Equipement:
Rénové en 2006, cet hôtel de centre-ville de 121 chambres comprend une réception ouverte 24h/24, un accès Internet et des équipements de conférence. Les salles de conférence de l’hôtel offrent le cadre idéal pour organiser des événements de tailles différentes tels que des séminaires de formation, des salons ou des ateliers. L’hôtel est entièrement non-fumeur.

Chambres:
Les chambres disposent de la télévision avec films payants, d’une salle de bain avec sèche-cheveux et d’un réfrigérateur. Elles disposent également d’une ligne téléphonique directe, de la radio, d’une cafetière/théière, ainsi que d’une planche et d’un fer à repasser. Toutes les chambres sont non-fumeur.

Sport/Animations:
L’hôtel possède une salle de fitness.

Cartes de crédit:
Les cartes de crédit MasterCard et Visa sont acceptées.

Autres:
L’hôtel est entièrement non-fumeur.

Description de la route:
Depuis l’aéroport, prendre la Tullamarine Freeway 43 (avec péage). Sortir à Dynon Rd (qui devient ensuite Spencer Street). Tourner à gauche dans Bourke Street, puis encore à gauche dans King Street. Tourner ensuite à gauche dans Little Bourke Street et l’hôtel est sur la droite. En voiture : prendre la Hume Highway jusqu’au Western Ring Road (périphérique ouest). Prendre la sortie pour Tullamarine Freeway City (avec péage). Sortir à Dynon Rd (qui devient ensuite Spencer Street). Tourner ensuite à gauche dans Bourke Sreet, puis encore à gauche dans King Street. Tourner ensuite à gauche dans Little Bourke Street et l’hôtel est sur la droite. Avec la navette : une navette part de l’aéroport de Melbourne et dessert la Southern Cross Station de Spencer Street. La navette circule toutes les 15 min aux heures de pointe. Depuis le depot Skybus de Spencer Street, tourner à droite dans Spencer Street, puis à gauche dans Little Bourke Street (distance approximative : 400 m). Depuis la gare Southern Cross Station : tourner à gauche dans Spencer Street, puis à droite dans Little Bourke Street. Compter environ 30 min en taxi pour rejoindre l’hôtel depuis l’aéroport de Melbourne.

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Up at the ‘Paris’ end of town, Bourke Streets vibrant pre-theatre strip used to be bookended at number 1 by The Hard Rock Cafe, replete with (mostly, if not completely) tacky Americana including a sign out front advising all nuclear weapons to be left outside.  Inside it served typical American mass-consumer fare : over-sized, under-seasoned and over-here!  The Hard Rock Cafe played out rather like a Burger King to TGI Friday’s McDonald’s.

But its not what used to be located there, it’s the venue we’re interested in! 

The Hard Rock closed last year and its Windsor Hotel owners stripped it down and left it with bare bones fittings to be used as a corporate conference venue.  Presumably they figured they could either make more money this way (debatable) or possible they just couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of finding a new tenant to take over this admittedly large venue and do it justice.  After all their core business is hotels, not a property landlord.  A conference venue is much easier to maintain and look after even if it doesn’t create the same revenue.

The advantage of setting the Ramsay restaurant here is not only is it a good size, but restoring it to its previous function of a restaurant wouldn’t be that complicated.  It represents another blank canvas waiting to be painted on.  There’s nothing there in the way of building that would need taking out. 

And I have I mentioned the location?  It’s higher profile than Oliver’s Fifteen, in an already successful strip of similar good quality restaurants and cafes.  From the European round the corner all the way down Bourke pretty much to Exhibition St the venues are all good and another can only add to the areas reputation – and not only as a pre-theatre strip!

Anyway, The Windsor’s owners should think again – the opportunity to host a prestigious venue like a Ramsay restaurant isn’t going to come up every day, and the prestige and publicity can only be a good thing.  Get creative guys – visitors to Melbourne could even be tempted to staying at the Windsor if there was a cross package with a restaurant of this profile affiliated with it!

Pros : Well established area in the CBD, large size, blank canvas of the current conference room.

Cons : Convincing the hotel to restore it to its previous use?

