The StandardX in Melbourne is Fitzroy’s new cool thai spot
This brand burst on to the scene with a party-hard hotel in Hollywood financed by movie stars. Now it’s arrived with a bang in Melbourne.
Things are a little chaotic when we arrive for dinner at Bang, the Thai-inspired restaurant belonging to The StandardX, Melbourne. It’s understandable – the boutique hotel in the inner-city suburb of Fitzroy has been open only three days when I visit. The issue, though, is not disorder, but demand. Tables are being pushed together to accommodate larger groups. A woman seated next to us pulls out her phone and puts it to her ear. “We’re at Bang, that new Thai place on Rose Street. Come down, they can probably squeeze you in.” The staff, young and dressed in smart blue uniforms, are unfazed, as though they’ve seen this a million times. Work here long enough and I’ve no doubt they will.
Some hotels are a slow burn, but StandardX Melbourne seems to have instantly woven itself into the Fitzroy fabric. The 125-room hotel is a short stroll from Brunswick Street, with its myriad worldly restaurants, live music venues, galleries and bohemian fashion outlets. It’s the first iteration of a stripped-back sister brand of Standard Hotels, which burst on to the scene in 1999 with a party-hard hotel on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, financed partly by A-listers such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz. The brand punched into the luxury space as it dispersed across the world, including to New York, Miami, The Maldives and Bangkok, but this new offshoot more embodies the spirit of the Hollywood original – cool, casual and perfectly in tune with the aesthetic and the cultural thrum of its neighbourhood.
Local architecture firm Woods Bagot has done a masterful job disguising the hotel’s newness, cladding it in weathered steel and board-formed concrete (which gives a timber-grain look). It’s the only hotel in Fitzroy, and a sizeable one at that, yet not a single person baulks as they walk by; it’s possible they assume it’s always been there.
On weekends a street art-slathered car park and former wool mill opposite the hotel morphs into Fitzroy Mills Market, with racks upon racks of vintage clothes, and Rose Street Artists’ Market pops up next door, selling everything from hand-crafted jewellery to candles, prints and terrariums. Young parents walk by with houndstooth-patterned baby carriers, and hipsters perched on footpath planter boxes swig craft beer in the sun, as beats ring out from rooftop bars. It feels more like a street party than a street.
Bright red revolving doors are a portal to a loft-like lobby decked out by local design firm Hecker Guthrie and awash with whimsy. Oversized macrame by local artist Sarah Parkes (under her label Smalltown) hang in front of the elevators and wrap around concrete columns, creating textural partitions. Side tables are carved into giant champagne corks and pencil sharpeners. A colourful, snaking chair by Sydney designer Adam Goodrum looks like a caterpillar on plinths, and if it happens to be very hungry it need just shuffle across the terrazzo floor to Bang.
Opening the all-day diner has been something of a homecoming for Melbourne-bred chef Justin Dingle-Garciyya, formally of Aman and One & Only Ocean Club in The Bahamas. The chef literally has a hand in every dish. Working alongside Melbourne potter Sam Gordon, he hand-crafted Bang’s ceramic crockery at Gordon’s studio near the Dandenong Ranges, and his thumbprint adorns each piece.
In keeping with the spirit of the hotel, Dingle-Garciyya gets rebellious with recipes, fusing authentic Thai flavours with influences from across Southeast Asia. The names are edgy – “white boy noodles” and “bowl of pig” – and no dish arrives at the table quite as you envisioned. Highlights include oxtail braised for seven hours, moulded into spring rolls and served with pickled shallots, coconut oil and a Balinese-style sambal matah, and sous vide duck confit, roasted, stripped and shredded, then compressed with noodles and peanuts, and doused with red curry sauce at the table. Breakfasts are equally creative and delicious.
Save for one Taittinger, the wine list is all Victorian. The craft beer selection seems slim, given the locale, and some of the signature cocktails sound like something you’d dip a spring roll into, rather than drink. I take a punt on a “Park-waan”, made with rum, honey, lime, mint, Thai basil and lemongrass, and feel guilty for having doubts.
There are seven categories of rooms, which seems a trifle excessive for a hotel that puts more emphasis on its public spaces, and you might find the differences negligible. My King View room is snug but stylish, with blue and white carpet, a 50-inch smart TV, and a terracotta-coloured cabinet stocked with locally roasted coffee for the French press, a selection of teas and a Smeg kettle. There’s a small 3D panel on the wall that’s either artwork or a switchboard (closer investigation reveals it to be the former, by Melbourne artist Jane Sinclair). Rumours of a foldout work desk prove unfounded, and the absence of drawers is slightly perplexing, but I suspect most guests are here for a good time, not a long time.
The freestanding bathtub is adequate compensation, and hoodie robes are provided, although any sauntering will be confined to your room as there’s no pool or day spa (guests instead get access to a local gym). Windows are narrow but full-length, letting in loads of natural light. It’s a bit surreal peering into the shoebox backyards of multi-million dollar Victorian terrace houses, knowing that there are still people who’ll remember when Fitzroy was ground zero for Melbourne’s most squalid slums.
Lower-level balcony king rooms are dog-friendly, while the largest room is the 48sq m “suite spot”, with a separate lounge and powder room. In lieu of a minibar you’re invited to fill your fridge with selections from The Box, a sort of neighbourhood bodega in the lobby, stocked with local wines – bottles, plus 200ml serves in foil-lined satchels that look disconcertingly like baby food – and an array of artisanal produce, including housemade ice cream and pate.
It’s a fine idea to load up and repair to the romantic, umbrella-lined rooftop garden, reserved for hotel guests only and filled with greenery. It’s a magic spot to gaze at the city lights, especially if you strike a balmy night. Come summer the rooftop promises to pump out Mexican street food and cocktails, but I love how peaceful it is now. Community is cool and all that, but I bet those celebs on Sunset Strip had a VIP room.
In the know
The StandardX Melbourne is at 62 Rose Street, Fitzroy (not to be confused with The Standard Hotel, a long-standing pub a few blocks south). Cozy King rooms start from $260 a night.
Ricky French was a guest of The StandardX Melbourne.
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