Match Bar and Grill is the latest venture from the London-based Match Bar Group. Having heard about Melbourne’s vibrant nightlife culture, they came looking to get in on the action. There has obviously been an attempt to ‘fit in’ to the local scene, but it doesn’t quite feel right. From the outside, Match looks typical of the kind of bar we’re used to seeing in Melbourne, with the nondescript entrance situated down a dark street, but once inside it’s a different story. The room is huge, the ceilings are high, and there is a dance floor taking up a good part of the massive room. It’s a kind of cocktail bar/club hybrid that we don’t seen much of in this city.

Don’t get us wrong. It’s not a bad bar; it’s just a little different from what we’re used to. In fact, Match has a pretty serious pedigree. Master mixologist, Dale DeGroff – widely considered one of the world’s top bartenders, as well as being the man responsible for popularising the cosmopolitan – has written the cocktail list. That’s not to mention the wine list, written by Matt Skinner, which offers some pretty special wines by the glass.

It’s very possible to have a good night here, particularly if you can secure yourself one of the couches on the large balcony overlooking the State Library forecourt.