The Sweatshop

By: Sophie Gaston
Article published: 9th Apr 08
Venue: Bar
Meal: Where everybody knows your name

What:
The Sweatshop

Where:
The basement of Seamstress , 113 Lonsdale St, Melbourne.

When:
Mon-Sat 5pm-1am

How Much:
Cocktails $17, beers around $8

Melbourne's latest nook-and-cranny bar The Sweatshop welcomes you with all the warmth of a Thai callgirl. Owners Jason Chan and Anthony Herzog have recreated a Bangkok factory basement, complete with seedy red lighting, wilting ferns, and rolls of oriental fabrics suspended from the ceiling alongside exposed power cables. Perch on dismantled shipping crates to down a minty cocktail or, for the latest in hobo-chic, a Little Creatures Pale Ale served in a paper bag. Cling to one of these as the sweat trickles; with little ventilation this bar is sure to live up to its name.

DJ decks were recently installed to replace a large fern that tragically died; you know it's a real sweatshop when even subtropical plants give in. Music-wise, there are plans for French hip hop/new disco themed nights to come. Being the bottom layer in the Tiramisu-style building, the bar also offers bits and pieces to snack on from the delectable Cantonese menu from the Seamstress restaurant upstairs. The Sweatshop offers all the excitement of a trip to Thailand, minus the food poisoning and venereal disease.