Double Happiness Review

Review by Kate Reynolds

Double Happiness has everything a quintessential Melbourne bar needs. It’s hidden down a laneway; the kind of gem you’d accidentally find while you were on a drunken bar crawl and then never remember how to get back there, but you’d always think of it as the bar with the bicycle stuck to the wall above the door.

Yes, a trip down Liverpool St, past the assortment of Asian eateries and sake bars, brings you to the glass doors of Double Happiness, where happiness does ensue in the form of espresso martinis and shots served in tea-cups.

The menu, as is the venue, is small and modest. An assortment of cocktails feature on one side; they will set you back around $17 (which is fairly standard), and inspired by Chinese food, they include lychee, green tea liqueur and coriander in the concoctions, as well as martini specials – regular, lychee, chilli and espresso. It was insisted that the espresso martini was the best in Melbourne; frothy and topped with coffee beans, it was sweet, not too strong and tasted like an alcoholic coffee milkshake. It was certainly the best espresso martini I’ve ever had, and I‘m sure if I’d ever had one before I’d be in a much better position to debate it’s status in Melbourne’s best cocktails.

There is only one each of beer, red wine and white wine listed on the menu, but with the promise of more choices available. A closer look at the bar reveals a vast selection of assorted bottles silhouetted against red lighting, including five or so Chinese beers on display, as well as plenty of spirits. You can even order a whole bottle; they have a special cabinet where they keep it especially for you each time you visit! How convenient!

The place is intimate, and it gets busy! There are couches with cushions about the place; weeknights have a constant buzz and ample sitting room, but get ready to clamber over peoples legs and fight for your cushion on a Saturday night.

Adorned with waving golden kittens, red lights and vintage Chinese movie posters on white brick walls, the décor is fun without being so over-done it becomes tacky. Classic ’90s RnB tracks serve as quiet background music without imposing too much on conversation as people chatter in between clinking glasses and the general buzzing and humming of content atmosphere.

It seems Double Happiness is like a giant communal lounge room where everybody is welcome to come along and relax amongst friends, have a drink, a laugh and a chat. The bodies passing through the doors seemed to be made up mostly of 21-35 year olds, and a mixture of book-laden uni students having a quick study break between exams, as well as businessmen and women enjoying an after work cocktail.

This is a bar that you certainly would not want to forget once discovered!



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