The Melbourne Museum is running Smartbar again, opening the museum up at night for an adults-only event.

The theme this time is Mind and Body and it promises to be an interesting and fun night. There will be psych experiments, lectures on life-drawing classes plus food and drink for purchase and Andrew McClelland DJing the night with a playlist featuring songs about or with the words Brain, Mind and Eyes!

Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 concession/MV members. Get in quick as the event sold out fast last time.

Giveaway! Thanks the Melbourne Museum I have one double pass to giveaway to attend Smartbar on Thursday 26 July. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment and a winner will be drawn randomly on Friday 20 July. Good luck!

And the winner of the Underground Cinema double pass is Madeleine. I’ll be in touch soon!

The dude food trend continues to race through Melbourne, this time in the form of Short Order.
Every Wednesday night Texan barbecue specialists Red River BBQ and ‘honorary Texan’ BurgerMary (aka Jess also from Sugadeaux Cupcakes) take over the kitchen at relaxed boozer The Workers Club and sell out their short, affordable menu of Texas-style barbecue favourites.

In fact, since opening two weeks ago they’ve been so busy that I really recommend you get in quickly when they start service at 6pm. Be prepared for a bit of a wait for your food if you hit peak hour around 7:30pm – we had to hover to get a table and every time the waitress brought food over the person who received it cheered like they’d won bingo!

I’ve never been to Texas so I can’t say whether their Texas style barbecue is authentic – a quick Wikipedia search says that in fact Texas barbecue can be divided into East, West, Central and South Texas styles – but let’s just say it’s very, very tasty.

The food is unfussy and messy and made to be eaten with your hands. There are two sandwich on offer – one of pulled pork ($13) and the other of brisket ($14). Both meats are dry-rubbed with spices and then smoked on American oak chips for up to fourteen hours, resulting in melt-in the mouth meat in your burger. The brisket has sold out earlier every time but the pulled pork is no consolation prize – the meat is so tender you barely have to chew and I loved the creamy and crunchy coleslaw accompaniment.

Also worth trying are the chicken wings ($8 for 6). There’s no proper barbecue without finger-licking wings and you have a choice of three marinades – Red River BBQ (a bottle of which you can buy for $10), honey mustard or habanero hot. I didn’t find the habanero too spicy at all and the ranch dressing ($1) wasn’t really needed to temper the heat.

Every week there are specials such as beer and molasses beans which were on offer the night I went.

Burger, wings, beer. The formula for a perfect barbecue in Fitzroy.

Red River BBQ and BurgerMary Short Order, The Workers Club, cnr Brunswick and Gertrude St, Fitzroy

View MEL: HOT OR NOT in a larger map

To celebrate summer (or whenever the warm weather decides to end for good) popular container bar Section 8 are hosting a Friday barbecue of footlong hotdogs.

Section 8 is one of my go-to venues for out of town visitors – it’s pretty hidden away in a Chinatown vacant lot, grungy cool in the way Melbourne does best and unusually designed, with seating on stacked wooden pallets, street art all over the brickwork and the bar housed in a graffitied shipping container. It’s the pop up bar that stayed.

During lunch times it seems to be particularly popular with RMIT students and smokers, being completely outdoors. Being neither a student or a smoker I was still lured there by the thought of an enormous sausage in a bun. Never mind that I was pushing a pram and feeding baby food to my hipster-to-be.

The barbecue is a simple grill affair cunningly designed from old supermarket trolleys and the sausages are freshly cooked to order.

For $7 you get a (fancy pants) spicy pork sausage from 40 year old Continental butchers R & G Russo on Lygon Street nestled in half a baguette from Brumbys (not so fancy pants). They recommend getting two sides to go with it ($1 each) with choices ranging from gherkins, pickles, Asian salsa and caramelised onions.

When they say footlong they really mean as long as your arm! Here’s a photo with a size comparison. It’s a messy, juicy affair but oh so good for filling the lunchtime gap. I recommend the very spicy Asian salsa with caramelised onions to temper the heat.

Friday BBQ, Section 8, 27-29 Tattersalls Lane, Melbourne +61 430 291 588

12-3pm every Friday until summer ends

View MEL: HOT OR NOT in a larger map

A steak for $1? Too good to be true, I hear you say.

Well, on Thursdays at Hotel Nest they’ve termed it ‘Mad Cow Thursdays’ when premium John Dee sirloin steaks start from $1 for a 125g steak! The catch is that you’re likely to be spending more than $1 as the larger steaks cost more and sides and sauces cost extra.

While the normal a la carte menu is still available on Thursdays the steak deal was just too good to pass up. We opted for 250g steaks cooked to your liking ($5) plus two sides each ($3) and sauce ($1).

My medium-rare steak was cooked to the right degree with criss-cross charred grill marks and it came with fries and green beans. The side portions were on a measly side so I’d recommend ordering three items to properly fill up your plate.

Evidently word about Mad Cow Thursdays hasn’t got out too far yet. On our lunch time visit the airy Greenhouse part of Hotel Nest, filled with basket ferns hung against a white-washed backdrop, was reasonably empty. It’s not the best steak you’ll ever had but for under $15 in ritzy Albert Park it’s a cheap and filling pub lunch.

My travel to this pub was made possible thanks to the Holden Barina.

Mad Cow Thursdays, Hotel Nest, 111 Victoria Ave, Albert Park +61 3 9669 9744

Tue – Thu: 12:00 pm-12:00 am
Fri: 12:00 pm – 1:00 am
Sat: 10:00 am – 1:00 am
Sun: 10:00 am – 12:00 am

When I first moved to Melbourne straight out of university, one of my favourite bars was Jet Bar on Gertrude Street (anyone else remember it?). It was quiet, intimate and had a super-comfy red velvet chaise lounge near the front window. Hanging out there, listening to soft jazz, felt grown up.

I don’t know what ever happened to Jet Bar but I think it’s about time that Fitzroy got back a grown-up bar of its own. Hate to say it but I’m too old for the crowd at A Bar Called Barry and so I was very pleased to hear about the opening of The Everleigh.

The hard-to-find upstairs space of the defunct Dante’s has been transformed into a classically glamorous, but still relaxed and cosy, cocktail bar. It’s the newest addition to Manhattan’s Milk & Honey family but without the pesky membership requirements. Our Fitzroy version is much more egalitarian but shares the same good looks as Milk & Honey London which I’d visited a few years ago.

The two room, split-level space is all about plush leather booths, crystal chandeliers, polished mirrored tables and candelit confidences. Swing, big band and jazz play in the background, evoking a bygone era of elegant drinking. As for the cocktails? Of the two I tried (Rum Fizz and Fitzgerald), my pick was the Fitzgerald. Presumably named after one of my favourite Jazz Age authors, it was a classic mix of gin, lemon, sugar and bitters.

The Everleigh doesn’t require reservations but they can’t accommodate groups larger than six – so gather your best friends or your lover for a date with this classy bar.

The Everleigh, Level 1, 150-156 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy +61 3 9416 2229
Mon-Sun 5pm-1am

When Naked for Satan first opened in September 2010, it was all about the drinking. The bar infuses its own vodka in a polished metal engine-like contraption and as the wall of wine attests, it’s a gathering place for people to drink and be merry.

A year later, the focus seems to have turned to the food accompanying the drinking – namely pintxos, little bite-sized morsels hailing from the Basque region of Spain. The shift has occurred because every weekday lunch and Monday to Wednesday evenings all the pintxos are 80c, which means that you can have a filling meal of hot and cold bites for under $10. Even at the normal price of $2 about ten pintxos is a decent meal for $20.

The bar operates mainly on an honour system, which comprises two elements. Firstly, as is traditional with pintxos, the price of the food is charged by the number of toothpicks on your plate which should correspond with number of pintxos you’ve taken. Secondly, a sign on each table informs you that the only way the business can provide food at under cost price is by relying on people to buy a drink – so chip in.

While the restaurant is surprisingly large, running over two bordello-bedecked levels, on a weekday it was pretty much full to the brim. At lunch time most people are unlikely to go nuts ordering alcohol, which means that lots of uni students seems to have latched onto the great deal on offer at Naked for Satan. It also seemed to be popular with young mums – and why not, it’s cheap, friendly, noisy enough to mask any crying and food that can be eaten with one hand while nursing a baby!

The selection of pintxos was surprisingly vast. The cold items are placed on the bar counter and are self-serve. I counted at least a dozen different offerings, ranging from grilled octopus to rice balls to chorizo. Hot items, the most memorable of which were some delectable fried croquettes with green olives, were brought out by the staff who circled the tables regularly. The food came so quickly that I could barely keep up.

Most of the food was tasty and went well with drinks and chat – not particularly refined but filling, cheap and good enough for a return visit. Forego the slabs of baguette base and you can fit in more :–)

For other good value lunch options in Fitzroy, try Le Cellier, Johnston Street Foodstore and Hooked.

Naked for Satan, 285 Brunswick St, Fitzroy +61 3 9416 2238

I stepped into Marquis of Lorne and the word that came immediately to mind was ‘lair’.

The tri-level street corner boozer just has an insouciant air of 70s rock and roll about it. It might have been the Rolling Stones covers that the pub band was playing on a Sunday afternoon, maybe the luxurious Sergeant Pepper moustache sported by our skinny-hipped waiter or the bizarre grotto rock cut-out in the dining room. Certainly the vinyl dining chairs and squishy brown couches housed in the sun-filled loft area (leading to a narrow roof terrace) are a throwback to that era.

