Brooklyn Lounge
Herald rating ***
Address: 57 Lorne St, next to the St James. You can cut through from the bar on the Queen St side.
Phone: (09) 303 2332 Bottom line: A casual, central hang-out, perfect for the posse or a post-theatre aperitif.
Open: Monday to Friday, 7am to late, Saturday, noon to late.
KEY POINTS:
We arrive: At 8pm on Thursday with a small group of revellers. The friendly guy on the phone said he'd put reserved signs out for us but there's no need - we have the place to ourselves.
Are served our first drinks: By the polite but serious barman who is a little stingy on the alcohol in my vodka and tonic. But he does a good job of picking up the empty glasses and doesn't seem to mind my mate's foul sense of humour.
The decor is ... Smart-casual: brick walls, interesting light fittings and an airy, unobtrusive design. The basketball on the big-screen TV takes away a little of its New York elegance, but the long couches in the secondary area are great for group socialising.
... and the ambience: A little book clubbish tonight, with the bright lights and quiet punters but I did come here for a party once and thought it was a groovy little spot. There's just the one rowdy group tonight. That's us.
The house chardonnay is: Vidal Estate, Hawkes Bay at $7.50 a glass.
The beers on tap are: Tui, Export Gold, Amstel, Amstel Light, Monteith's Pilsner, Radler, Black and Original. It also has a reasonable selection behind the bar, including Tiger, Sol and Budvar.
The toilets: Are clean and functional. Although I don't see why they couldn't hang some art in the ladies, rather than an ad for a TV show featuring a pixelated woman who is presumably pixelated for good reason. The good news is, you can check yourself out in the full-length mirror on the way in. Yeah, baby.
The music is: Generic house on low volume. Later, it picks up into something a little louder and funkier.
Why you should go: Because its city locale is so convenient, particularly if you're off to the St James. With its open-plan lounge and courtyard, the smokers can join in the conversation.
