Been a while since I’ve been here. The Toff is a bit of a Melbourne institution - the whole building is really. It was still daylight when we were here, which I think is a first for me. Just had a lazy Amaretto Sour and they did it well.
We shared the pancakes, dumplings and fish salad between two which was more than enough food! Delicious Asian flavours in all of the dishes in a very cool and dark bar with private booths.
Very romantic vibes at The Toff in Town - especially in the private booths. Love the outdoor balcony area overlooking Swanston Street. Recommend the espresso martinis.
Amazing place but a bit on the expensive side! Was there with my friends for drinks and dinner on a weekday. The place was pretty much empty but can’t complain as it was a Monday. The cocktails served were mind blowing and the food was great too. Bunch of veggie options and the menu was designed in a great fashion which included most of the Asian food. The service and the ambience was good.
Food - 4/5
Drinks - 4.5/5
Service - 4/5
Ambience - 4/5
Value for Money - 3/5
I’ve been here for drinks a few times but never have eaten (I usually go to cookie) and I really enjoyed it! Decoy is cool and everybody loves the booths, staff were very professional and the best I’ve had for awhile!
I ate mostly the tuck shop menu but it was really nice and the roti pizza is a must have especially if you like the hot stuff.
Overall a nice experience and if you have visitors from out of town treat them true Melbourne style.
Thanks
Loved this place! Came in for a knock off cocktail late Wednesday night with a pal from work. I had an old fashioned, she had a kaffir lime infused, gin margarita type drink (can’t remember the name of it - I think it was a house cocktail though) and they were both soooo yum!
Staff were super friendly and it was the perfect wind down environment for us after work that night
Will be back although I expect it’s usually much busier!
Toff in town is a nice, quiet and intimate dining experience in the middle of the CBD. You can get a booth to yourself and your waiter is called using the doorbell. The menu is setup in a tapas style, with the portions for the food generous and with some very tasty dishes, including the lamb cutlets. The toff does nice cocktails and has a decent wine list and the staff are always friendly, can recommend.
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The toff in town also known as choo choos is only two flights of stairs in a rickety old building. They take reservations or just rock up like my friend and I did on a Friday around 6.30 pm.
You enter a tiny looking bar with round tables covered in red and white check cloth, loud noise and booth styled seating. Like me you may be shocked but there is additional seating around the bar and more seating booths. So what seems like a tiny bar is also a restaurant and a music venue.
My friend and I were seated on a tiny round table and given large heavy menus thatt covered our tables almost entirely.
The tables reminded my friend and me of a streetside cafe in Paris or Italy. Too small to contain any food. Maybe just for espresso.
All dishes are to share and there are no large mains. Don't go for the upsell of the feed me option because all the food arrived at once within five minutes at room temperature and will not fit on your table and so you will be forced to eat quickly without enjoying your food.
We got the following:
1. beef rendang with roti - half a work with a ramekin containing two meat pieces in thick red curry sauce. Slight spice to it, tender meat and very delicious. My favourite dish of the ones I had
2. Duck pancakes - five tiny pancakes with a cold runny salad with scant pieces of duck. Spicier than the duck and tasty herbal flavours. Quite sticky.
3. Chicken hot pot - didn't know what to do with this. Its like a poh. So you get some vermicelli noodles covered in sprouts and a ramekin full of red liquid. Unlike us, don t drink the liquid first. Rather pour it onto the sprouts and noodles. Someone should have told us this as we had vermicelli leftover and it tastes awful on its own.
4. Rendang with rice - large potato pieces with barely any meat. overly sweet.
Interesting menu. Fast service. But could do with staggered service.
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Location :-
Curtin House is hard to miss on Swanston Street. Located on the second floor, be prepared to hike up two flights on dingy high stairs (elevator works on private code only)!
The setting is a dimly lit, cosy booth setup with a few high chairs by the bar. Better for groups of 3-5 people.
Service :-
Our server was helpful, suggestive and quick. Works in a perfect combination always!
Food :-
1) Chicken Rendang and Roti Bread - the rendang is spicy but has a fabulous texture and taste. The roti bread while warm tastes great!