The menu fortunately is not from the 70s.  Pub classics such as chicken parma and fish and chips do feature, alongside more modern fare like soft-shelled crab and arancini. The menu covers bar snacks, generous-sized mains right through to comfort-food desserts.

We decided to try both the parma ($19) and the beer-battered blue grenadier, salad and chips ($19) as they seemed like a good benchmark for judging the quality of the kitchen’s pub grub. RM went a little more adventurous with pork loin wrapped in prosciutto, pumpkin cake and roasted pear ($25).

The chicken parma was rated highly as the chicken breast had not been overcooked, it had been wrapped in prosciutto and there was a good balance in the rest of toppings – not too cheesy, not too tomato-ey. Tick.

The batter on my fish was suitably crisp and light with no visible pool of oil, the huge mound of fat chips were all fluffy on the inside and I was impressed by the good quality tartare sauce. Another tick.

The pork loin was a strange beast. As you can see, it comprised three knobs of pork and some very sweet pears – and when they said ‘cake’ they really did mean an actual slice of cake, complete with crunchy walnuts. The kind of thing I’d expect to be served with a side of ice cream. Anyway, the pork was juicy enough but with the prosciutto the flavour balance was tipped a little too much on the salty side. While I could understand the need to cut through the saltiness with a contrasting flavour, the other super-sweet accompaniments frankly made the whole plate a little bit too weird for my taste.

Early on a Sunday night we were the only diners but we didn’t feel like our conversation was reverberating around an empty cavernous space. The service was friendly and the whole ambience of the pub is relaxed. It’s the kind of place that you can imagine spending a good couple of hours on a weekend with some mates.

For more good food at local pubs in the area, try the Napier Hotel and the Fox Hotel.

Marquis of Lorne, 411 George St, Fitzroy +61 3 9415 9904

Alyssa, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start your label Lyssy May?

I have always been interested in crafts and started selling things I had made from the age of 17 at local markets which I continued to do as a hobby for a number of years. After studying business and working in marketing I travelled and lived in London for a couple of years and whilst living overseas I was inspired to start creating handbags.

Upon my return to Australia I started to make bags using vintage fabrics I collected. They proved popular with friends and colleagues which eventually built to the point where I owned and operated my own store in Brisbane selling my designs and other handmade goods. I moved to Melbourne 2 years ago to soak up the local fashion scene and to expand my business.

Your bags and accessories are all produced using distinctive fabrics and papers. Where do you source your materials?

Everywhere! I am always on the look out both when out and about and also online. I have hundreds of fabrics I have collected over the years and often use basics like denim or corduroy which I team with special prints. I have also been collaborating with a textile designer for my latest range which features natural fibres.

Where do you turn for art and craft inspiration?

Vintage stores are a favourite haunt for inspiration. I also have a huge library of craft books dating back to the 1950’s which was passed on to me by my Grandmother. This is a real treasure trove of ideas for me.

What has been the most challenging thing you’ve faced in starting up your own business? What advice would you give to a small business owner?

I think the most challenging thing is to continue to look at the bigger picture as day to day there can be many disappointments and lots of exciting moments which can be very draining. So over time I have learnt that things generally even out as long as you keep working hard and being focussed. Holidays are also a hard thing to manage but you need to try and make time to rest and recharge (although that is often easier said than done).

What are your next plans for Lyssy May?

The first thing is to make it through to Christmas as this is always my busiest time of year when the sewing machines are going nearly around the clock. The longer term plans are to continue to develop a reputation as delivering quality handmade Australian products and to one day open a concept store.

Finally, where are your HOT places to visit or things to do in Melbourne?

My studio is based in Kensington and I just love the community vibe of the suburb. The Luncheonette (173 Rankins Road, Kensington)  is a lovely little spot for coffee and Tonik (524 Macaulay Rd, Kensington +61 3 9376 9928) is perfect for a meal with friends.

In Richmond I love go to Bridge Road Florist (597-599 Bridge Rd, Richmond +61 3 9428 9715) who I rely on to always have fresh flowers in my house and the Bridge Hotel (642 Bridge Road, Richmond +61 3 9428 3852) is a great place to take advantage of the local specials on a weeknight when catching up with friends.

Fridays at the Mountain Goat brewery (North St & Clark St, Richmond +61 3 9428 1180) is also a great time to grab a sample tray of their beers.

The Fox Hotel is an old-school boozer which outwardly looks more ‘pub’ than ‘gastro-pub’. The venue is an eclectic conglomeration of sticky-carpet-esque spaces, including the high-stooled front bar, the dimly lit dining area, squishy couches, a small outdoor space and a separate pool room. There’s even a rooftop deck which I didn’t have a chance to explore.

However, what attracted me to the Fox Hotel was its reputation for food. Specifically, I’d read on Where’s the Beef that they had an extensive vegetarian menu, quite unusual for a pub. So it was a great destination for (vegetarian) Miss Kish and I to catch up.

As we sat down in the front bar to inspect the menu, Kish remarked “Wow, normally I have no trouble choosing something because there’s only ever two token vegetarian options. This is great!” And if you flip over the page, there’s a whole page for non-vegetarians as well. Very impressive.

We started out with five homemade mushroom and tofu gyozas with dipping sauce ($10). On its arrival I had my doubts – the gyozas looked a little emaciated. Well, looks can be deceiving, as these dumplings were juicy and wrapped in skins of good consistency. In fact I think if they’ve been plumped up with more filling the whole thing could have been too soggy, what with mushrooms generally sweating water when cooked.

For our mains we shared two generous plates – whole field mushroom lasagne with three cheeses and spinach served with chips and salad ($17) and marinated tofu steak with wasabi mayo and a black sesame crust with asian greens, sticky rice and a ginger soy sauce ($17).

I think of the two dishes the lasagne was more successful. It was a cheesy, oozy slab of mushroom, spinach and pasta sheets, an excellent retort to people who insist that they just can’t get full on vegetables. The accompanying salad was crisp and fresh and the chips were great for mopping up the cheese.

There was no hint of wasabi mayo in our tofu steak and the black sesame crust was more of a garnish than a crust. I also didn’t particularly like the sticky rice – it felt more like glugginess of overcooked rice than the elasticity of glutinous rice. Not a bad dish overall, but really outshone by the lasagne.

Though only a weeknight, the pub was full of diners and drinkers and a seemingly popular hangout with locals. Even if you’re not a local, I think that the Fox Hotel is well worth a special trip.

For a pub meal at the other end of the spectrum, check out my review of the meat-tastic Napier Hotel.

• Fox Hotel, 351 Wellington St, Collingwood +61 3 9416 4957

K: “Umm…ok. I don’t really get it but it sounds intriguing…”

Intrigue is the key to the success of Underground Cinema. The premise is this  – you buy a movie ticket ($35). At the time of booking all you’re told is the theme of the movie – you don’t know the name of the film.  The location of the screening is also undisclosed (but generally inner-city Melbourne). You plan your dress-up outfit and a few days before the show you’re told where to meet. Turn up, enjoy the entertainment – and all is revealed when the opening credits start.

So why would you want to buy a ticket for an unknown film? Because Underground Cinema is not just about the movie, it’s about the overall experience. The sold-out screening that I attended had a 1920s/gangster theme and from 4:30pm Chapel Street was lined with red-lipped flappers in slinky dresses and feather boas, escorted by dapper men in tuxedos and trench coats. We entered the glamorous Red Bennies to the sounds of The Cairo Club Orchestra bopping out jazz tunes and big band numbers and admired the frantic swing dancers from Swing Patrol.

Now whenever there’s a dress-up party I’m normally the party-pooper who doesn’t turn up in costume. But in this case I did make a little effort and I’m glad that I did – because 99% of the crowd did get dressed up and it really added to the decadent Great Gatsby-esque atmosphere of the event. I really felt like I’d been transported back into the Jazz Age, minus the cigarette fog. Some people who paid more sat in booths and were served sparking by Moulin Rouge waitresses in feather head-dresses. I loved people-watching for the hour or so before the movie started and the fun foot-tapping music was right up my alley (though no Charleston for this pregnant lady).

And the movie? It was 1931 film Little Caesar starring Edward G. Robinson and Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. As you’d expect from an old black and white Hollywood film (even one nominated as culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress) the acting was a bit forced and the gangster accents were almost unintelligible.  I think most of the crowd gave up watching the film and just drank and chatted, occasionally popping a party popper or blowing a straw whistle. So be warned if you’re a diehard cinephile – if you go to Underground Cinema you’ll find it difficult to concentrate on the film and will spend a lot of time trying to shush people.

The Prohibition Speakeasy party was the last screening for 2010 but with the regular sell-out success of Underground Cinema I suggest you get on the mailing list to receive information about the 2011 screenings. It’s a really fun experience that is very far removed from your average sterile cinemaplex.

For more fabulous photos from the event, check our their Flickr set.

• Underground Cinema Prohibition Speakeasy Party, Red Bennies, 373 Chapel St, South Yarra +61 3 9826 2689

As you’ve no doubt noticed from the blog, I like parties and I like bikes. So there was no way that I was going to miss the opening party of Melbourne Bikefest, Melbourne’s celebration all things bike-related for the next 4 days based at 1000 £ Bend (note that my business CycleStyle is also a sponsor of Bikefest, but even if this wasn’t the case this is so my thing).

Bike valet parking – a great idea thanks to Crumpler for when you have that many bikes all congregating in one place. Look how many more bikes you can fit in the same space in a carpark.

Crazy bike riding antics in the carpark!

Hear a story and/or share your story about your experience with bikes at Bike Story. Stories collected at Bikefest will be posted at the conclusion of the festival.

