A slice of serenity in the back streets of Surry Hills, Cafe Lounge really is the only Melbourne-like little bar/cafe in Sydney. In fact, it feels like exactly the kind of place the Australian Hotel Association is petrified of. Yes, it's a dark little hole and it serves chardonnay!

It's a cafe, open late, that serves beer. HOW NOVEL! It can get packed out by Surry Hills trendies on a Friday or Saturday night, but for a quiet beer after work (and i do mean quiet - this is probably the only place you can actually hear someone across the table speaking to you), or a romantic date, this place is great. In fact, for those closet alcoholics who don't mind a drink alone, you often see youngin' tucked up on a couch reading a book with a beer: yes, such un-Sydneylike behaviour is tolerated here. Beer prices, while not cheap, have remained steady over the years, at $7 for a Little Creatures at the moment, and the coffee and cocktails are pretty good too. If you're a VB Addict, please look elsewhere.

The music was better when I used to DJ there, but it's still not bad.

Cafe Lounge is at the corner of Crown and Goulburn Streets, Surry Hills.