It’s been a good few years since Andrew McConnell opened Gimlet at Cavendish House. Almost immediately, one of Melbourne’s most prolific chef and restaurateurs saw a great deal of acclaim roll in, to the point where the lavish CBD diner is now one of the hardest bookings to score in town. And while demand is still outrageously high, McConnell is hoping to take some of the pressure off by opening a sister venue – a yet-to-be-named hidden cocktail bar (that has already garnered the name Mini Gimlet) just three doors down on Flinders Lane.
Gimlet’s spin-off will be considerably more intimate than its larger, 150-seater older sibling. The new Melbourne cocktail bar from McConnell’s Trader House group will keep things tight with seating for only 28 guests in total, squeezed into the ground floor of the rectangular McDonald House which was built back in 1924.
Rather than give in to temptation and make this another speakeasy-style bar, McConnell and business partner Jo McGann have reportedly gone a different route with the design and concept. Few details have been released thus far, but we do know that Acme, the Sydney design house responsible for the immersive world of Gimlet, has signed on to spearhead the new project.
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Considering Gimlet’s firm grip on nostalgic old-world European design, there are hopes that this new cocktail bar will be a conceptual extension of the restaurant and provide somewhere just as opulent to grab a drink for anyone in the CBD.
According to Good Food, Gimlet’s bar manager Cameron Parish will work with head chef Colin Mainds to curate the food and drink offering. You’re unlikely to get anything more than a few snacks on the menu, given the size of the venue, but if the quality of food at Gimlet is anything to go by that should be more than enough to pair up with whatever Parish has planned for the venue’s selection of tipples.
Gimlet’s sister venue is slated to open in early winter 2023 on the Ground Floor of McDonald House at 165 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.
