There are always new apart­ment build­ings spring­ing up, but this Apart­ment is very dif­fer­ent. It’s very def­in­itely not a stu­dio shoe­box, with vast open-plan liv­ing space and a high-raftered ceil­ing, and des­pite hav­ing a bed­room, bath­rooms, din­ing room and bal­cony, it is in fact bet­ter than a home: it’s a bar.

Many years ago there was an Apart­ment Bar under the Han­nahs Fact­ory in Leeds St, but The Apart­ment is an appar­ently unre­lated place that has just opened in Allen St. The vary­ing spaces prom­ise to allow for dif­fer­ent moods, from louche loun­ging to form­al­ish din­ing to stand­ing and shout­ing. The prox­im­ity to Cour­tenay Place threatens all but the last mode of drink­ing, but giv­en a highly cred­it­able Mar­tini and some tasty snacks (chilly chilli roast almonds plus ched­dar & caraway bread), this bar­fly thinks it could be just the place to set up home.