pushing the shabby-chic envelope a little too hard’ as it seems like a criticism for criticism - sake.
I didn’t eat there but the pasta dishes are apparently good value for money. If bars like this keep popping up then at least it will keep the prices down.
May 11th, 2007 at 1:55 am
thanks for your comment Alistair.
I guess what I meant about pushing the shabby-chic envelope was that bars like these seem to be rather formulaic in their decor. I love the shabby and grungey look, but not when obvious effort has been put into achieving it (akin to Hollywood stars looking casual and dishevelled, after hours of preparation). This then becomes contrived.
Anyway, that was my initial impression of Sister Bella, but like I said it was early days, and I’m more than willing to give it another go. I’m all for keeping prices down
September 13th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
2 dollar coffee’s and 4 dollar pizzas(before 4 ‘clock anyway). how could you not love sister bella. haha
the people at sister bella are (in my opinion) are alot nicer then st jeromes.
and I’d say the person who decorated Sister Bella has a much more artistic mind then… lets say, St Jeromes.
St Jeromes decor is alot more original, but probally so was the owners mind
i like both places’ decor, but i prefer sister bella just for the fact that it is roomier and the people are nicer.