Little Felix

Little Felix is hospitality giant Merivale’s follow-up to French restaurant Felix (which is next door). It’s on Ash Street in the heart of Merivale’s Ivy Precinct.

A concise assortment of cocktails inspired by Parisian classics of the 1910s, ’20s and ’30s headline the drinks list. These cocktails highlight top-shelf spirits, classic French flavours and freshly squeezed citrus. Although the bar’s wines are served exclusively from magnums, Little Felix moves away from extravagant garnishes and theatrics when it comes to the rest of the drinks on offer.

Food is simple, offering a range of largely French cheeses cut from a towering platter of fromage at the bar. There’s a house-made charcuterie, including the must-order parfait, and a short list of tartines (open sandwiches), topped with steak tartare, smoked salmon, or the transcendent raclette and grated black truffle.

The candlelit lounge was in part designed to serve as a companion venue to Felix. Adorned with tapestries of fauna-filled jungle scenes evoking early-20th-century safaris, the fit-out is the work of design company Acme & Co, responsible for creating the aesthetics for The Grounds of the City, Archie Rose and Fred’s.