The Lui Bar Review

Review by Madeleine Wong

As you walk into the infamous Rialto Building, you are greeted by a concierge to register your details before being escorted into the lift that personally sends you to the 55th floor. As the doors open, you are welcomed and escorted to The Lui Bar; an extension of the renowned restaurant, Vue de Monde. Immediately, you are standing in front of the bar acknowledged by the bartenders ready to give you exceptional customer service.

As you are shown to your seating area, your eyes instantly focus on the stunning views of Melbourne which can be seen from any part of the bar. The breathtaking views, both day and night emanate a different sensation overlooking Melbourne from the 55th floor of the Rialto.

Though the room is relatively small; the way the space is designed, it is minimal and neat with each piece of furniture being beautiful, antique and arranged suitably. The décor is a mixture of crisp modernism and slight contemporary with a balanced combination of eco-friendly recycled old fashioned and modern furniture from the chairs and sofas to the hanging décor of contemporary art ornaments.

The bar itself is impressive, situated like an island in the middle of the room. You are able to watch the bartenders create your drinks with the various and interesting tools they have; such as the ice block cutting area to create a spherical style ice cube for your drink. The alcohol is displayed in 1930s classic styled bottles labelled with the name of the alcohol and percentage instead of the original packaging.

The drinks menu comprises of a range of beers and wine priced from $6 for a beer up to $25 for a glass of wine. Spirits can be expensive depending on your taste of brand. The cocktails that include classic and Lui Bar designed cocktails are reasonably priced from $16-$22. Their tapas style bar menu encompasses inventive nibbles that are priced up to $18 or for shared plates, up to $37.

On the way to the classically fitted out bathrooms, you pass an enormous glass cased and accurately temperature room where the plentiful wine are stored. Next to the bathrooms is a small terrace to give you another opportunity to absorb the striking views overlooking Melbourne.

In a general sense, you would mostly find ‘suits’ to frequent this bar as the building is situated on the business end of Collins Street as well as, well-dressed patrons. If you wanted to have a casual drink, I would safely say that smart casual attire would be the way to go; not shorts and flip flops. Yet, despite this observation, The Lui Bar definitely radiates a very relaxed atmosphere with soothing music to sip your cocktail, enjoy the view and unwind after a hard day's work.

Without doubt you feel on top of the world, or at least in this case, on top of Melbourne when you experience a drink at The Lui Bar with a touch of elegance, class and sophistication.



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