Service Quality - 6/10

Let’s be honest up front – at lunch pretty much every weekday Florentinos is packed.  Fortunately my friend had already managed to fight the throngs and get a table which he guarded with his mortal life, so the usual custom of waiting propped up by the bar or in the doorway was skipped this time round.  But as a result of a crowded full-to-the-rafters bar the service is sometimes stretched in the time to wait to get served.  When I did finally get the menu I went for a cheese potato gnocchi whilst my friend took the seafood spaghetti.

Service Speed 5/10

The waiting time to then get the food delivered is pretty arduous at times so let me give you a general rule of thumb for lunch at Florentinos.  If you want to get lunch and back to the office in one hour, stick to one course only.  This will take pretty much take out your whole lunch hour.  If you have time to take for a longer – or liquid! - lunch then by all means go for more courses.  It’s simply a fact of life that the food takes a while here – ours was about 30 minutes in the making…

Food Quality 7/10

…But the food is worth that wait!  I had a superb gnocchi with a well balanced cheese sauce.  Its pretty easy to make a top heavy sauce that drowns the gnocchi or pasta, however mine was just right.  The seafood spaghetti was, according to reports, even better – with baby octopus and other suspects of assorted crustaceans.  It got good two thumbs up from my friend!

 Ambiance 7.5/10
It’s busy, it’s loud, it’s a touch chaotic.  In a word it’s vibrant!  But if you don’t like squeezing past people to get to the other end (where the rest rooms are) in a long and narrow bar, then maybe it’s not for you.  But I love it!!!

Value for Money 7 / 10

It’s certainly reasonable for the price.  We paid about $20 dollars a head for our meal with one drink.  Overall ‘The Cellar Bar’ represents the bistro value section of the larger adjoining Florentinos restaurant empire.  If you want your money to not go as far and have a more formal reserved fine dining experience, may I suggest Florentinos bigger restaurant next door?

Overall Ranking: 6.5/10

In that time it carved out a great reputation as a hip, bohemian café specialising in a traditional home- cooking style. I did so well it was sold on about 10 months ago with the baton passing to the new owners. Could they keep the great name going and maintain the high standards of the early years?

Justin, armed with his trusty camera and I went to find out!

Service Quality - 5/10

Now don’t get us wrong, we went in and were served at the bar, where all orders are taken. The service was great in fact, and very knowledgable in picking out our lunches. I went for the Calamari salad special; Justin the slow-cooked lamb shanks (he just couldn’t help himself!).

But shortly after sitting down we had the rather unwanted sight of one of the waitresses being corrected by the manager on some point or other of service. Frankly, all such discussions should be out of sight and mind of the paying public, no matter how much the manager might feel it was warranted. Hence the downmarking – it’s purely for the boss.

Service Speed – 7.5/10

The service was fast and efficient; it took about 10 mins from ordering for the food to turn up – those wanting a fast lunch shouldn’t be disappointed!

Food Quality – 8/10

The good news is, the food itself is still great. Justin’s slow cooked lamb was 3 hours in the making, beautifully moist and fall-off-the-bone tender. It also had gained tremendous sweetness from the vegetables it had been braised with in the oven, and certainly won Justin (our lamb shank connoisseur) over!

My calamari was also good quality, not too oily and with a light batter. The dressing it was in with the salad complimented it out nicely.

On the way out we grabbed coffees and a chocolate tart to go. Their coffee is actually quite decent, and well worth stopping by for a take-away cup even if you’re not hungry. Even better was the chocolate tart, not too rich and balanced off by the pastry. If the tart is anything to go by, the rest of the selection of cakes and frainds are well worth trying out.

Ambiance – 7.5/10

The Mess Hall vibe has still got all it’s charm, even if it doesn’t seem quite as hip as it used to the last time I was there (almost two years ago). It’s still quite easily the most bohemian and grungy looking restaurant on it’s block. It just didn’t seem as lively in past times as the place was relatively empty when we eat there.

Disabled people should note that there is seating access available on the ground floor, but no disabled toilets as they are up a flight of stairs on the first floor.

Value for Money – 7/10

Most mains are in the $14 – $18 price range, which is quite reaonable for the quality and quantity of what you get.

Overall Ranking: 7/10

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