Food and Drink
Drinking To Thomas Olive
Posted by Dan Kuseta
28. Aug, 2014
Restaurants and bars of the 21st century tend to reflect the personalities of their owners, and the times. So it’s no surprise some of them are a little ADHD.
Not content with doing one thing, a growing number of places are opening up a second nook on premises with a different name, feel and menu. Think Go-Go beneath Chin Chin, or The Attic above Black Pearl. In the case of a place like St Crispin, this is a very good thing.
Perched atop the much lauded Smith Street restaurant sits Thomas Olive, an intimate space filled with wooden chairs, chaise lounges and lots of very good booze. Billed as a place to have a drink and nibble while you wait for a table at St C’s, Thomas Olive is a destination in its own right.
Start with one of the colourfully named (and loaded) cocktails. Start local with the Smith Street Smash (vodka, cointreau, lemon, orgeat, suze $18), then go international with the Hands that built America (Irish whiskey, Italian vermouth, cherry herring, $18).
There’s only six wines of offer (three whites, three reds), but this is more than made up for with Thomas Olive’s rollicking selection of craft beers, ciders and the stronger stuff including whiskey, tequila, mezcal, rum and brandy.
Complimenting the liquid menu is a short, smart menu of fancy bar snacks like eel croquettes and crackling. There’s also French Onion soup. If you decide something more substantial is in order, there’s a slew of stick-to-your-ribs mains like salmon pie and beef cheek.
Just be careful trudging down those stairs after a few martinis.
THOMAS OLIVE
300 Smith Street, Collingwood
9419 2202
Tues – Thurs 6pm till late
Fri – Sun 12pm till late
saintcrispin.com.au/bar-events/thomas-olive
Art & Design
Rembrandt: True to Life at NGV
Enter the world of Rembrandt at the National Gallery of Victoria’s (NGV) newest exhibition Rembrandt: True to Life
Australiana: Designing a Nation at Bendigo Art Gallery
Australiana: Designing a Nation is a celebration of who we are today and our defining moments of yesteryear. The free exhibition is in its final weeks at Bendigo Art Gallery, and closes on Sunday 25 June 2023.
Melbourne Design Fair
Curated by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the Melbourne Design Fair celebrates the most talented and up-and-coming designers in the ever-evolving world of design. Runs May 18-21 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Health and Wellbeing
FS8 Southbank
Spring into action this September with FS8, the newest exercise fad taking Melbourne fitness legends by storm.
Mirosuna
Welcome to Mirosuna: a heavenly space for mindfulness and meditation, designed to help you ascend to a higher plane of being. Milk Bar experienced Mirosuna’s Wine and Wind Down to seek inner peace.
Bat Your Lash, Melbourne’s Dog Friendly Eco-Salon
Introducing Bat For Lash, Melbourne's first dog-friendly beauty salon.