Just Open: Bar Rochford, Civic

The bars are coming back to Civic - and the latest venue to open is Bar Rochford, a chilled out watering hole in a lofty upstairs spot in the Melbourne Building. 

Look for the little R on a door next to Lemongrass Thai restaurant and go up the stairs to a breezy little bar decorated in soft greens, gold and white. 

A huge semi-circular panelled window overlooks London Circuit. There are tables in little nooks and crannies around a central bar with tall booths lining one wall. A big sofa, potted plants, lamps and stacks of vinyl records, a bit like wandering into a friend's ever-so-slightly retro living room for a drink. 

Owner Nick Smith says that's kind of the point - there's no theme to Bar Rochford, just a casual feel. "A lot of the interior is from our house, the records, the artwork, the sofa, they're all things we eventually wanted to put into the bar," he says.

Smith was inspired by travelling in Europe and six years in the small bar scene in Melbourne. "I want a place with a good vibe and the records I've collected over the years are going to be part of the music," he says.

Expect plenty of instagrams from that panelled window -  "You get a classic Canberra sunset," he says. "The light is something that's beautiful during the day and at night it will be a more cosy place." 

There's a tiny balcony out the back where you can perch with a drink. 

Smith will focus the wine list on a mixture of old world, rustic reds from Spain, Portugal and Italy and minerally whites. Australian wines will be drawn from up and comers such as local wineries Ravensworth, and Nick O'Leary, and plenty of Adelaide Hills biodynamic and natural wines. The funky stuff, he says. 

In the very compact kitchen is chef Ian Poy, who has previously worked in the kitchens of eightysix in Braddon and Sixpenny in Sydney. 

"The menu is loosely inspired by modern Parisian bistros with a simple bar menu of snacks and a short changing menu of dinner dishes, mostly seasonal," he says.

The dishes will be written up on a blackboard above the booths - chicken wings, bowls of olives and little things to snack on with a glass of wine, and more substantial plates for dinner. There are also plans to open for Friday lunches.

The bar opens officially on Tuesday, March 22 at 4pm. 

Bar Rochford is at 65 London Circuit, Civic.