It’s no surprise that Molly is secretive. Speakeasies have always been about “shhh”. They illegally sold alcohol in the US during Prohibition and while most disappeared in 1933, speakeasies are making a comeback. While many offer a surface experience, Molly transports you to a different era.

Dark lighting. Raw interior elements. A massive selection of alcohol (four pages of whiskey alone). And the music. Think “La Vie en Rose” by Louis Armstrong. It sums it up.

We perched at the long copper bar. The alcohol line-up is mind boggling and includes whiskies from Canada, Ireland, NZ, Scotland and more. There’s even a single malt from India.

We sipped on the superb Hibiki 17-year-old whisky from Japan, awarded editor’s choice by “Whiskey Magazine”, and well worth a try.

Here Molly shines. It features a cheese and charcuterie station with strands of garlic and big slabs of meat hanging on hooks, a huge bowl of apples, and a meat-slicing machine. So it’s charcuterie that you order.

All plates are $25 – Spanish, Italian, French or a Greek plate, or just cheese or meat. Our French plate was exceptionally presented, with fanned apple, three delicately placed cheeses, a stunning presentation of razor-thin slices of two types of meat and fresh breads from Whisk Bakery. It’s the best charcuterie plate I’ve had in Canberra and the best value by far.

The Montecatini Pancetta was to die for – pork belly salted with garlic, red wine spices and beautifully cured. Although “mild” it offered a nice kick and we wanted more and more and more. This is specialty smallgoods (from NSW) at their peak. The cheeses were excellent, although we found some too cold, which affected their texture.

You can pay to be a VIP at Molly ($2000) which gives you three bottles of alcohol that you can store onsite in an old bank vault (indeed, a bank once occupied the space) and enjoy other privileges, including the ability to book a table (other than that, no bookings taken).

Molly. A true speakeasy experience.

Hobart Place, 4pm-2am, Tuesday-Saturday