Given its four distinct spaces, spread across the ground floor of Ovolo Nishi, you have to be very unlucky to find nowhere to sit at Monster Bar. If you’re a nook person (and a book person), we’d suggest making a beeline for the fireside library seats, right by the hotel’s Edinburgh Avenue entrance. For a more formal experience, head into the Mosaic Room, which has parent-friendly padded chairs, another fireplace and beautiful mosaic flooring (hence the name). Wherever you sit, the good news is you can order food till 10pm here.
At dinner, they focus on fresh and local, so the menu items rotate quickly – you’ll notice an emphasis on low and slow cooking here. The wine list is compelling – it mixes Canberra drops with a more global outlook, including a dedicated section for natural and skin contact wines. If you’re more of a cocktail person, the classics are all here, along with a rotating selection of house specials. You can also do breakfast here. If you’ve stayed in the bar till closing, checked into a room upstairs and are in need of an instant revival, their maple bacon and fried egg brekky roll – with a Bloody Mary on the side for good measure – should see you through.