137 Flinders Ln Melbourne CBD (off Olivier Lane, behind Flinders Lane Gallery) The front door of this much lauded Japanese restaurant looks like the entrance to a drug den or a 1970s squat. But give the heavily graffitied door a jolly good shove and it gives way to an elegant and sophisticated basement restaurant that [...]

Ok, we usually reserve the blog for our tips and tricks to get the most out of Melbourne.  Today, however, we ask you to indulge us as we do a bit of bragging.  We were so chuffed with this feedback from a recent guest that we just had to share. “The overall experience at Alkira [...]

If you’re visiting Melbourne and anxious that you won’t be able to track down your favorite magazines, then put your stress ball down. From the obscure “Government News”, “The Gentlewoman”, or “XLR8R” to the groovy “Wallpaper” or “Monocle”, the magazine emporium, Mag Nation, caters for all fetishes.  The CBD’s Elizabeth Street store is just around [...]

525 Little Lonsdale St Melbourne Victoria, Australia This fancy new “Boutique Beer Bar” is a few notches up from your average “Belgian beer garden”. Showcasing the latest in ‘beer technology’ (yes, there is such a thing)  the very slick ‘beervaults’ house every hue in the amber liquid spectrum. Their job is to prevent the air [...]

391 Brunswick St Fitzroy Tram 112 from Melbourne CBD Poor old St Jude – patron saint of all things ‘lost causey’ – has a lot on his plate.  Failed romances, thwarted get-rich-quick schemes, lost teddy bears – it all seems to come his way.  Lucky he has somewhere nice to hang out when in Melbourne. [...]

Need somewhere to stay in Melbourne, but not quite sure what you’ll get with Melbourne Short Stay Apartment Alkira? Well take a quick peek.. < code >< /code >

There is nothing quite like that virutous, self satisfied feeling you get when you’ve got a good looking basket hanging off your arm.  Chockers with all things wholesome, dripping with vitamin A, swarming with antioxidants and overwhelmed by micronutients, your health invariably improves by mere proximity.  And the monthly Melbourne Farmers’ Market ensures you can still get your [...]

56 Nicholson Street Abbotsford We are caffeine fiends at Apartment Alkira.  No news there.  What I can’t believe is how long it’s taken us to discover yet another hidden Melbourne caffeine dealer.  Tucked away just past the faux grunge of Fitzroy in a wee Abbotsford side street lies Three Bags Full – and full they [...]

300 Smith Street Collingwood Now we at Apartment Alkira don’t approve of dead animal heads (or other body parts) nailed to walls, but we do rather like the rest of the aesthetic at this cool Collingwood cafe/bar.  Cavallero is a large warehouse-space designed cleverly to feel buzzy and happening rather than cold and cavernous – [...]

Melbourne has gone loco for a newish little cantina down Collins Street way.  Goodness knows what those who thought they were buying into the “Paris end of Collins St” think about it all. Geography aside, Mamasita is causing quite a stir.  Located where the once groovy “Recorded Music Salon” kicked back (see 2009 review), the [...]