Some of CycleStyle‘s products on display (and for sale) in the Bike Shop – colourful bells and skirt garters.

More Cyclestyle goodness – French bike satchel, reflective legwarmers, floral helmet and all sized bags for fitting on your bike.

Two of my VIP guests for the evening, Cheryl from Business Chic and Kealey from Thelma Magazine.

Cute Bikefest badges – I like the presentation too, using an old wheel.

There is so much more stuff happening in the next 4 days that I can’t list or describe them all here – so I suggest you go check out the program for yourself. And if you don’t ride a bike, no big deal – there’s something for everyone at the Bikefest. To read an interview with Pip Carroll, the director of Melbourne Bikefest, click here.

I’ve been threatened with this Bogan Burger for many years now but it was only with the advent of long sunny summer evenings that I had a chance to visit the Napier Hotel.

The Napier Hotel is a smallish pub sitting on a quiet roundabout in the back streets of Fitzroy. The wooden indoor part of the pub (decked out in Fitzroy Football Club memorabilia) hides a really pleasant decked outdoor area. As you can imagine, it’s super-popular over summer but we were lucky to find a spot for a late-ish dinner on a weeknight.

The menu is heavy with protein and fried food pub standards with a few more palate-stretching dishes in the form of a Moroccan tagine ($17) and house smoked roo salad ($18).

The two girls had the relatively light ‘Suburban steak sandwich’ with thick sliced white bread sandwiching a normal-sized-single-portion 200g Black Angus rump piled with smoked bacon, grilled onions, cheddar, tomato chutney, rocket, roast garlic aioli with fries and salad ($17). One of the guys had the ridiculously large 500g aged Black Angus porterhouse steak with a choice of sauce which came with fries and a garden salad ($20).

RM tackled the infamous Bogan Burger. Read this and tell me it doesn’t make you break out in a fat sweat: steak, chicken schnitzel, caramelised onions, cheese, pineapple, beetroot, egg, potato cake, bacon, lettuce, tomato with wedges and salad. All that protein and fat held together by a jaunty cocktail umbrella and for the bargain price of $17.50.

As you can see from the pictures, each of the servings was huge. In fact, I would have been quite happy to share the steak sandwich instead of having one to myself. The steak was a little chewy for my liking but the cushion of salad ingredients, cheese and bacon made this a caveman (or cavewoman) satisfying meal. B said that his porterhouse was cooked just right at medium rare.

As for the Bogan Burger, I’m not sure that RM enjoyed it as I suspect he ordered it just so I could take a picture! He gave up about halfway through and looking again at the photo I find it hard to believe that anyone would want to eat that much meat in one sitting. I have a huge appetite but even I think I’d need to bring a personal defibrillator to jolt my heart back into action after this meat-shock. In fact, between us we only knew one person to ever finish the burger – RM’s brother who is uber-fit and pays hockey for the national team.

For a person who doesn’t enjoy eating large piles of meat, the Napier Hotel‘s menu is definitely  ‘sometimes food’. But if you’re after a hearty huge dishes at a bargain price, then this relaxed neighbourhood pub is the place to go.

Napier Hotel 210 Napier Street, Fitzroy +61 3 9419 4240

Natasha, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start your business Make Me Iconic?

My background is marketing and branding. I worked in London as a marketing communications manager and brand manager for 10 years, after which we returned home to Melbourne at the end of 2008. We immediately we fell in love with the city again – Melbourne has so much to offer that is unique, stylish and contemporary and we wanted something in our home that brought those elements to life. Sadly, there was nothing to be found.

We knew we weren’t the only ones that love this city and guessed that we weren’t the only ones that wanted to take a part of it home. So the seed was sown. We decided to find the best young, local designers to help us represent some of the unsung icons of the city. We also decided to educate ourselves and our customers about the history of each icon and give them facts about what makes the icons unique.

So with unsung icons and urban education in mind – Make Me Iconic was born, launching our first range of products in December 2009.

What do you think is unique about Make Me Iconic compared to other designer homewares and souvenir companies?

For sure it’s a saturated designer homewears market out there and I guess because of my marketing background I knew if I was going to produce something it had to have a unique selling point.

When I first came home and I was buying homewares myself, I noticed that everything had European inspired designs. Which is great but I had just come back from London with my own European homewares and I wanted something with Melbourne on it. There was nothing on the market and there was nothing which suited my sense of style so I immediately saw a gap in the marketplace.

Our products are designed for locals and tourists alike – our range of products capture the essence of the city and give it the style and sophistication it deserves.  We think they’re great for gifts, homesick expats or just a treat for yourself  as our products offer something truly unique and, of course, iconic.

You have chosen to work with young, local designers when producing your range. Where do you find these designers and how do you choose them?

We wanted to give talented, young designers a chance to get their first break, so we recruit all of our designers from local universities and feature them on our website and marketing information to give them exposure.

Basically I posted adverts up on student websites such as RMIT and Swinburne and asked them to send in their CV and a pdf of their folio, and then had an informal chat over coffee to see whether they’d fit our business. We now have a great team of designers who have edge and skill, rather than experience.

Where do you turn for art inspiration?

Basically the city of Melbourne keeps me inspired. It feels so good to be home and it’s like discovering a whole new city all over again. I love all the quirky shops and the hidden alleyways. When I get time I love just walking around the city and taking photos. I also keep a scrap book of idea from things I have seen in magazines or photos.

What has been the most challenging thing you’ve faced in starting up your own business? What advice would you give to a small business owner?

The hardest thing is actually just starting and putting a “stake-in-the-ground”. Sometimes you get so caught up in the developing of the idea and how you are going to do it – and just need to press the button and go for it.

The best advice I can give someone is to just make sure you product is differentiated from your competitors, always deliver great customer service no matter who they are and get to know who your customers actually are.

What are your next plans for Make Me Iconic?

Make Me Iconic is transforming the unsung icons of the city into stylish and contemporary home wears and souvenirs.  Of course we chose Melboune first (because we live there) but it’s only natural for me to then do Sydney range which I hope will be out by the end of the year. We are also launching into kids traditional wood toys which is also pretty exciting.

Finally, where are your HOT places to visit or things to do in Melbourne?

Melbourne Museum – the kids explore and play area is amazing and the Bugs exhibition is fantastic to view creepy crawlies not to mention the dinosaurs!

Bernards Magic Shop (211 Elizabeth St, Melbourne +61 3 9670 9270) This old-fashioned magic shop has not changed since I was little girl and is great for fake vomit and exploding peanut cans!

Seamstress Restaurant and Bar (1st/113 Lonsdale St, Melbourne +61 3 9663 6363) Great food, great service and great atmosphere. I think Joost Bakker may have done the downstairs bar area and I am a big fan of his work.

Der Raum (438 Church St, Richmond +61 3 9428 0055) The most interesting cocktails in town.

T2 on Brunswick Street (340 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 1300 832 866‎) I get all my tea supplies from T2. I am a bit of tea junkie.

Owen, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start Hipside Guides?

I’m a relative newcomer to Melbourne, originally coming from London. I married an Australian and we moved here four years ago. One of the first things I looked for when we arrived (after an umbrella and sunglasses) was a guidemap, but none of the ones available met my requirements. So I decided to create my own.

It’s been a really fun way to get to know my new home city and I’m hoping it will also help other visitors and settlers, as well as any locals who want to explore beyond their usual neighbourhoods. It’s easy to take a place for granted when you’ve lived in it all your life, so a fresh perspective can never hurt.

In my previous life, I was a programmer and artist working on computer games, but strangely, map-making does seem to run in the family. One of my father’s first jobs was analysing aerial photographs for the air force and my brother is also a cartographer, mapping everything from wildlife to landmines.

What makes Hipside Guides different from other tourist maps or guides available about Melbourne?

There are mainly excellent books on Melbourne, but these days, who really has the time to read them? A good guidemap can give you an overview of a city in a fraction of the time and you also get a better impression of how everything fits together.

The Hipside Guides Melbourne Guidemap has a slightly hand-drawn look, making it visually very different from other maps that are available, but I’d say the main distinction is in its scope and level of detail. Most tourist maps cover just the CBD or a specific suburb, and don’t actually tell you much more than the location of the major museums and landmarks. At best, a few provide superficial ‘top ten’ type lists of the most popular bars, shops and restaurants. And of course, the free maps are either sponsored by the featured businesses or by local government, which has to affect impartiality to some degree.

The Hipside Guides Melbourne Guidemap covers the CBD, as well as a large part of the surrounding area. It features over 350 businesses and institutions, selected purely on merit. Alongside the usual, well-known destinations, I’ve made a point of including as many of the smaller, quirkier places as possible.

This isn’t a guidemap just about shopping and dining. Melbourne has a really fascinating history, which is clearly visible in its architecture and public artworks, so I’ve picked out the better examples and peppered the map with interesting facts, anecdotes and background stories.

With all its laneway hidey-holes, Melbourne is a city which really rewards those with the curiosity to explore, and that’s something I’ve tried to reflect in the guidemap. The intention was to create a deliberately sprawling and information-overloaded map, designed to be pored over and explored just like the city itself.

There are a lot of places on the map! How did you go about selecting which places to include in your guide?

I began with lots and lots and lots of walking. Then I walked some more. In Melbourne, you have to explore even the grottiest of laneways, because they often contain the best surprises. I try to never pass an open doorway or a shop without exploring inside and I’m sure I’ve sampled far more drinks and meals than is probably healthy. Yes, it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it!

I’ve looked for places that are exceptional or at least unusual. It’s easy to forgive a few rough edges if a place has a unique charm or is offering something out of the ordinary.

