2010 January | MEL: HOT OR NOT

HOT: MoVida Aqui, Level 1, 500 Bourke St, Melbourne

January 30, 2010 ⋅ 8 comments

MoVida Aqui is the recently opened, expanded version of Frank Camorra’s fabulous Spanish eatery, MoVida Bar de Tapas. While it’s virtually impossible to get a booking at the original MoVida these days, and there are two timed sittings in the evenings, things at MoVida Aqui are much more relaxed. The space is airy and light [...]

HOT: Join the Lonely Planet Travellers’ Pulse Panel

January 30, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

As you may know, MEL: HOT OR NOT is a featured blog on Lonely Planet on the Melbourne, Victoria, Australia and Pacific pages. I’m really chuffed about this, as Lonely Planet is one of my favourite travel brands and those blue guidebooks (and now iPhone apps, Kindle book downloads and TripIt on Google Wave) have helped me [...]

HOT: Outpost, 9 Yarra St, South Yarra

January 29, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

Outpost. How much do I love thee, let me count the ways: The open kitchen. MasterChef has shown us that cooking can be theatre, and at Outpost you can have a front-row view of the kitchen goings-on. Great entertainment if you’re eating alone and love food (like me). Oh, and they use Aesop handwash in [...]

HOT: Melbourne By Foot

January 28, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

The centre of Melbourne, with its many alleyways and riverside walkways, is a place which is best explored by foot. Melbourne By Foot is a recently-launched walking tour run by Dave Carswell. For $25 per person he takes small groups through a three hour stroll through the city sprinkling factoids along the way. The route [...]

HOT: Three Bags Full, 56 Nicholson St, Abbotsford

January 27, 2010 ⋅ 37 comments

Three Bags Full is the latest addition to the industrial chic cafe scene that Melbourne does so well. It comes with good credentials, as it’s run by the same husband-and-wife team (Sarah Foletta and Nathan Toleman) and their business partners Ben and Diamon, who are behind award-winning cafes APTE and Liar Liar. On the second [...]

HOT: Royal Mail Hotel, 98 Parker Street Glenelg Highway, Dunkeld

January 26, 2010 ⋅ 14 comments

As a special Australia Day public holiday treat, we’re going to go out of town for the day and head to the tiny town of Dunkeld, 260km west of Melbourne. Why? Because one of Australia’s best country restaurants, and The Age Good Food Guide’s Country Restaurant of the Year in 2009, is located at the [...]

HOT: Markov Place, 350-352 Drummond St, Carlton

January 25, 2010 ⋅ One comment

Today my recently Melbourne-relocated Sydney friend commented that Melbourne seems to have a particular fascination with Spanish cuisine which wasn’t evident in the Sydney dining scene. I can’t vouch for whether that’s actually true or not, but tonight I found yet another cool restaurant/bar serving Spanish-inspired food. And it was muy bueno. Markov Place is [...]

HOT Spots Summer Edition 2010 and Summer Serve

January 24, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

It’s summer. The sun doesn’t go down till 9pm. Everyone is feeling relaxed and refreshed. So why not spend some time discovering, or rediscovering, the great things Melbourne offers in summer? If browsing through MEL: HOT OR NOT doesn’t provide you with enough inspiration, pick up Hot Spots Summer Edition 2010, a cute booklet produced [...]

MEL: HOT OR NOT 2010 Reader Survey – Results and Winner!

January 23, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

Thank you so much to all of you lovely people who completed the MEL: HOT OR NOT 2010 Reader Survey. It’s really heartening to know that so many of you – from students to bankers to retirees – enjoy reading the blog and care enough about it to take the time to provide your comments. [...]

HOT: Cibi, 45 Keele St, Collingwood

January 22, 2010 ⋅ 11 comments

I have two friends who are a couple. J is Asian and would like nothing better than a bowl of rice or noodles for breakfast. B is Anglo and in the morning the most substantial thing he can deal with is eggs and toast. I think I’ve just found the perfect place for them to [...]