What's the lowdown?

StoryVille is what happens when you take the concept-bar to its logical extreme: salaried, mortgage-holding adults ordering cocktails from a giant mushroom, then clambering through a cupboard into Narnia. Put more simply, it's Lonsdale Street's new cocktail bar with a fairytale theme and professionally built sets to match.

Who's behind it?

Keti Kezunovic and Steve Thomas, the team behind steampunk thunderdome Pawn & Co and 29th Apartment, a kind of mini-Manhattan in St Kilda, together with frequent collaborator Josh Lefers. They also called in the pros: A Blanck​ Canvas and Onset Arts, whose set-building talents are typically employed on film, TV and Cirque du Soleil​. "We just wanted to create a place with the nostalgia of fairytales from our childhood mixed with more of an adult-type theme," says Kezunovic.

Why should you care?

Because you're not a total killjoy. Every inner child could do with some time in Tinkerbell's birdcage, gin, ginger and kiwi-infused Polyjuice in one hand and three-cheese jaffle in the other. Markedly more adult is the cheese and charcuterie selection from Savour & Grace, with a Fourme d'Ambert semi-hard blue and Mr Cannubi's dry-cured pork cheeks.

If you only eat/drink one thing

Approach the mushroom and order "Through the Looking Glass", a smoking pot of vanilla tea spiked with three-year-old Havana rum and served with a side of cream. Pair with "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs", a tomato, provolone and meatball jaffle.

Open Mon-Thu 4pm-3am, Fri 4pm-5am, Sat 6pm-6am, Sun 6pm-7am.

185 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, 03 9993 9034, storyvillemelbourne.com.au