Of course, all guides are ultimately subjective, but I’ve done my best to keep its appeal as broad as possible. It isn’t a guide just for tourists or hipsters or any other single group, but for anyone who wants to get an understanding of the city as a whole. I personally may have no interest in poetry bookshops (Collected Works) or spice merchants (Gewürzhaus), but they’re all part of what makes up Melbourne and I find it wonderful that such places exist.

What has been the most challenging thing you’ve faced in starting up your own business? What advice would you give to a small business owner?

I think any independent publisher will tell you that one of the biggest challenges is getting exposure, so opportunities like this interview are really important.

Getting distribution into shops is also difficult, but at least people are getting more used to buying over the internet these days (you can get your copy from www.hipsideguides.com for $12.95 including free delivery).

As for advice to other business owners, I don’t think I’m qualified to give any just yet. Ask me again when I’ve sold my first million!

What are your next plans for Hipside Guides?

As soon as time allows, I want to expand the Hipside Guides website with more interactive features, more updates and maybe even a blog. And, in the long run, I’d like to apply Hipside Guides to other cities.

Finally, where are your HOT places to visit or things to do in Melbourne – maybe an entry that couldn’t fit into Hipside Guides?

The Butterfly Club is one of my favourite spots (204 Bank Street, South Melbourne +61 3 9690 2000). It’s a great little cabaret venue, but it’s also worth visiting just for a drink. From the outside it’s just another respectable-looking old house, but when you venture inside you find every available surface jam-packed with super-kitsch memorabilia. It’s one of the few places in Melbourne that can make even Madame Brussels look a bit on the timid side.

As far as shops go, Lost and Found is hard to beat (12 Smith St, Collingwood +61 3 9419 4477). It’s a real treasure trove of retro clothes, furniture, art and bric-a-brac. It’s a huge place – more of an indoor market than an individual store really – and it’s easy to lose a few hours searching through the all the racks and piles. You do tend to feel your age, though, when you discover your old toys in a vintage store.

One place that I couldn’t quite squeeze on to the map was New York Tomato (24/2-6 New St, Richmond +61 3 9429 0505). It’s a fantastic café, but it tends to be forgotten because it’s a little out of the way and simply because it’s no longer the new kid on the block.

If you really want to impress an overseas visitor, though, just take them to see the flying fox colony at the Bellbird Picnic Area in Yarra Bend Park. Australians barely notice their own wildlife, but to many foreigners a bat is a rare, mouse-sized creature that flits past in the dark and is gone, so the sight of 10,000 monster bats hanging out in broad daylight is quite mind-blowing.

One of the most oft-asked questions for the doctor is a list of must-dos for a weekend trip to Melbourne.

When answering, I assume that most visitors are either aware of or have done the usual ‘touristy’ stuff. So here are my Melbourne Top 10 to do/eat/see suggestions which are slightly more hidden, in no particular order. Most of them I’ve reviewed before so you can find further info on the site.

1. Eat at Italy 1, MoVida Aqui, Cutler & Co, Grossi Florentino Grill, The European. You may need to book…

2. Wander down Centre Place, between Flinders Lane and Collins St then Degraves St. I recommend the almond chicken baguettes and crepes at Aix, the lunch food at Jungle Juice, Hell’s Kitchen for drinks, Body for subtle, Melbourne-esque clothing. Further on try Journal Cafe at the City Library or Journal Canteen (Rosa’s Kitchen) next door. Oh, and have a waffle at Waffle On for dessert.

3. Do the Characters and Spaces free guided walk, which covers a similar area to 2. You’ll appreciate new views of Melbourne that even the locals miss.

4. Do a free guided tour at NGV International. Guildford Lane has 2 independent galleries worth checking out – Utopian Slumps and Guildford Lane Gallery.

5. Shop at GPO, Flinders Lane, Lt Collins St, Brunswick St, Smith St, Gertrude St.

6. Walk in any of the parks. My favourite is Fawkner Park in South Yarra.

7. Poke around Queen Vic Markets (or any of Melbourne’s food markets), maybe buy some food for a night in.

8. See a movie at old-fashioned Astor in Windsor or The Sun in Yarraville. Lots of shopping/eating around those areas too – Windsor end of Chapel St in particular has great vintage and designer shops.

9. Have dinner one night along Southbank and ask for a table with a river view. I recommend Walter’s Wine Bar, Tutto Bene, Rockpool, Nobu, The Brasserie and Number 8. Also heard Bistro Guillaume is very good.

10. Lunch at St Kilda on a Sunday…Donovans and The Stokehouse are institutions by the water. Otherwise head to St Kilda East which is very cool and an eclectic Eastern European/Jewish area.

There’s so much more! What are your Melbourne must-dos for visitors?

What’s remained the same is the glamorous colonial-era faux train carriage booths, complete with red leather upholstery, bamboo screen doors for privacy and a call button for service. Speaking of service, it’s still super-friendly, a far cry from the couldn’t-care-less attitude from the waitstaff from its compatriot at Curtin House, Cookie.

What has changed is that now The Toff In Town offers small, Asian-inspired eats. I never realised that the same kitchen had always serviced Cookie and The Toff In Town, and the owners decided that it made more sense to utilise the best skills of the Thai chefs for both venues. The table decor has changed a little too, as the kitsch red checked tableclothes, paper doilies and cutlery-in-a-plastic-basket pastiche of Cookie has been transplanted into Victorian-era train carriages.

I went to The Toff In Town with K and V, two vegetarians, so it was a meat-free meal except for the solo betel leaf that I ordered. The menu of appetisers, salads, skewers, grill and mains is about 80% meat and fish, so there’s just enough choice for about 3 vegetarian diners to sample a good variety of dishes – as everything on the menu is meant to be shared.

To start, sweet potato and cashew dumplings with chilli soy ($12.50). This was similar in texture to a yum cha favourite ham sui gok, meaning a wafer-thin crisp fried shell encasing a soft interior interspersed with crunchy nuts. A definite winner.

In contrast, the green papaya, green beans and tomato salad (sans dried shrimp for us) ($10.50) was a bit blah for my taste. To me it was a bog-standard coleslaw attempting to don an Asian disguise. I much preferred the smoked eggplant, tomato and banana chilli salad with mint and dried shallots ($11.50) with its Greek-Thai play of textures and flavours.

For our mains we shared the yellow curry with tofu and mushroom dumplings ($11.50) and a baked radish cake with mushrooms, bean shoots, chilli and mint ($10.50). As you can tell by the price, the curry is actually quite a small serving and is probably more suited as a dish for one, as the three of us ended up with about a tablespoon of rice each. The curry sauce was full of flavour without the dooming heaviness of excessive coconut cream and the dumplings were meaty mashed balls, their relatively bland texture a fitting counterpoint for the sauce.

The other main was my favourite dish – cubes of pan-fried radish cake heaped with a jumble of shiitake mushrooms and bean shoots with a subtle kick of chilli to transform it from Chinese to Thai flavours.

For dessert K and V had the chocolate mousse with brandy snaps ($10.50) whereas I doubled back to the appetisers for a single betel leaf topped with salmon, crab and pomelo salad ($5.50). I think both of these dishes were the least successful of the night.

I found the mousse to be grainy, as if either they’d used cocoa powder to make it (ugh) or hadn’t sufficiently whisked in the sugar. As for my appetiser, I’ve never seen ‘betel leaf’ transformed into ‘iceberg lettuce’. The ill-formed sheet of lettuce was completely the wrong presentation, texture and taste for dish, as the leaf’s waterlogged crunch overwhelmed the delicate balance in the filling.

While I’m quite nostalgic for The Toff In Town‘s previous Mediterranean food, the new menu is worth exploring. I’ve always been a fan of Cookie‘s kitchen, and now I can eat its food in the fabulously decadent surroundings of The Toff In Town.

• The Toff In Town, Curtin House, The Toff In Town, 2/252 Swanston St, Melbourne +61 3 9639 8770

Carley, tell me a bit more about your background, how you ended up in Arusha, Tanzania and came to run the Ujamaa Hostel?

I first volunteered in Kenya in 2006 and loved the experience, but I went with large company, paid lots of money (none of which went to the project) and was disappointed with the level of support.

A year later I went to Tanzania to volunteer with an independent company, I intended to stay for about a month,  but I never left! I met my husband (who is Tanzanian) when I was volunteering in a town called Moshi, which is about an hour away from where I now live.

We decided to move to Arusha and set up the Ujamaa Hostel because we both love volunteering and helping other people. We also wanted to provide a cost-effective and safe way for others to volunteer in the local community.

What is the philosophy of Ujamaa Hostel?

“Ujamaa” is the Swahili word for “familyhood” and is based on the community working together for the good of the whole. Many of the big companies charge huge amounts of money to volunteer and none of the money goes to the projects. We wanted to change that. We believe that if you spend your money coming here and give your time to help others, then you shouldn’t have to pay to volunteer. And if you have extra money to donate, it should go directly to the projects, not to an off-shore company.

When you volunteer with us the only cost is your accommodation. We spend time sourcing reputable and worthwhile local projects where volunteers can spend their time and we provide them with a range of in-country support.

Your first project is the Ujamaa Children’s Home, which you started in conjunction with Melbourne lawyer Lucy Bradlow. What inspired you both to start this project and what is the purpose of the Ujamaa Children’s Home?

I have worked with and managed many projects over the years and have learnt a great deal from these experiences. I have always wanted to create my own project, but I felt that I needed to spend time on the ground here learning the culture and the language before I could effectively run my own project.

