If Hell is anything like Hells Kitchen I’m going to start sinning my pants off just to secure a place. This intimate and relaxed bar has locals hooked and not-so-locals getting as many hits as they can before leaving town. 

In true Melbourne style the best bars always turn up in the most dishevelled and graffiti-stained locations. "Where the bloody hell is it?" echoe the frustrated cries of thirsty punters from Melbourne's laneways. Hells Kitchen follows in this tradition. The staircase off Centre Place looks as though it could lead to some kind of storeroom and when you reach the top you're confronted with a collection of boxes and kegs stacked against a wall plastered with posters. But turn around and, lo and behold, there is the door marked with the Hells Kitchen logo and beyond it is one of Melbourne's favourite bars.

If you come for a post-work wine don’t expect to be home before dinnertime. At Hells Kitchen day turns into night just as one drink blurs into another and you will only notice when you look down over Centre Place and realise all the cafes are shut and the couple who were perched on some crates eating a baguette at 4pm are now sitting next to you and have been there for quite some time judging by the five empty pots on their table. Of course, leaving Hell is not as easy as entering it.

At the long bar you can take your pick from a no-fuss choice of beer on tap or range of local and international wines but best of all is the vodka selection. All infused in-house, you can choose from flavours like lychee, lime, honey, ginger and coffee. Or if Hell isn’t hot enough for you suckle on some chilli vodka. Just be careful not to get over excited and try all the flavours or you'll be on the floor before you know it (and I mean in the face-planting sense, not the d-floor.)