HOT: NGV Artbus to the Yarra Valley (Part 2) – TarraWarra Estate

Click here for the first stop of the NGV Artbus Tour of the Yarra Valley, Yering Station.

Our second stop was the winery TarraWarra Estate, with its famous TarraWarra Museum of Art – the first significant privately funded, public art gallery in Australia. We started off with more wine tasting on the lawn, looking out over [...]

HOT: NGV Artbus to the Yarra Valley (Part 1) – Yering Station

The National Gallery of Victoria regularly runs arty bus tours for its members and non-members. Usually they’re conducted during the week and aimed at an older crowd, but for the first time in February they held the tour on a Saturday and encouraged NGV Artbeat members (the under 40s branch of NGV Members) to sign [...]

HOT: Marvellous March in Melbourne

I’m all for comfort food, opaque tights and scarves (I think it’s a reaction to growing up in sunny Queensland) – yay for Marvellous March!
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 [...]

How to make lor mai gai – Gourmet Chick post

In the second of my three guest posts for my good friend Gourmet Chick (who’s away from her computer on holiday at the moment) today I’m going to direct you to my guest post with my recipe for lor mai gai or steamed glutinous rice in lotus leaves, a too-tired-to-cook freezer staple in our household.
If [...]

HOT: Gastronomica Slow Food Quiz, Collins Quarter, 86A Collins St, Melbourne

I’m known as a bit of a foodie amongst my friends.
However, at food quiz Gastronomica I discovered that my small font of knowledge was nothing compared to the food nerdiness displayed by the rest of Team Phat Preston, including food bloggers Tummyrumbles, Melbourne Gastronome, Tomato, Eating with Jack, Essjay Eats and Eatnik.
In fact, I was [...]

HOT: Chai mamma Giveaway winners!

Thank you to everyone for your entries for the Chai mamma giveaway!
I’ve dipped into the Kitchenaid of Fortune and here are our seven winners:

LizB
Mellie (Tummyrumbles)
Tom
pdids
Emily (it pleases us)
Jenny
Amanda

Please send your postal address to joyce@melhotornot.com to collect your prize of 2 x 120g packs of Chai mamma chai, and have a great weekend!
Thanks again to Naomi [...]

HOT: Chai mamma giveaway

I am a big fan of chai but there’s good chai (fragrant and warming) and there’s bad chai (watery and burnt).
Having tasted some very bad chai over the years, last year East St Kilda resident Naomi decided to take matters into her own hands and to produce her own chai. Chai mamma is an authentic [...]

How to make dumplings – Gourmet Chick post

While MEL: HOT OR NOT has a strong focus on food and dining out, it’s not strictly a food blog.
However, in a brief departure today I’m going to share with you my guest post over at Gourmet Chick with my wonton recipe, just in time for Chinese New Year this Sunday 14 February.
These dumplings were [...]

HOT Spots Summer Edition 2010 and Summer Serve

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 by [...]

HOT: Suzuki Night Market, Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne

For me summer in Melbourne heralds long bright evenings, Moonlight Cinema and the Suzuki Night Market at Queen Victoria Market. Evidently I’m not alone as the night market has become a bit of a summer institution for young and old alike and in peak time (between 6-8pm) the crowds swell to almost uncomfortable levels.
Nevertheless, it’s [...]