It’s 6pm on a Friday at Melbourne Greek restaurant Kafeneion and rush hour has just begun. Entering through a narrow doorway on Spring Street, a steady stream of customers climbs the stairs to the warm, clubby, convivial first-floor dining room. There, waitstaff clad in regulation Melbourne black confidently work the tables as a peppy Greek soundtrack adds to the lively hum.

It could be just another night at any thriving city restaurant, except that here, all is not quite as it seems. For come 10pm, when most other places are winding down, Kafeneion will morph into its alter ego, the Melbourne Supper Club, serving up delights such as champagne, freshly shucked oysters and “traditional sausage rolls” until the small hours of the morning.