#lockworks

It's the end of an era for Melbourne ... but the beginning of a new one!

Come down for last minute specials and to say goodbye to The Lockworks (as our new location is @ Victoria - in the Victoria Buildings) - our <B>Buy One Get One Free</b> sale has been extended in Melbourne through to Saturday 15th September and that will be our final day of trading at Level 1, 382 Little Collins St.

We will be closed for Tuesday 18th & Wed 19th September and will be reopening on Thursday 20th September, if all goes well, at 347 Victoria St North Melbourne (West Melbourne for Google Maps/mail)! We will confirm via Twitter when doors are officially open at the new premises :D

After much discussion Will and I begin our ‘coffee-crawl’ journey in one of my favourite coffee shops- Lockworks. I know there was some bias in our choice, we wanted to make our first review a good one. (This blog, I hope, isn’t just about reviewing cafes, bars and bistros. This is also about two friends enjoying ‘something’ together… and I am certain there will be many digressions where our friendship will be deepened and tested.)

Lockworks is based within the Chubb Buildings just off Broad Street, in Wolves; part of the Lighthouse Media Centre- a central focus for many of the varying art-communitites in the city.

We hoped to make our first review an enjoyable one… we were disappointed. We walked in to the café area to be immediately hit with a wall of eggy air. I was taken back to my Beano-reading days with childish pranks and the smashing of stink bombs. The staff apologised trying to make light of the problem- I didn’t have the heart to tell them of the review. I think Will gagged a little.

We ordered our drinks and sat in the cobbled atrium.

One great plus of the LockWorks connections is there is always great art on show whether it be photography exhibitions, paintings, sculptures, fashion accessories etc… It always looks good (unless you catch it in a rare ‘between-shows’ moment) and there is always something to stimulate interesting conversation.

Our drinks arrive as I’m opening up my mac-book to check for wi-fi (wi-fi is free and easily accessible). It’s probably best to keep this brief… Will likened his americano to being not much better than the instant coffee in his kitchen. My cappuccino tasted good, but lost marks for bordering on a latte. A shame.

We chatted for a while- watching the technicians as they set up for the start of the next days Deaffeast film festival before leaving through a cloud of pungency.

I had hoped to start on a high-note, and though the LockWorks lost points on the coffee test the creative atmosphere pushes up its overall score. It didn’t hit the heights of a jovial java, but I’m sure next time I visit it will.