To Kill a (s)Mocking - bar? Review.

Lygon St, Melbourne is synonymous with cafe culture and the unfortunate lack of spirit that is often associated with large generic cafe's pumping out pizza, pasta and latte's by the litre. Further North up Lygon the mood changes to a dirtier, snot nosed cousin. Amidst all the dry cleaners and pawn shops is one very cosy venue named Atticus Finch after the lawyer in Harper Lee's 1960 Pulitzer Prize winning novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. I trust y'all have read it, or have been made to read it.
To draw any parallels between the books moral hero and this little venue would be tenuous, but I will try. The young mods/nerds in charge of Atticus Finch are left wide open for criticism of such a bold choice of name, but just as Lee's lawyer did in her book Finch is a venue that is a shining light in an otherwise darkly oppressed area - stretching it I know! They can feel proud of their efforts in restoring some equality to the scourge that strikes fear into those down trodden - I'm way off the mark now! Lets get back to reality...
It is a good thing I wasn't paying for the taxi as we struggled to find the un-marked Atticus Finch, which is on the Northern Side of Brunswick Rd. A superb selection of beer, wine and heavy stuff was presented on the 'Rich Mahogany?' book shelves along with quirky artefact's and pop culture icons - notably one Storm Trooper helmet. It sets a tone for the rest of the venue which is payed less attention but the effect works. We slipped into a well proportioned booth and I ordered a Ploughman's plate and a round of drinks, adequately priced for such quality products like Hargreaves Hill Porter, which is a superb roasty chocolate drop. I could spend the whole blog on that beer, but there a more fortes to Atticus Finch. Mosey down the hallway and you will discover the heated deck area packed with smoking punter's and a little further into Atticus' garage there is a pool table. We had planned to slip across the road to the Alderman but there was no reason to leave. The music did not get any louder, the clientele did not vomit on my loafers, the bus boy was humble in his mistake and we had a genuinely good time.
Apparently you must read the book before you die, and I would also suggest you get to Atticus Finch before lung cancer takes it's painful toll on your body and enjoy the casual quality of this shining beacon.

Giles