LL Wine and Dine

A touch of cool is creeping around the edges of Satan's doorstep. Tucked in a laneway once notorious for grime and grot, this little bunker now serves as a respite from the seedier side of the 'Cross. Look closely and you'll see the legacy of the space in its former incarnation as a den of ill repute. Bare bricks, red paint, dark lights, and if you look closely, porn-magazine wallpaper. Look really closely and you'll see the hooks on the ceiling out the back, the centrepiece of a roaring fetish trade long since cleansed from the premises. In its place comes a snug bar with a high-end Asiatic feel. The aura of raw appeal lingers in a bar list that reads like a phone book to the underworld: Ecstasy, The Swinger, Red Blossom. Don't miss the innocently-named Botanical Fling, a heady mix of gin, elderflower and kaffir lime. If your budget allows, go all the way and splash out on dinner. Get seduced by the rich pork belly buns and be tickled pink by the sashimi nachos. Finish with the dessert tasting plate for two, followed by more cocktails. You might have a dented wallet and a sore head the next morning, but you'll also have a smile on your face.