mid-range

HOT: Izakaya Den, Basement 114 Russell St, Melbourne

January 6, 2010 ⋅ 8 comments

The tapas trend in Australia seems to have now progressed to other forms of ‘little food’ – and in Melbourne, it has led to the growth of izakayas, or Japanese pubs. Izakaya Den (from Simon Denton of Verge fame) is the latest restaurant in the izakaya-spurt. After you descend down the stairs from the barely-there [...]

HOT Gig List

December 27, 2009 ⋅ 7 comments

Today we say hi to my new guest blogger CC, a cool ex-Melburnian who now calls East London home. Skinny jeans aficionado, mosh pit veteran, classical pianist now electric guitarist, CC will be bringing you news of upcoming HOT gigs in Melbourne. Her motto is ‘with great musical wisdom, comes great musical responsibility’ and this [...]

HOT: The Palace by Luke Mangan, 505 City Rd, South Melbourne

December 13, 2009 ⋅ 7 comments

Since returning to Australia after two years overseas, I’ve developed a hypothesis that Australian food trends lag behind the northern hemisphere (especially the US and UK) by 1-2 years. That means that I’m expecting to see a flurry of gastropub openings in Melbourne in the near future (probably macaron specialists and ramen stalls a year [...]

NOT: Trunk Bar & Restaurant, 275 Exhibition St Melbourne

December 12, 2009 ⋅ 6 comments

The twinkling lights in the busy courtyard entrance of Trunk Bar & Restaurant boded good things for our Friday night dinner. Inside the dimly lit, high-ceilinged restaurant, the crowd was just as bustling and everyone appeared to be enjoying their food and wine in the relaxed surroundings. We had high hopes for Trunk’s Italian-influenced menu. [...]

NOT: Rice Queen, Level 2, 231 Smith St, Fitzroy

December 10, 2009 ⋅ 8 comments

As an ‘oriental’, I was intrigued by the concept of an ‘oriental diner’? I mean, what’s ‘oriental’ food exactly? The menu at Rice Queen appears to cover the gamut of a whole eating continent, from Japanese to Chinese, Sri Lankan to Thai. What this means is that there’s a patchiness in the quality of the [...]

HOT: Cumulus Inc, 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

December 1, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

In New York City, Dulcinea offers ‘a wholesome indulgence’ every Wednesday by subscription, whether that be jumbo rhubarb muffins, a blueberry lemon pound cake, or a half dozen strawberry scones. Similarly, Le Dolci is London’s first weekly cake club where subscribers can receive a bundle of home-baked goodness such as biscotti, scones, brownies, pies and [...]

HOT: Goshen, 189 Smith St, Fitzroy

November 30, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

I heart heart heart heart Goshen. Authentic hot and spicy Korean food, lovely presentation, a calming interior of dark wood and delicate stencils on green-tea walls and super-friendly smiley staff. It’s easily my favourite cheap eat in Melbourne and the sole (Seoul – guffaw) reason I want to visit Korea. I could just leave the [...]

NOT: Authentic Thai Taste, 92-94 Johnston St, Collingwood

November 26, 2009 ⋅ 19 comments

Authentic Thai Taste is renowned for being one of the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne – the full house of Thai people on a weeknight is evidence of that. So where did we go wrong? We’ve had two attempts at weekday takeway from Authentic Thai Taste now and neither of the experiences have really encouraged [...]

HOT: Auction Rooms, 103-107 Errol St, North Melbourne

November 25, 2009 ⋅ 10 comments

Auction Rooms is a casual cafe/restaurant set inside the old WB Ellis auction house in North Melbourne. In fact, the long wooden floorboards, exposed beams, distressed brickwork and high ceilings hoisting a series of whirring fans reminded me a lot of the interior of an airy Queenslander home. It seems like the kind of place [...]

HOT: O’Connell’s Centenary Hotel, 407 Coventry Street, South Melbourne

November 20, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

After a brief wander through the South Melbourne Night Markets, C and I found ourselves in a South Melbourne black hole. Both of us were familiar with daytime cafes in the area, but where to go for dinner? Fortunately, we remembered the gastropub O’Connell’s. This beautifully restored pub is in a quiet residential area of [...]