Mystery bar number 21

File under: drink, nightlife, Wellington

The previous mystery bar prompted a bit of guessing: it seems there are enough generic beer-branded sports pubs in town to make it less than obvious. It was the Downtown Local, part of the Local Point chain of pubs, most of which are intended, as the name implies, to be local suburban watering holes. This one took over the old Ox Casino Bar in lower Cuba St, seemingly stripping out any vestiges of character it might have had. Its chief point of difference now is the extent to which it has bent the smokefree rules to provide an "outdoor" pool table.

Today's mystery bar is a bit more upmarket, though still rather bland and generic in appearance. It caters to a fairly suity crowd, and does more business at lunchtime than in the evenings. It could be argued that it's more of a café than a bar, but there were plenty of people just there for a drink, so I decided to test its bar credentials by ordering a Martini. As you can see, the result looked pretty good, but there's a story behind this particular Martini that will have to wait for my next round of reviews.

It's quite a strangely-shaped space, and the proprietors have made some attempt to break it up and introduce a bit of intimacy. There's a lower ceiling over the bar itself, a couple of level changes, and some rather forlorn little pots of mother-in-law's tongue intended to bring some variety and animation to the space. Dark wood gives a touch of sophistication, but the pale tiling, steel and glass leave it looking a bit too clinical. There's a lot of light, though, and it makes the most of its outdoor space, but whether the view could be called "scenic" depends very much upon your opinion of the aesthetic merits of Stagecoach buses.