2) Heavenly Beef & Hot Chilli Sauce - deep fried slices of beef (lose a bit of tenderness) accompanied with sriracha sauce. Erring on the spicy side, it is a balanced offering.
3) Chicken Ribs Garlic & Pepper - can skip the ribs as they're nothing more than bland deep fried bits of chicken on bone. No garlic or pepper flavour at all!
4) Water Buffalo Cheese with Tomato and Thai Basil - a great salad dressing poured on chunks of cheese (gets a bit too much) with fresh baby tomatoes makes a safe selection for the vegetarian seekers.
5) Asparagus & Broccolini Garlic and Chilli - an extremely tangy dish with firm Asparagus makes this one a good vegetarian recommendation.
6) Betel Leaf Peppered Pork Sticks, Pork and Peanut Relish - an extremely tasty pork dish, the deep frying brings out the crispy texture of the pork that pairs beautifully with the peanut dip.
7) Beef & Potato Massaman Curry - the star of the show, a beautiful dish with extremely balanced yet uplifting flavours. Paired with sticky steamed rice, an absolute winner !
8) Rosé House Wine - from the Yarra valley, a delicious sweet accompaniment with an above average meal.
Prices :-
Since the serving sizes are pretty small, you're looking at 100 dollars for a meal for two easy!
Overall, a decent 3.5/5!
Like any good cocktail the toff in town is a mixture of many different ingredients that make one perfect place. One part fancy cocktail bar and another part fun band room and dance hall, the Toff is a regal nod to the buildings past days as a gentlemans club.
The cocktail bar side has some great private train carriages to tuck your group into and roll the doors closed. On certain nights they open up the band room for live gigs, mini festivals and mayhem. A massive plus with this place is the coat check as you walk in and the bartenders excellent knowledge of their drinks. They have a wide selection on the back bar to choose from and some really good beers and wine. It's also open quite late every night so perfect for that late night tipple when you feel everything else is winding up.
This place has it all. Amazing food, great service, an epic cocktail list with bartenders to make them properly and play sexy music to get you in the mood to party (however you like to play). They also have a live gig venue on the same floor if you are so inclined every night of the week. This place would be great mid week for date nights as they have booths where you can shut the world out and can push a button for service so you aren't bothered with staff until you want it. I liked sitting at the bar and watching the interactions of life and guessing with hubby who was doing what. Such a varied crowd too. Awesome!
Came here last night with a big group so we tried a lot of the dishes. Everything tasted great (except for the snapper fish imo). The crying tiger was soft and tender and the sauce was excellent. Lotus chips were battered nicely. Too many other great dishes to name! Although the drinks were a bit too watered down (had both the Pimms jug and sangria) and the Bellini cocktail was just a piece of peach in champagne!
It's definitely on the to do list upon coming to Melbourne. To sit in a booth at "The Toff In Town" and order cocktails.
Though it's a little pricey, it's generally a once off experience so its worth it.
I used to like "The Toff In Town" better when they had a whole lot of novels within the booths.
Whenever I get interstate visitors who are up for a bit of a party, I do think of heading up the stairs on Swanston and showing them this venue.
Atmosphere is really cool here when you first come in: dimmed lights, loud music, little private booths, wood, cool bar, small balcony.... However after a while it kind of dies down...nothing much more happens! The cocktails are ok, the waiters are fine, the food is pretty good (Thaï food). I had a Thai crunchy fish salad and it was really tasty. Overall, worth experiencing a couple of times and pretty good to bring friends from overseas as the atmosphere is pretty cool, especially the fact that there are other bars/restaurants on different floors in the same building! My favourite is the rooftop bar on the 6th floor with the awesome rooftop cinema in summer! Watch a movie with amazing city views, a burger, & a cocktail!
One of (if not) my favourite places in Melbourne. Make sure you try the duck pancakes, chicken rendang and cashew dumplings. Yum!
I'd also suggest going outside of the Thurs-Sat nights as they usually have loud music (DJ) on those nights and the acoustics aren't so great.
Awesome train carriage set up and staff are always top notch in their knowledge.
