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Is there a thoroughfare in Melbourne more enchanting than Rathdowne Village in Carlton North? More European, leafy, jam-packed with opportunities for charming pavement drinking and dining?

I may be biased: I grew up partially in this neighbourhood, took flute lessons in one of the grand old Victorian terraces that line the street, and would go for chocolate cake and fresh orange juice afterwards at the (now long-gone) Paragon Cafe in one of the beautiful, glass-fronted corner buildings.

When people come from out of town, it’s this stretch of the city I often recommend, knowing it will allow Melbourne to seduce them properly.

A few blocks south, Rathdowne Street has historically had a very different function. The strip of businesses that face Carlton Primary is a mix of affordable Indian, Pakistani, Thai and Chinese takeaway spots that change ownership often, old-school Italian joints (including the one where the guy sings Sinatra while you eat) and shopfronts that change from barbershop to gelateria to hairdresser to empty so quickly you can’t keep track.

But recently there’s been a sense the spirit of Rathdowne Village is creeping south into Carlton. Fenton Food & Wine took over an old office space and is now an all-day cafe, with dinner service on weekends. In April, Bar Bellamy opened between a Sri Lankan cafe and an Italian restaurant.

Bar Bellamy is pure Rathdowne Village: a tiny cocktail bar that serves Euro-influenced food in a vintage-feeling storefront, with pavement seating under an aluminium and wrought-iron awning. White walls, wooden tables, an antique fireplace and sage-green accents make for a clean and cosy feel, with frosted-glass light fixtures above the bar featuring scalloped edges that conjure oyster shells and the frilly trim of Grandma’s apron.

Dani and Oska Whitehart are the couple behind Bar Bellamy and, between them, there’s some serious Melbourne hospo history. Oska has worked for some of the city’s best bars (The Everleigh, Bad Frankie, Gimlet), while Dani is an alum of cafe stalwarts Archie’s and Sibling.

The combination of these backgrounds shines through at Bar Bellamy, which has the casual welcome of a great neighbourhood cafe and the crisp friendliness of a great cocktail bar.

When people come from out of town, it’s this stretch of the city I recommend, knowing it will allow Melbourne to seduce them properly.

And Oska’s drinks are fantastic. A whisky highball ($22) has the mellow autumnal flavours of apple and pear and a hint of camomile. The Pompeii ($22) pairs cognac with lemon and absinthe, as well as just enough strawberry to make the drink beautifully fresh without veering into sweetness. The lupini tini ($26) is a clever spin on a dirty martini, using the brine of lupini beans rather than olives.

There’s a short and smart wine list and a few beers and ciders, but this place is, first and foremost, a cocktail bar.

That said, I’d come here for the food even if there were no cocktails to be found. Chef Barney Cohen has brought some of the fun tricks he was known for at Nomada, such as his chicken-liver parfait cannoli ($12), but his food leans a little more French at Bar Bellamy.

He’s a master of meat terrines, achieving a perfect level of density that’s still somehow uniform and sproingy. A duck and pork version ($28), served with a pile of French lentils shot through with dill, was seasoned just right.

There have recently been a couple of types of croquettes on the menu, including a mussel version ($9) served in the mussel shell, and a prawn bisque version ($12) that’s so creamily delicious you’ll have a hard time not burning your mouth while gobbling it up.

A roasted quail ($26), all tender and meaty, comes with a fun spin on a Waldorf salad, with grapes and diced apple and walnuts atop a hazelnut puree.

There are devilled eggs draped with anchovy ($7) if you just want a snack to go with your cocktail, and a rump cap with pine mushrooms ($52) if you want a full dinner. The steak was probably the least successful dish I tried – a little too chewy, a little too salty – but it’s easy to make a meal from the smaller dishes.

And you can always finish up with an order of blintz, enfolding a cheesecake filling ($14) that’s paired with a tangy plum sauce.

Bar Bellamy’s biggest issue right now is its instant popularity in relation to its tiny size. The space is jam-packed, with a wait for seats from early evening. There’s clearly a hunger in this part of the neighbourhood for a fantastic, friendly cocktail bar with food to match, and room for the spirit of Rathdowne Village to extend beyond its geographic borders.

This review was originally published in Good Weekend magazine