I met Lucy when she was working in Arusha at the Rwanda War Crimes Tribunal and she volunteered with us in her spare time. Our goals and beliefs were so similar we started working together and fundraising for different projects. We decided to create our own project after seeing others being mis-managed and we felt that we have the experience, dedication and commitment to build a successful and long-lasting Home for children in need.

Our relationship works really well because I am able to manage the Ujamaa Children’s Home on the ground in Tanzania and Lucy is able deal with the fundraising and legal aspects back in Australia.

What have you found to be some of the most interesting or challenging aspects of living and working in Tanzania?

Tanzania is different from many other African countries because it is socially and politically stable. There are over 120 tribes here and they all live together in harmony. They are proud of their tribe, but they are more proud to be Tanzanian. Tribal beliefs are strong and well-maintained and while Swahili and English are the official languages you can’t go a day without hearing many other tribal dialects.

The culture here is incredibly rich and interesting, but it is very different from Australia. First and foremost, there is “Africa time”. There’s no hurry in Africa and everything happens at its own pace. You really can’t force things to happen at a normal “Western” pace and if you do, you’ll just end up frustrated and things still won’t happen any faster. This also allows for setting your own work hours and relaxing into a lifestyle that can be reasonably stress free.

There is a lot that is available here, but nothing quite works the way you’ll expect it to, so everyday is an adventure…which is sometimes a bit tiring! There are regular power and water cuts, but generally I live a fairly normal life.

The scenery is incredible and I live just an hour away from Mt Kilimanjaro and a couple of hours from the world’s greatest safari parks. There are often monkeys around town too.

For the most part I feel safe in Arusha, however you cannot walk around at night and we do have Masai Guards at the house 24/7.

The poverty level here is high and there is so much need, but you just do what you can to help and you have to understand that you can’t fix everything.

What are your next plans for Ujamaa Hostel and the Ujamaa Children’s Home?

Ujamaa Hostel continues to expand and we are working with a range of different projects including an orphanage, a Nursery School and some Vocational Training Centres for disadvantaged youths. We love having our volunteers and are so lucky to be able to provide people with this experience. It really has a profound effect on people and it’s awesome that we get to be a part of that.

With Ujamaa Children’s Home, firstly we are looking to gain steady financial support so that we can take in more children. We currently have 5 amazing kids in the house and we’d love to help more.

Our next goal is to raise money to buy land and build a proper house for the Home. We’re currently renting a house which is fine for now, but we want to build a house that is designed specifically for our needs.

You’ve live in Tanzania for nearly 3 years but many of your family and friends still live in Melbourne. What are your favourite places to visit or things to do when you return to Melbourne?

I love coming back to Melbourne and visiting friends and family. My Mum’s cooking is always top of the list and I often spend a lot of time in the Supermarket, there just isn’t the same variety in Arusha.

If I’m eating out, I always go to Rococo (87 Acland St, St Kilda +61 3 9525 3232) with my brother, they have the most amazing salads, breads and pastas. I can never get Mexican food in Arusha, so I make sure I go to Amigos (7/478 Chapel St, South Yarra, +61 3 9826 1653) as well.

The food in Australia is great, because it’s always fresh and quick, but you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get it.

The London (92 Beach St, Port Melbourne +61 3 9646 4644) in Port Melbourne is my parent’s “local” so we always go there for a meal and a drink. Awesome steak sandwich.

If it’s summer, we’ll go to The Local Taphouse (184 Carlisle St, St Kilda East, +61 3 9537 2633) or The Railway Hotel (29 Chapel Street, Windsor +61 3 9510 4050).

I really love just walking around town and getting a coffee with friends. There are no shops in Arusha that sell new items, so I’m always stocking up on clothes and DVDs.

I also love to get some acupuncture at Vitality in Albert Park and to stock up on organic products (282 Richardson Street, Middle Park +61 3 9682 8866).

I sat down with a cup of tea and flicked through the booklet, which you can pick up at many inner city shops, cafes and bars, as well as the Melbourne Visitors Centre, NGV and ACMI. It covers new places and old classics split up into five geographical sections, some of which have been reviewed on the blog before and some of which I’ve earmarked for a visit. Here are my highlights:

Central

The Wheeler Centre. The new heart for Melbourne’s literary culture, the Wheeler Centre holds frequent author’s talks, some of them free. I’m going to hear Ayaan Hirsi Ali speak on Thursday 29 July.

Melbourne International Film Festival. I look forward to MIFF every year – for three weeks I get to hibernate in the city’s cinemas and feast on great films. Last year I managed to get to fifteen of them!

Previously blogged Izakaya Den, Tessuti Fabrics and Movida Aqui get a mention and I’m aiming to hit pizza specialists Barbagallo, new bar 24 Moons and hot new Mexican eatery Mamasita (again, with better lighting).

Northside

The North Melbourne Market has become a regular event held every two months. So many new options for me here – cheese galore at La Latteria, take home cassoulet at La Parisienne Pates, authentic Indian food at the Classic Curry Co, browsing vintage furniture and bric-a-brac at The Junk Company and having a pub lunch at Hotel Lincoln.

Cultural

I’m not going to see Mary Poppins the Musical because I saw it recently in London, and it was one of the most magical, fun and joyous theatrical events I’ve ever been to. When Mary Poppins flew into the air the whole crowd spontaneously broke out into cheers! Highly recommended.

And I’m definitely going to try Tsindos, a 30-year old stalwart of Little Greece in Lonsdale Street and I’m told home to great mezethes.

Westside

I was excited to hear about Urban Reforestation, a community garden, eco shop and educational centre in the middle of concrete-and-glass Docklands. Their aim is to inspire urban farming for sustainability and food security (they’re currently investigating the possibility of rooftop farms!) through consultation with corporates and for helping individuals with gardening lessons and cooking classes.

I think I’ll combine a visit to Urban Reforestation with a stroll around the Docklands Sunday Market and maybe a late lunch as part of Slow Sundays, where you get a $15 tasting plate with beer or wine between 2-6pm every Sunday from 20 June – 29 August.

Southside

I’ve just renewed by NGV membership so I will be heading to NGV’s Winter Masterpieces 2010 European Masters: Stadel Museum 19-20th Century between 19 June – 10 October.

ACMI is hosting a huge Tim Burton exhibition direct from New York’s MOMA from 24 June – 10 October which I’m quite excited about.

State of Design, Victoria’s design festival, is happening between 14-25 July and once again I’ll be immersing myself in all things design for two weeks. As part of the festival Melbourne Open House is on 24-25 July where lots of heritage buildings will be open to the public – a great way to learn some of the stories and history behind the city.

Last but not least, Melbourne Design Market is happening at Federation Square carpark again on Sunday 11 July. This year will be extra special for me because the lovely Kath and Ben from Jellybean Bikes and my new cycling clothing and accessories business CycleStyle will be setting up a cycle-licious stall at the market! Come and say hi.

For details and more winter ideas, check out That’s Melbourne.

Most people know of Little Creatures through their beer, so it’s great to see this WA-based boutique brewery branch out into a natural partnership of Little Creatures beer served with good pub grub in Melbourne.

The Little Creatures Dining Hall is no run-of-the-mill boozer though. It’s a lofty warehouse converted into a friendly diner, with low booths and easygoing wooden tables and chairs. On the Sunday of our visit it was filled with families and I can see why – the atmosphere is relaxed and hums with enough noise so there’s no need for kids to be hushed, there’s space for running antics, plenty of interesting paraphernalia to poke through and the aisles are wide enough to fit prams.

That’s not to say that it’s just an upscale version of McDonalds though. Firstly, of course, there’s a strong focus on beer and you can do a tasting of all their beers by buying 125ml ‘ponies’ of each.

Secondly, the menu, while not being particularly challenging, does go beyond burgers and fish and chips. I tried the pizza with chorizo, feta and unusual pops of sweetcorn ($19), RM had the melting lamb shanks and we share a large bowl of chips ($8) which I was pleased to see still had their skins on.

Thirdly, and this is my favourite, they hire out classic Swedish Kronan bikes for free to anyone who wants them. You don’t have to eat or drink at Little Creatures – just leave an imprint of your credit card and return the bike by sundown/around 6pm (if you don’t return it, you’ll be charged $1000 a bike – you’ve been warned). The bikes come with locks, helmets and back racks. What a great neighbourhood scheme!

• Little Creatures Dining Hall, 222 Brunswick St, Fitzroy +61 3 9417 5500

You know you’ve officially turned middle-aged at 30 when you go out for a proper sit-down meal before a gig at the Evelyn Hotel instead of grabbing something greasy from Souvlaki King and downing support act beers.

Second confession. Even when I wasn’t middle-aged I never had a drink at the Provincial Hotel. But I have eaten at the adjoining Cafe Provincial several times over the years and never been disappointed.

So, for our pre-gig sit down meal RM had the day’s special braised beef and bacon pie ($28.50) and I had the Otway pork belly with pear puree, roast sweet potato and rocket ($27). I can never resist pork belly and this was a very good example of the cut – a nice hunk of soft meat beneath a smear of fat and a lightly crispy cover, almost like a creme brulee crackling.

Personally I’m not a fan of pie where it’s just a ramekin covered with a pastry crust (why deny the opportunity to put more butter into your body?) but RM pointed out that this is quite common practice so I could hardly take marks off for that detail. The inside of the ‘pie’ contained generous chunks of meat which seemed to have been cooked with something very earthy, perhaps mushrooms? Anyway,  the rich aromas lifted it beyond your bog-standard pub pie and RM was very happy with his choice.