Went in a group of 8 ppl. Small tapas but amazing flavours and quality. Much quieter than Cookie on the lower level. We're still talking about the rendang and roti dish. I'd return and recommend to friends.
Stumbled across this beauty on a Wednesday night, when we were on our way to the rooftop bar but couldn't be bothered walking 7 flights of stairs...so glad I'm lazy and stumbled across this gem on level 2! Having anniversary drinks in a dimly lit, private train carriage booth, topped off our evening! Top 5 fave bars in the city. Definitely will be back!
I've been visiting Toff for years, I like its little nooks and crannies. It throws off an intimate vibe that others try and replicate but never seem to get there. The food is oh so good, drinks are 100. When it gets packed I can see how people wouldn't enjoy it, you definitely need to know your way around to avoid being crammed at the bar. Hire a booth for a great night out eating and drinking.
It does a few things and does it all right. Good place for a drink, cool atmosphere and great food. Expensive (even for the CBD) but a great venue.
I went to The Toff for a music gigg, and have only been on the 'right' side. The barguy was friendly. I ordered an Old Fashioned cocktail, which I normally really like but this one was horrible. I tasted like there was something off in it. I returned it to the bar, and asked if the bartender had a taste himself. He said it was made on the 'left' side, but he had a taste and agreed it wasn't nice. They made me a new one, which was much better, but it was still pretty horrible. Blame on me for ordering a Butter Popcorn Old Fashioned I suppose, should've known better but I got distracted by the Sailor Jerry rum in it which I love... ;)
While a bit pricey, the toff is a really cool atmosphere and a great place to have either a chill drink in a booth or boogie on the floor on a Friday night.
Only went there for drinks.. Atmosphere was really good. But the barman in the dancing area is not friendly.. Will go back and try their food someday.
Been here few times already . My advice is book it before you come so you won't get any disappointment. I often come and get the booth area . The booth area is quite small . Max can only fit in five . I mean sitting comfortably.. I love the booth area because It's private yet it's funky .such a nice vibe for a date night . we went for the $40 per head banquet for 3 of us .so that way we could try all the different dishes . banquet are not including in their menu .so please ensure asking their lovely staff member for recommendation and banquet deal . Normally they are very helpful . My must try dish is definitely their duck pancake and tiger steak .. And if you want to try something different . Cheese tomatoes Thai basil salad is definitely challenging your tastebud. Overall We enjoyed our food so much tonight . And the customer service was exceptional... Can't wait to bring all my mates there :D
Great staff , great cocktails! Simple as that .
Enjoyed the experience of a booth table and the service button was unique. However the service was slow and the music was too loud so it was a bit hard to talk. Overall experience was good and good tasted yum!
Service was good as many have mentioned. Atmosphere was great and I personally enjoyed the music played. Drink selection was great and varied, average pricing for a cbd bar. Food menu was surprisingly Asian oriented and to be quite honest overpriced and not that great. Have a drink, but maybe skip having an entire meal here.
Great! I have a crustacean allergy and choo choo's is great as they offer an "allergy menu" that details all allergens (eg. Gluten free, dairy free etc.) Very helpful!
Great place but wish the portion sizes were bigger, we had a banquet amongst 8 ppl and honesty I left hungry. The food was amazing, loved everything, especially the tofu and mushroom dumpling green curry but again, if the portions sizes were bigger it would be perfect. A bit pricey I think
Went there on a first date and had the best service I have received at a restaurant. The staff were friendly, continually checked on how the night was going and the host, Jeremy, was so available for such a busy night. The food was also impeccable. Can't wait to go back.
Seemed like the kind of place that could be pretentious - hipster vibe, in a dark bar upstairs. Pleasantly surprised! Service was amazing. Went without a booking on a Saturday night, expecting to be turned away. Got seated straight away! Menu explained to us, water to the table straight away. Drinks served quickly. Every waiter was lovely and helpful. Extensive drinks menu - I mean pages and pages of beer! Let alone everything else. Food menu has great choice. Reasonably priced menu items, but they're small - designed to be shared. Everything was really yummy. Beef was cooked perfectly. Squid was delicious. Really yummy flavours. Thought it would be loud, because bands are playing in the other room, but we could hear each other perfectly. Dark and intimidate, really nice atmosphere. Highly recommended.
