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Gerald's bar

Michael Harden
Michael Harden

European$$

TRYING to pin down exactly what it is that makes Gerald's Bar one of Melbourne's finest exponents of committed bar-dom can prove tricky. It's like trying to define one of those short foreign words such as ennui that needs a whole lot of English words to get the point across and even then never feels like it gets there. You either click with the concept or you don't.

On first glance, there is not a lot going on at Gerald's that could not be found in countless similar establishments. There's the narrow shopfront and a bar with stools (comfortable, with decent-size seats and somewhere to rest your heels so that you can drink and eat with equal comfort and dignity).

There are familiar staff who know their way around the wine list (a compact, geographically democratic collection that worships the gods of quality and value equally) without being boring. The shelves are stacked both with liquor and an array of artefacts and ephemera (cookbooks, postcards, a barometer) that may or may not, depending on the amount you have had to drink, provide some inkling into what makes owner Gerald Diffey tick. As separate entities, all these elements are fairly prosaic. But it is the way they have been assembled, the certain artistry that comes from years of experience and a sharp eye that ensures a loyal crowd packing out the place on a regular basis.

Sure, they are also here for the food - a daily changing list of mostly Euro-inspired bistro dishes of the slow-cooked meat variety - and for the music that is played via speakers, turntable and amp, the quality of which points to Diffey's respect and admiration for music. And it is certainly a crowd that will always opt for the extra glass over the early night but, again, similar elements can be found to much lesser effect all across town.

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What makes Gerald's special is its sense of confidence in what, where, how and why it is doing what it is doing. It is a place that enjoys feeding and watering people well and does so in a way that is both egalitarian and fun.

It likes its customers but is not averse to taking the piss out of them at times. It is a place unique enough to defy definition.

Gerald's Bar

Where 386 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North

Phone 9349 4748

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Open Mon-Sat, 5-11pm

Cash only

Wheelchairs No

Cheers A bar that manages to seamlessly combine the unique and the familiar.

Jeers The unique familiarity is all over by 11pm.

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