We really didn’t need dessert but were tempted by the chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream and sweet caramel popcorn ($15). This stylishly presented dessert is definitely more suitable for two or even three people – the slice of tart is really just pure chocolate and a couple of spoonfuls is enough. I liked the contrast of the crunchy popcorn with the creamy chocolate ganache but I will take marks off for the commercial vanilla ice cream without a speck of vanilla bean in sight, plus I think the tart may have been microwaved or heated in some way, as the edges were soft but the inside was quite solid, and the pastry bottom was definitely melting away in butter and crumbs. Strange.

Overall, my niggles with Cafe Provincial were minor and willingly overlooked given the good solid food we were served in front of the open fireplace.

• Cafe Provincial, The Provincial Hotel, 299 Brunswick St, Fitzroy +61 3 9810 0042

RMIT Graduate Stef and Melbourne University student Elise are vintage sellers and fashion lovers and the Up & Comers Fashion Market is their brainchild. They’ve gathered over 30 men’s and women’s clothing and accessories stalls at historic 19th century Art Deco theatre Ormond Hall from 11-5pm tomorrow. Ormond Hall is part of the Belgian Beer Cafe, which means that while you’re browsing the market you can enjoy drinks from the bar inside the hall, sample the full bar menu or grab something from the barbecue or waffle stand in the courtyard.

Stef and Elise have kindly taken the time out from their hectic schedules to answer a few questions for MEL: HOT OR NOT today. Thanks ladies!

Stef and Elise, tell me a bit more about your backgrounds and the Up & Comers Fashion Market?

S: I studied Professional Communication at RMIT, and just graduated last December. I was initially looking to start working with a PR firm or an event management company, but we came up with the concept for the market in January, and suddenly I found myself pretty busy. I’ve since been working almost full time on the market, but hopefully after the opening this week things will slow down a little.

E: At the moment I’m studying Biomedicine at Melbourne University. It can be a bit dry at times, so it’s been great to have the market as a creative outlet.

S: The Up & Comers Fashion Market is all about uniqueness and creativity. It’s a place where you know you can come and find something that you won’t see everyone else wearing.

E: We have found some really talented new designers. It’s also a fun place to go just to hang out with friends – the atmosphere is great and we’ve got live DJs, a bar and food stalls.

How did you select the stallholders and who are some of the designers we can expect to see at the first market?

E: We select stallholders based on their originality, imagination, the quality of their designs and whether they bring something new to the market. We source stallholders from all over Australia and have also received an exciting amount of applications. And by the way, we’re constantly looking for new designers…so if there’s anyone out there looking to kick-start their collection – let us know!

S: There are so many amazing designers that will be selling at the first market. A few names are Mina & Oli, Depths of the Never Never, Harvest Powell, Loré Loré…I’ll stop there before I give too much away.

What challenges have you faced getting the market up and running?

S: One of the biggest challenges we faced was getting people to believe that the market would be a success. In the beginning, designers were sceptical and it was difficult to persuade them to come on board, as all we really had was the general concept.

E: Deciding on a name took forever! We also had to try to find the perfect place – location, size, facilities and ambience are all so important. Personally, the hardest thing for me has been trying to balance organising the market, my sporting commitments and my ridiculous amount of uni work.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?

S: It’s always better to be overly professional. When you’re professional people take you more seriously. I’ve found this is so important – even in fashion!

E: If you don’t try, you’ll never know what you can achieve. Over a year ago, all we had was a bunch of ideas and a keen interest in the fashion world. Since then we’ve started up our own vintage label, LadyLikes, and are now launching what we think will be one of the best markets in Melbourne.

What people, places or things do you turn to for fashion inspiration?

S: I travel overseas quite a bit, and I love wandering the streets and having a look at what people are wearing in other parts of the world. I also love looking through my grandmother’s wardrobe – she never throws anything away and has so many incredible pieces from the 60s and 70s.

E: I draw a lot of my inspiration from vintage clothing. I spend hours upon hours in op shops and markets.

What are you wearing at the moment?

S: I have this crazy obsession with skulls at the moment, my most recent purchase is a gold skull ring that has literally been attached to my finger since I bought it. I also love anything that’s oversized, black or vintage.

E: I’m really into layering different pieces to create a more exciting look. My favourite item in my wardrobe right now is a pair of high waisted black, velvet shorts that I bought from a vintage store overseas.

Finally, what are your tips for what’s HOT in Melbourne?

S: One of the many things I love about Melbourne is that there are always new and exciting things to discover. There’s a comedy night on every Monday at The Local (184 Carlisle St, St Kilda +61 3 9537 2633) that I’ve recently discovered and I’ve been going there quite a bit. Some of the comedians are just locals giving it a go, and then you can also see some pretty big names.

In terms of cafes, Batch Espresso (320 Carlisle Street, Balaclava +61 3 9530 3550) is a major favourite (the avocado smash is delicious), I practically live at Nest Food and Drink (117 Wattletree Rd, Malvern +61 3 9500 1221) where they make the BEST bagels and sandwiches, and Monk Bodhi Dharma (202 Carlisle St, Balaclava +61 3 9534 7250) is a great hidden treasure (if you can find it).

E: I love going out for a quiet drink with friends – and Melbourne’s bars don’t disappoint. Madame Brussels in the city is great, and of course Belgian Beer Café on St Kilda Road!

The Up & Comers Fashion Market is on 11-5pm on Saturday 15 March, then every second Saturday of the month. Check it out at Ormond Hal, Belgian Beer Cafe, 557 St Kilda Rd, Prahran (enter via Moubray St). For stall enquiries, contact info@ladylikes.com.au

The Temperance Hotel is a pub dressed up in stiletto heels, fake tan and disco bling.

In the heart of Chapel Street South Yarra, it’s frequented by sleekly groomed youngsters who all kind of look the same to me, and hence I’ve never given it a second glance. However if you can look past the perfect blonde tresses and Industrie t-shirts you’ll find a multi-room interior which is best described as Victorian pub-meets-mirrorball, a friendly British-manned bar and a reasonably priced menu of wood-fired pizzas and pub classics.

On the day Poppy (from the blog Poppy Gets a Life) and I went for a casual blog-fuelled dinner, they were offering pizza and a glass of house wine for $12. The pizzas were surprisingly good, with the thin crisp bases still managing to support a generous amount of topping.

We shared a mushroom, olive, goats cheese and pumpkin pizza ($16) and a Moroccan beef, buffalo mozzarella and basil pizza ($17), both of which came out oozing cheese on individual wooden paddles.

If you’re looking for a casual place to hang out in South Yarra (even if you don’t fit the South Yarra mould), catch up with friends for a drink and munch on some good-value non-confrontational pub grub, then the Temperance Hotel is worth a try.

Temperance Hotel, 426 Chapel St, South Yarra +61 3 9827 7401

Von Haus. I’m imagining a private club for beardy little men with a penchant for tweed knickerbockers.

The reality is much more cool. Von Haus is a café/bar with an almost invisible doorway on achingly stylish Crossley Street. Step inside and it’s like being in your best friend’s cosy, rustic dining room with perfectly distressed walls.

The big wooden communal table invites convivial conversation while the benchtop facing the rusty grilled window is the perfect place to perch solo with your morning paper. The small room is overlooked by a kitchen which looks like it was lifted from my dream terrace house.

The breakfast menu is spartan – eggs, toast, muesli and unfortunately the day I was there, a shortage of Spanish tortilla. So instead I opted for a bowl of housemade muesli with yoghurt.

I know it’s not as healthy, but I prefer my muesli toasted, so the Von Haus non-toasted version didn’t really grab me. I also declined the proferred honey but in retrospect the rather bland oats-heavy mix could have done with the lift. I did like the fresh apple mohawk though.

While I didn’t love my muesli, Von Haus gets a HOT because I’ve been before for post-work drinks and nibbles as well as a lovely lunch. It’s a relaxing, friendly space and all the better for its slightly hidden location.

Check out what The Age and Tummyrumbles had to say about it.

Von Haus, 1 Crossley St, Melbourne +61 3 9662 2756

When is a gastro pub not a gastro pub? When it is The Graham Hotel in Port Melbourne, which has gone so far down the gastro path that you can’t really call it a pub anymore.

Drinking is still an important part of The Graham experience but it is drinking from The Graham‘s extensive wine list over a long lunch or drinking a cocktail at the wine bar around the back. The main pub area has been entirely converted into a restaurant which is filled with smart white clothed tables where diners can look out the picture windows to watch the street life go by.

There is also a lovely private room which accomodates 28 people and is where I ate on my most recent visit . Helpfully for groups The Graham offers a $59 two course menu which is great value for food of this calibre.

The food is modern Australian sporting lots of Asian and Meditteranean influences. To begin, a trio of chilli barbecque prawns ($21.50) which were served on an Asian salad of green paw paw and thai basil. The prawns had a lovely fiery kick to them although mine had been slightly overcooked giving them a slighly acrid charred flavour.

Goats cheese tortelli ($16.50) was a small serving of wide pasta layered over stuffed zucchini flowers and ricotta. This was a really light and fresh pasta dish.

Rice crusted snapper ($34.50) was served with a beautifully crisped skin on top of tempura eggplant and prawn fritter. Fresh seafood doesn’t really get better than this and the fritter was the perfect accompaniment.

Throughout our (rather long) lunch the service was fantastic. Two of our friends at the lunch had babies with them and the waitress held their babies for them while they ate. This was a lovely touch that was clearly going above and beyond what is expected and it allowed the babies’ mothers to actually enjoy their meals.