Great!. Great selection and never ending pages of drinks, cocktails, ultra yummy food, carriage booth, open till 3am, still serving yummy food.....how could you not like this place
Had drinks and snacks at the bar. Cool place, nice cocktails, they did bring out the wrong food but hey the Sweetlips is always up for trying something new! I choo-choose you!
Amazing food!!!. Love this place for gigs but have recently discovered the food. Small tasty plates to share with my friends! A delicious modern take on Thai food!!!
Never disappoints. If you're heading out with a small group and can get a table, then the toff is amazing. If you can't get a table, don't expect it to be a short wait. The food is great, but the drinks and bar-tenders are better. This place is always reliable for dinner, drinks or live music - it will never fail to be an entertaining night at toff.
Best place!. The Toff is the best place. It doesn't matter if you go for food, or drinks, or a gig, you will always have an awesome time here.
Stand alone. Going to the Toff in town is like a ritual. Its my special occasion place. I go here for really one dish, and one dish alone. The heavenly beef. Thats all you need to know. The cocktails are out of this world too. You really have to book ahead but if you get the right person, they may be more accommodating to get you a booth. The kitchen is so tiny but what comes out of it is amazing. Always so busy this place and the waiters can be a lil hurried and stressed, but alas they do they best they can with the chaos.
Yummy Thai Tapas. This place is always busy. Our group of 5 booked ahead and got a booth. They are enclosed individual booths and gives you alot of privacy, however the whole place is like a bar so you can still hear alot of music pumping and general chatter. The thai inspired tapas menu has a good variety of choices and all that we ordered was delicious! Plenty of beers from all different countries to choose from too! I will go back to try more from the menu!
What a buzz!. This is one of my favourite places in Melbourne to spend an evening. I've been lucky enough on most occasions to get a booth. I love that they have little train booths inside a restaurant, who would have thought! It's old world charm, mixed with modern day, sexy Melbourne grunge. The music is loud and good, it's dark and often crowded, but if you can get a booth, you can enjoy it from your own private little area. Sit back, relax, enjoy a range of delicious tapas from a very workable menu, match it with some fabulous wines and enjoy. The best thing about Choo Choo's is that when you are in a booth you get to press a little buzzer and a waiter will come, you never have to leave your cozy seat and the staff are extremely good, which makes up for any disappointment if you don't score a booth.
A qualified thumbs up. The food here is absolutely delicious - Thai meets tapas - is that Thaipas? Anyway, I could eat it every night of the week. I usually go on weeknights, early evening and sit up at the bar where service isn't an issue - I find it attentive. However the crowd can sometimes be a little trying-too-hard- to-be-cool-whilst- finding-a-mate-early- 20-something. (I had a girl sitting on the stool next to me who insisted on attempting to catch her man's attention by singing loudly to every song and wriggling her back against mine while she did it. I relate this story because it typifies some of the crowd) . Nonetheless there is a fabulous cocktail list, reasonable wine list and the outlook over the city is great from the bar. Having been several times I would say mostly a good experience
Great food, duck dumplings were awesome. The vibe is great, love the booth concept, where you press a button to alert wait staff. The music can get loud, but that's why it's more of a tapas bar
Late Night Delight. Wednesday night, needed to eat around 11pm. So this place was a haven. Got given a booth fairly quickly, service attentive, went with the recommendations and just kept adding till we were full. Food delicious.
Coktails!. Great location and interior design with fantastic service! We really had fun at Toff in Tow plus the cocktails where stunning!
Tasty late night kitchen. If you're at the toff having a night out and you feel hungry, forget the kebab/pie/mcdonalds. try the food at the late-night kitchen at the toff for something different. the skewers and burgers are great! plenty of herbs and garlic. the accompanying sauces are a taste sensation. the meals are delicacies and a late night treat that wont fill you up and leave you feeling guilty.
