The Alchemist Cocktail & Tapas Bar, Fitzroy

Whenever I think of alchemists I think of people in cloaks drawing weird circles on the ground, creating fire from thin air, reviving the dead and making weird and wonderful things out of whatever are lying around. The influence was, of course, from watching too much Japanese animations, especially the one called Fullmetal Alchemist where two kids go on a journey to find the Philosopher's Stone in order to retrieve body parts that were lost in a failed attempt to revive their dead mother. I would never dare to revive the dead. How scary is that? If I was an alchemist, I would be the world's best pastry chef where I can make perfect desserts every time as long as I have the ingredients in front of me and what's better than doing it instantly by clicking my fingers together? :D. Oh, I might also make myself pretty clothes and handbags so I'd never have to go shopping again. Ah…I'm daydreaming…

The Alchemist Cocktail & Tapas Bar, situated in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Brunswick St Fitzroy, which is also a neighbour of Naked For Satan, is another bar that I've recently visited and liked. Prior to this adventure, I've never really fully enjoyed going to bars. I believe this could have been the influence of my Asian flush genes which renders me unable to drink more than one standard drink at any one time.

I liked the name and the idea behind the bar. The decorations are fitting although the open space in the middle of the room makes the place seem a little less mysterious. Maybe they should draw some alchemist circles on the ground! What I definitely liked was their website. If you haven't already done so, check it out at http://www.thealchemistbar.com.au/, it's very unique and a bit of fun to look at. I felt like I was casting spells!

They have a nice collection of alcohols available. Cocktails on average cost around $20 a glass. For the quality and size we got, I didn't think it was all that fantastic. It was by no means bad, maybe I'm just not used to such expensive drinks as I'm reasonably new to the drinking scene.

The cocktail I got was The Fifth Muskateer for $20 which is described as 'a beautifully balanced, punch-style cocktail with dried fruit and citrus flavours, made with Appleton 8yr old rum, classic muscat, Aperol, house-made pomegranate syrup and lemon. This is a hearty drink to enjoy at anytime.' The grapes were fresh so I'm not sure where the dried fruit comes in. It was definitely rummy in flavour but the citrus didn't stand out. It wasn't my favourite drink ever. Mind you the photo below is a bit deceiving because Yuye took a sip or two from the glass already.

I was there to catch up with Winwin and meet her friends so we got a few plates of bar food to share. The night was still young and the truth was, I was very hungry. Maybe I should have just ordered some mains and eaten dinner there! The snacks were nice though and freshly cooked. I didn't get to try the salt and pepper squid ($12). By the time I realised, they were already gone! Shows how good they were I think.

Naked For Satan, Fitzroy

There's something about the name 'Named For Satan' that intrigues people, at least it intrigues me. I think it's the kind of imagery that are conjured up in our sinful minds when we think of those words, and of course, the sinful cravings for something vodka and something pintxo.

The tapas bar that is situated on busy Brunswick St in Fitzroy has been the centre of attention since its opening in October last year. The word Pintxo comes from Basque Country in Spain, a popular tapas enjoyed mostly in bars and taverns while accompanying glasses of wine or beer and is the main attraction of this trendy, shiny bar along with its many flavoured vodkas. But of course, they also serve coffees and non-alcoholic beverages for those more able to control their sinfulness.

I'm not sure what Satan has to do with all the coppery tubes and ornaments that is so prevalent throughout the bar but it sure gives it a touch of extra funkiness.

This place works on an honour system where you grab a plate from the front counter and load it up with as many pintxos as you fancy and take it back to your table. Make sure you keep all of the toothpicks stuck in each pintxo as these are used to count how many you had. At the end of your meal, bring all of the toothpicks to the cashier and pay for your meal. They are 80 cents each for lunch monday through to friday as well as dinner from monday to wednesday. They are $2 for all other times. Quite reasonable if you ask me. I know they used to be 50 cents each during off-peak, however, it seems they had recently increased their prices. 50 cents was just too crazy of a price, even 80 cents is enough to get me running over during weekdays. If only I lived a bit closer :(.