The Graham is run by twins Tony and Peter Giannakis and is a real stalwart of the Melbourne restaurant/gastropub scene. My latest meal there showed why people keep on going back to it.

Here at MEL: HOT OR NOT we also love south-of-the-river gastropubs The Palace by Luke Mangan and O’Connell’s Centenary Hotel.

You can check out the rest of Gourmet Chick‘s guests posts on Sunburnt Country and Naked Japan.

• The Graham Hotel, 97 Graham Street, Port Melbourne 3207 Ph +61 3 9676 2566

The summer heat is fading, so now’s your final chance to lounge around in the breeze of Melbourne’s open-air rooftop bars.

Melbourne’s CBD offers a rooftop aesthetic for everyone, from kitsch (Madame Brussels), funky (Rooftop Bar) to corporate (Collins Quarter). The classiest of them all is Siglo Bar, which sits atop of the elegant restaurant  The European and the leather-and-wood polish of the Melbourne Supper Club.

Siglo commands spectacular views of the genteel 19th century side of Spring Street, with the columns of Parliament House on one side and the dome of the Princess Theatre on the other. The graceful setting demands good wine and fine champagne and the crowd is generally dressed up and cashed up. That’s not to say it’s stuffy, but if you’re looking for underground edginess or a revolving dance floor this is not the place to find it. It’s a lovely place for a soothing after-work drink before heading out to dinner or the perfect locale for drinks and nibbles while watching the sun sink away and the lights of the Spring Street come to life.

• Siglo Bar Level 2, 161 Spring St, Melbourne +61 3 9654 6631‎

For various reasons, I’ve had to cancel three successive meals at Gingerboy – now I’m half-mad at my friends that I’ve been denied for so long.

Gingerboy is awesome. The narrow space is darkly sexy and very cool, with plastic piping echoing a tunnel made of bamboo sticks and red silk threads fringing elements of the space in an oriental touch. While they do two dinner sittings, we didn’t feel rushed through our meal. Most importantly, the kitchen is confident in its handling of Singaporean, Cantonese and Thai cuisine, presenting appetising dishes full of bold and punchy flavours.

The menu starts with a series of snacks and street food and we had been told by all and sundry that the must-try dish was the son in law eggs ($13.50 for 3). These don’t look that good to eat, but taste fantastic – an explosive softly poached egg covered in Thai spices and deep fried, offset by the zing of chilli jam. While I was instructed to eat it whole, I couldn’t fit it into my mouth and chew as well, so ended up with a splatter of yolk across my plate. (For those  interested, a brief write-up on the intriguing name.)

Our other choices were some plump and fresh-tasting prawn and ginger dumplings with peanut chilli soy ($15 for 3) and the smashed green papaya salad with sticky rice ($14) which unfortunately tasted much the same as the salad base of our one of our main courses, the sweet and sour pork belly ($35).

Our second shared main was spicy penang chicken curry with tumeric, garlic and mint yoghurt. It looks like a bit of a sloppy mess in the fuzzy photo but the tender chicken matched with rice was my second favourite dish of the night after the son in law eggs.

I desperately wanted to try the dessert platter but my friends weren’t up to it, so I sallied forth alone with the steamed lemongrass pudding with white chocolate and chilli icecream. It was perfect combination of east-west flavours, and I particularly liked the chilli’s kick in the cold icecream.

With two drinks our bill came to around $50 each. So while Gingerboy is not your everyday dining venue, it is so good that I’m already planning my next trip to try the other parts of the menu.

• Gingerboy, 29 Crossley St Melbourne +61 3 9662 4200

I came across Mishy’s work through the daily newsletter The Colour, and liked her use of colour and textures – plus we have a little in common because she has also moved from Brisbane to Melbourne and is currently living in the northside. Thanks Mishy!

Mishy, tell me a bit more about your background in graphic design and photography and your work as Mishy Lane?

My background is mainly in graphic design and marketing. I have a multimedia degree and studied graphic design at Shillington College in Brisbane, which was the most fun you could possibly have studying!

Since then I have been working for architectural companies and doing freelance in my own time. I always loved photography, but never quite took it seriously. I just used to make my friends pose for me, and I’d throw them up on my blog for fun. Last year I took some styled interiors / homewares shots for Nesting Bird Interiors with my friend and stylist Natalie Moore, and they were featured on the huge American design blog Decor8. That’s when I realised my photography was getting much better.

What’s a typical work day for you?

To be honest I am very much struggling to deal with full time work and freelance design / photography. I really admire those people that take the leap and pursue their passion as a full time business. I dream of the day when I can afford that, but until then I spend 8.5 hours working in the city, buzzing on caffeine, and then come home to work some more. Weekends I try and catch up with friends and fit in some photo shoots. Seriously there aren’t quite enough hours in the day!

What are some of the most interesting or challenging projects that you’ve worked on?

They have all been challenging because I learn something from every project. Nothing stands out in my mind, other than working with a very young, hungover model which really tested my patience!

What are your next plans for Mishy Lane?

At the moment I am trying to manage my time so I can keep building Mishy Lane as a business. I’d love to collaborate with creative people; models, stylists, designers and magazines. I am also assisting with a new Melbourne based label  archie which is launching online soon.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?

Don’t be shy. Spread the word about your business and products. My mother always said that if you don’t tell people how great you are, then no one else will. I use free mediums like blogs, and social networking sites to meet and talk to like-minded people.

Where do you turn for design advice and inspiration?

The pros! If I see a photoshoot in a magazine that I love, or a designer featured somewhere online, I’ll contact them to tell them I loved it. I also quiz them about their design process / equipment etc. They are usually happy to respond and give you some tips. I especially love Paul Barbara and in particular his Love Lost project which inspires me madly.

You’re pretty new to Melbourne – what have you discovered around Melbourne that’s HOT?

Yes, I’ve only been here a month but so far everything is HOT! I’m slowly working my way through the Melbourne Design Guide, and heading to places that friends recommend to me.

I live in Northcote so I have been really enjoying the Wesley Anne (250 High St, Northcote +61 3 9482 1333) for an Sunday afternoon beverage, and Curry Masala (240 High St, Northcote +61 3 9481 3559) also on High St for a great cheap dinner. The El Joyero (923 High St, Thornbury +61 3 9480 4070) is a new little spot that does an awesome coffee.

After two wine tastings and a gallery viewing, we were all about ready for lunch.

To my delight, the lunch venue was the lovely Healesville Hotel. Not only is this the grand dame of pub dining rooms in the area, but Healesville was one of the towns affected by the tragic Black Saturday bushfires in 2009. With our  lunch I felt like I was doing a little bit to support and rebuild the local community.

Our meal was medium-cooked steaks with creamy mashed potatoes, a slice of lemon tart with cream and of course another glass of wine. The food was pretty good but not really to my taste if I’d been given a choice. I’m not generally a steak person and RM in particular likes his steak rare so found the meat a bit chewy.

The lemon tart was beautifully silken but marred slightly by a too-thick crust. However, it’s a bit harsh to judge a venue on mass-produced fare it needs to cook for 30 people at the same time, so don’t let my so-so assessment put you off eating there.

After a post-lunch stroll on the main street of Healesville, which revealed pretty food and homewares stores, we hopped back on the bus for a snooze on the drive back to Heide Museum of Modern Art.

Although not strictly in the Yarra Valley, it made sense to visit the gallery as it’s enroute back to Melbourne. The museum is also currently showing ‘Cubism & Australian Art’ until 8 April, the first exhibition of its kind in Australia.

We visited the main gallery in Heide III before moving to Heide II. In Heide III, these works stood out for me:

• Indigenous artist Gordon Bennett’s self portrait. Against a background of digitised Aboriginal dot paintings, Bennett has taken the African masks that Picasso effectively misappropriated in his first painting Les demoiselles d’Avignon and used them to cover his own face. This symbol makes a political statement about Western culture misappropriating and hiding Aboriginal culture over the centuries and provides an opportunity for him reclaim that culture in his own work.
• Banner by Rosalie Gascoigne. The artist had taken road signs and floral blue linoleum to evoke the atmosphere of the Australian landscape, with the red slashes of paint on the signs giving an almost violent, ‘Wild West’ aspect to the work.
• ‘Untitled’ by Jacky Redgate. A cubist still life with flat plans converted back into three dimensions to give a solid form to the empty space between three household items – a glass, a wine bottle and a bowl and saucer – to create a unified whole.
• ‘The Football Match’ by Roy de Maistre. While the work itself, of footballers playing a game, didn’t really strike me, I was impressed that Patrick White dedicated his first book Happy Valley to de Maistre  and his Figure in a Garden (The Aunt) was used as the cover of White’s The Aunt’s Story.

On my way out I strolled around the fabulous gift shop (looove gallery shops) and bought a jar of honey harvested on site by Heide’s bee keeper Vincent Testa ($7.50) – all proceeds go back to the gallery. And then it was time to take our happy and tired selves home.

I thought that the NGV Artbus was a really enjoyable day out for only $75 ($80 for non members). We were ferried all around the Yarra Valley and spent a beautiful sunny day being culturally educated, wine educated and well fed. I really hope that the NGV continues to run the tours on the weekends to other locations so that us nine-to-fivers have the opportunity to travel with them again.

• Healesville Hotel, 256 Maroondah Highway, Healesville +61 3 5962 4002
• Heide Museum of Modern Art, 7 Templestowe Rd, Bulleen +61 3 9852 2346

Marvellous March is also the name of a handy little booklet produced by That’s Melbourne with details of the big events around Melbourne that will make you love autumn. This is a post to bookmark! Thanks to City of Melbourne, here are some highlights and photos:

Moomba Festival 2010
Melbourne’s largest outdoor community festival makes a vibrant return to the heart of the city. From the spectacle of the Moomba Parade to the hilarious Westpac Birdman Rally, from the wonder of the Children’s Garden to awesome live music, Moomba will surprise and delight Melburnians of all ages.  March 5 – 8. Alexandra Gardens & Birrarung Marr.

