Mr. Hive Kitchen & Bar, Melbourne

 

Despite it being a Friday night, and even though I was twisting through crowds only moments ago, Mr. Hive Kitchen & Bar has room to spare. I’m sitting on a red leather couch, pillows at my back, and my little marble table is the perfect height for writing. I’m surrounded by the intimacy of dark screens, but they allow me to see the space without feeling enclosed.

And what a space. The seats beg you to recline, potted plants soften the otherwise straight lines, and the conversations are quieter than other venues I’ve visited tonight. There’s a woman singing a Brazilian tune in the far corner, she reminds me or Nora Jones and she’s accompanied by a man playing an acoustic guitar – they’re bathed in soft light which changes colours, making me think of the crayons I loved as a child, and the staff is somehow invisible, yet everywhere.

This has a softer, more alluring energy than other places I have gone to write. I give the most credit to the performers – their music is transporting me.

I’m indulging on a honeycomb ice cream sundae. It’s so decadent that I’m taking breaks between teaspoons. I’m sipping on a Yarra Valley sav blanc and I’m well and truly settling in.

This is an ideal place for those writing a social scene, and a fantastic place for those wishing to anchor a date scene somewhere tangible. My imagination is captured, my senses ensnared. I know I’ll write about this place; I’ll bring my characters here and they’ll love it as much as I do.

Maybe it’s the wine, or the soft lighting – maybe it’s the plucks on the guitar strings sinking alongside my heartbeat, but I could curl up on the couch, buried amongst cushions which look like recycled grain sacks, and doze.

If Mr. Hive Kitchen & Bar is this intimate on a Friday night, then I would recommend coming here anytime, and sinking into the atmosphere. You’ll write some great stuff here, and if your enjoyment eclipses your writing discipline, it’s still a win. Come here when there’s live music and when it’s dark enough to have a flickering tealight on your table. Or come here during the day and tell me what it’s like, unless I’ve already come back to experience it for myself.

That said, I’m going to get started on the whole point of this night: I’m going to write my book. Even though I’m ready to slip into a honeycomb-wine coma. 

Click here to learn more about the venue.