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Good night out- better on a week night. Booked a booth for 6 of us on a Friday night. It was packed and our table wasn't ready on arrival, but the staff were really great and kept us informed. I really love the booths and the way you can buzz for service. We had a banquet (about $30 each), which they will do for groups of a certain size. All the savoury dishes were great- full of flavour and made with fresh ingredients. I especially liked the lamb cutlets and squid and the cheese platter was excellent. The tapioca and sour cherry pudding was lacking in flavour, though, and the chocolate mouse was just okay- give them a miss. Besides the desserts, my only real problem was that we were given rice and roti, but no curries to have with them. I assume it was an error, but we kept waiting for a curry to come out (have had one on another occasion and it was really tasty) and were disappointed. Recommended for food and the booth experience- though I find the drinks overpriced. Go on a week night when it is quieter.
They book great acts. I've seen some good bands here, it has a smoking area
Elegant interior and service.. Had dinner in one of the booths last Saturday. We walked in not sure what to expect, it was quite noisy with a good atmosphere, once seated in our booth it was nice and private. There were three of us and the host advised us and we ordered the perfect amount of food. The deep fried mushrooms and grilled asparagus were amazing!! We hung around quite late and got to enjoy some amazing dancing after dinner! Dancing and food in the same place!!! To begin with we weren't sure what to expect with the Toff, but it definitely exceeded expectation. The Toff is elegant and the staff are attractive and warm. Will definitely be returning often.
A good chew at Choo Choo. A great place to catch up with friends - provided you get one of the booths and close the doors. Service was terribly slow but once the food came it was tasty. Would I eat here again? I'd go more for a drink with friends and happen to order some dishes, rather than specifically go for dinner.
Friday night dinner. What a perfect little haunt to visit on a Friday night for post work drinks and dinner.
It boasts a more intimate atmosphere so be warned that the place is dimly lit with little asian style booths.
The food is designed to be shared and fairly small serving sizes but the dishes pack plenty of Thai flavour.
We had about 12 dishes between 6 people with the oysters being the most memorable as they are packed with a chilli punch and the chicken & lemongrass wrapped in Betel leaves, amazing flavour awaits!
Thai tapas? Sensational. Order a few to share. Full of fresh flavour, can taste the love and care. Northern pork belly hot pot a winner. Also try sweet potato balls. Will return to try more. Bring your wallet if you want a drink tough..
Tasty Tapas. Tasty South East Asian Tapas combined with cosy booths, balanced cocktails and friendly staff... how can you go wrong?
Great spicy tapas. Wow..this place is amazing...tapas is so fresh tasting...well worth it i say...hope u like spicy food cos this place is great
Great little venue for catching a live performance. I haven't checked out the dining area, but was fortunate enough to enjoy a great evening in the band room. Area is not huge, but also not cramped. I would call it intimate. I thought it's the perfect space to catch a gig. I would absolutely be back next time there's a show on at the Toff.
Great Bar! The train car booths are really awesome to sit in and create a great experience. The bar has an extensive cocktail list that will leave everyone happy. The space can get a bit loud and crowded, which can mean it can take a while to get your drinks, but they are worth the wait!
Loved it! A beautiful bar. As a former bar attendant I was drooling over the setup. The staff were super friendly. The seating and atmosphere was great. This place has real character. We saw a show over the other end of the venu also. The show was great and the set up over there was good too.
Attended a gig upstairs, but popped into the downstairs bar as well, its an interesting venue, lots of character! Would like to go to check out the food sometime.
I so want to give this place more than 5 stars. The venue is beautiful and there are private booths and lighting that's a deep, romantic red. Perfect for a date night or a lowkey drink with friends!
Attended here as part of the Melbourne Comedy festival. This is one of Melbourne's hidden gems tucked away inside Curtin House on the 2nd level. Disability access is easy with ramps and a lift!
Perfect setting for a quick drink before the show in one of the dimmly lit booths or a quick bite of the Thai inspired menu. Staff are polite, helpful and knowledgeable and quick to assist with accessible seating for wheelchair and walker patrons.
Overall 5 stars and a great place to visit with a wonderful vibe!
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