The 2010 Indian Film Festival – Bollywood And Beyond
All the colour, drama, music and romance of Bollywood comes to Melbourne for eight days.  ‘The Queen of Bollywood’ – multi award-winning actress Rani Mukherjee – will open festivities at Cinema Nova with the launch of her new film, the comedy musical “Dil Bole Hadippa.”   The festival will feature eight premiere screenings and an array of Meet the Maker events where Hindi filmmakers including Rajkumar Hirani (director of the highest grossing Hindi film of all time- 3 Idiots) and Imtiaz Ali (director of box office hits Jab We Met & Love Aaj Kal) will discuss their careers within the world’s biggest film industry. 10-17 March 2010.

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
One of my favourite Melbourne festivals. The delicious 2010 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival will see the city hosting a long lunch, a food-lover’s fiesta and drool-worthy master classes. Take yourself on a visual treasure hunt with the Feasting Vignettes, presented by the City of Melbourne, grab a sustainable nibble at the Metlink Edible Garden showcasing regional produce and relax with free Barilla Foodie Films. 12 – 23 March 2010.

L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival
The LMFF is a stylish showcase for established and up and coming fashion designers. Check out Sidewalk, a series of free runway presentations bringing Australia’s leading fashion brands on a spectacular inflatable fashion catwalk at Federation Square. 14 – 21 March 2010.

20^th Melbourne Queer Film Festival
See the latest, greatest and most creative in queer feature films, documentaries and shorts at the 20^th Melbourne Queer Film Festival. A $2,000 cash prize is also up for grabs for the winner of the City of Melbourne Award for Best Australian short film. 17 – 28 March 2010.

Thai Culture & Food Festival
Discover the wonderful secrets of Thai cooking, enjoy a gentle Thai massage and some traditional music and entertainment, and when you get hungry sample Thai food on the River Terrace at Federation Square – think green curry, fish cakes, pad thai, chicken basil and more. 21 March 2010.

Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show
The Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show is the biggest annual flower and garden show in the southern hemisphere and one of the largest in the world. An impressive 500+ exhibitors will showcase the latest products and services at the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens. 24 – 28 March 2010.

Melbourne International Comedy Festival
It’s the biggest festival Melbourne has to offer and last year just over half a million people laughed at the antics of some of the finest comedy performers in the world. Check out my reviews from last year’s festival. This year I’m  seeing Cardinal Burns and Tim Key. 24 March – 18 April 2010.

2010 FORMULA 1^TM Australian Grand Prix
It’s the country’s premier motor sport event that brings together the world’s finest and flashiest cars, glamour, celebrities (including Miss Polonia, for some bizarre reason) and the rush of adrenalin as the world’s most skilful drivers tackle the Albert Park racetrack. 25 – 28 March 2010. 

Lonsdale Street Glendi Festival Festival
Melbourne’s large Greek community takes over the Lonsdale Street precinct to celebrate their history and culture. Sample souvlaki, sweet and sticky loukoumades (Greek donuts) and then burn off those calories in the Zorba ‘til You Drop dancing competition. 27 – 28 March 2010.

Also on in March – run, watch, sail, eat and listen:

Super Sunset Series – Docklands Dash!
Whether you run or walk register for the Super Sunset Series inaugural Docklands Dash. The fun run will wind its way through the  Docklands precinct at twilight on Wednesday 10 March.

Thread Den: The Designers Sessions
Learn how to style and sew in the relaxed sewing lounge and then create your own catwalk collection! You can read my review of the sewing classes at Thread Den here. 12 – 16 March 2010.

Alliance Francaise French Film Festival
The best of contemporary French film comes to Melbourne, from action, romance, comedy and animation to thrillers, children’s films and documentaries. It’s the largest foreign film festival in Australia and this year is expected to showcase a record number of films. 4 – 21 March 2010.

Herald Sun/CityLink Run for the Kids
Last year 30,000 men, women and children pounded the streets of Melbourne to raise money for the Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal. Do your bit for the RCH in 2010 by walking or running across and through Melbourne landmarks such as the Bolte Bridge and Domain Tunnel. 14 March 2010.

Victoria Harbour School Sailing Series
Some of Melbourne’s most promising young sailors will hone their nautical skills as part of this popular sailing series. The eager school teams will crew two-person Pacer dingies during the high-energy, fast-paced racing event – all intent on winning the series and winning the chance to represent Victoria at the Australian Championships later in the year. To enjoy the nautical action head to Victoria Harbour 18 – 21 March 2010.

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra presents Profusion
Directed by William Hennessy and with guest soloist and soprano Sara Macliver, the MCO presents Profusion at the Melbourne Recital Centre at Southbank. The evening will feature classics by Dmitri Shostakovich, Jean Sibelius, Calvin Bowman and Gustav Mahler. 21 March 2010.

World Street Food Festival
To celebrate Melbourne’s love and appreciation of food from across the globe, Queen Victoria Market will host the colourful World Street Food Festival. Expect an array of cuisines from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and Australia. Watch as the food is cooked in front of you, savour the smells, and treat your tastebuds to something new. 21 March 2010.

Melbourne International Dragon Boat Festival
The annual Melbourne International Dragon Boat Festival is a thrilling, colourful family-friendly event that celebrates everything that is great about this ancient sport. Watch the determined teams of more than 22 people battle it out for line honours on the Yarra River. 21 March 2010.

Opera in the Market
Fresh fruit and forklifts make way for elegant chandeliers and opera at Queen Victoria Market. Opera in the Market event gets underway again this year with appearances by talented artists such as young Soprano Tiffany Speight, and internationally acclaimed Tenor, Rosario La Spina. More than 150 voices and the 65-piece Melbourne Youth Orchestra also feature. 22 and 24 March 2010.

Turkish Pazar Festival
Celebrate everything Turkish at this all day festival that showcases the best in Turkish dance, music, food and drink. Enjoy a traditional Turkish pancake or bread rings covered with crunchy sesame seeds, treat yourself to pretty handmade Turkish jewellery and ceramics and enjoy the distinctive sights and sounds of the many Turkish musicians and artists who support this annual event. 28 March 2010.

For a full list of Marvellous March events, click here.

Hi Akisa, can you tell me a little bit about your background?

I’m a corporate rat by day and BeautySwatch editor by night – I have no affiliations with the beauty industry but do have a love for beauty products and the way they make you feel when you transform yourself.

How did you come up with the idea for BeautySwatch?

Ever since I started following beauty blogs, I found myself being more daring in purchasing beauty products online that one would typically prefer to buy in-store.  To decide on lip colours, I would google for other bloggers’ “swatches” of the product to get an indication of whether it might suit me.  Sometimes the search results would produce useful photos.  Other times I would get utterly useless search results with unrelated shades or brands.

One night after fruitless hours of searching for a lip colour swatch, I decided I was going to build the world’s largest online colour library of lip colours. I have certain criteria to ensure the photos on BeautySwatch are of high quality and useful to readers.

How do you find the women to contribute to BeautySwatch?

I knew I couldn’t do it alone and called upon the help of fellow beauty bloggers.  Some of the team members were bloggers I already followed.  Others have contacted me from around the world to either contribute or join the team!

Since BeautySwatch is a blog resource, I rely on my team’s goodwill for contributing their images with no commercial benefits.  I try to direct traffic to their blogs as much as possible, as their swatches often come with reviews that I don’t bring across to BeautySwatch.   I also share our successes in the media and feature lip interviews with each team member to help build their profile.

What are your next plans for BeautySwatch?

One step at a time!! My goal for 2010 is to build further traffic, expand the colour library and hopefully migrate to WordPress.  Also seeking more sponsored products to help us maintain the project without hurting our wallets.

Do you have any tips for a lipstick-buying novice?

1. Start with a safe shade that brings out a natural but better you.  (Eg. pink-beige or rose)
2. Try the shade on your lips, not the back of your hand.  (Don’t forget to sanitise it too!)
3. If the lipstick jungle is all too much for you, browse BeautySwatch to help inspire what shade you’d like to try next.  Products are categorised by shade and brand.

What do you predict will be the next HOT trend in lipsticks?

Move over gloss, hello matte lipsticks.  On the catwalk, there will be more adventurous techniques for applying lipstick (2009 was the year of duo-toned lips by Ungaro and Shu Uemura).  On the street, we will see new earthy shades launched as Autumn approaches.

Personally I hope black lipstick is a fad that stays within the walls of 2009.

Where do you turn for make-up advice and inspiration (other than BeautySwatch, of course)?

PRIMPED.com.au – it’s an e-magazine that has lots of eye candy photos of beauty trends and lots of advice (how-to’s, videos and trend updates.

What are your tips for what’s HOT in Melbourne?

• Madame Sousou for lunch with mum (231 Brunswick St, Fitzroy +61 3 9417 0400)
• Brunetti for afternoon tea with the girls (194 – 204 Faraday Street, Carlton +61 3 9347 2801)
• Fog Bar & Restaurant with friends (142 Greville St, Prahran +61 3 9521 3155)
• Radii at the Park Hyatt for a date…or if your partner needs to make up to you for something (1 Parliament Place, East Melbourne +61 3 9224 1234)

For more HOT Chats with interesting Melburnians, click here.