The Drunken Poet — Restaurant in Melbourne

Five stars because one cannot give six or more. Lovely, ambient, almost womb-like interior. Toilets, though small, are spotlessly clean and imaginatively decorated. A cigarette machine for those who still fall from grace, and a juke box with an eclectic selection of rock and folk music. Cleverly arranged space for drinking: stools at the bar, raised tables with stools and low tables with padded seating. So much for the physical facilities; for the thirsty traveller the drink is the thing. There's a selection of draught pale ales, draught cider and Kilkenny Irish ale; the real kicker is the Guinness. In my opinion (37 years of drinking Guinness on three continents) this is a Good Pint. It cannot be Mulligan's of Poolbeg Street, but it is well cared for and well served. Outside of Ireland (and some pubs in the UK) it is as good as it gets, and far better than one usually hopes for. There is an intelligent selection of wines to suit most palates and at very reasonable prices. There are whiskies to suit all tastes, including Redbreast and Midleton. To provide soakage there are toasted sandwiches (good ham, good cheese), homemade pickled egg served with Chef brown sauce, and pickled onions accompanied by small cubes of good cheese. In my experience the service has been very good: cheerful, friendly (but not familiar) and attentive. 'The Irish Times' newspaper rates this place as one of the best ten Irish pubs outside Ireland. It is not...

My friend did the open mic there last night. Apparently he went over his time slot by a few minutes. Instead of politely asking him to stop or even just advising him he was out of time, unfortunately the MC was really nasty to him in front of everyone. I don’t mean a little bit rude or dismissive, I mean he was actively mean to him. What a horrible way to run an open mic event, 15 of us came down to see his second open mic ever and in an otherwise great venue we instead got to see the MC be horrible to him out of nowhere. Very disappointing and frustrating. Not the welcoming vibes you would expect in the muso community. In case it isn’t clear exactly who it is, a very large man with long curly black hair. And if you are reading this MC, the next time someone makes a mistake or does anything you don’t want them to as you’re running the night, please try approaching them like an adult instead of acting like a nasty childish bully, everyone will be better off for it. The service, the atmosphere and the rest of the staff were great,...

You Can't Lose at the Poet

I spilt my guinness last night because I bumped into the end of my own table. I thought, I've made a right mess of this. While I was wallowing in sorrow, I heard the rustling of a scamper, and the squeaking of a mop. Not only this, but my guinness had been replaced - free of charge! I couldn't bring myself to accept it, but this bartender is not one to be argued with! Such ferocious kindness! Now, the music was an absolute delight, and I'm swooning in gulps of guinness so I thought 'Heck, I'll thank this Esmeralda playing the tunes by way of a glass of wine'. No sooner than I've placed the wine down before her, she produces for me a CD of those very tunes she was offering. What an exchange! All I'm trying to say is: you can't lose...