under $20

NOT: Noodle Kingdom, 175 Russell St, Melbourne

September 28, 2010 ⋅ 8 comments

Did I miss a trick with Noodle Kingdom? I had read a heap of favourable reviews about this no-nonsense handmade noodle joint, including raves from The Age, Herald Sun, Eat Drink Stagger and Eat My Radish (some of them albeit about the Preston branch) and in need of a quick dinner one night I decided [...]

HOT: Macaron Tasting, Famish’d, 130 Little Collins St, Melbourne

September 27, 2010 ⋅ 17 comments

In case you’ve been hiding under an epicurean rock, macarons are the next big (if not already the big) thing in the world of sweets and pastries. Look – even The Age declared it so. I LOVE macarons. In fact, one of my enduring memories of visiting Geneva was not the lake, the old town [...]

HOT: La Niche, 67 Smith St, Fitzroy

September 21, 2010 ⋅ One comment

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition. Similarly, no one expects to experience an amazing burger at a French restaurant. So La Niche was certainly a surprise for me. A firmly French affair, with tinkling jazz and French pop in the background and an affable French host manning the coffee machine, it’s a lovely place to [...]

NOT: Kiwi Fish and Chips, Tribeca Apartments, 412- 442 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne

September 20, 2010 ⋅ 20 comments

I’d heard much positive feedback about Kiwi Fush and Chups – mainly about the quality of their produce and the fact they fried in relatively healthy canola oil. I’m certainly willing to pay more for ‘posh’ fish and chips if it’s good. On a rainy Saturday, RM and I were in the mood for a [...]

HOT: Sichuan Dining Room, Mid City Arcade, Shop 3-5, 194-200 Bourke St, Melbourne

September 17, 2010 ⋅ 3 comments

While I aim to write the decisive guide to Melbourne, sometimes it is very hard to be decisive. As I was writing this post Sichuan Dining Room had me veering from HOT to NOT to HOT to NOT again. As you can see in the end I’ve leaned towards HOT. Mainly because our meal was [...]

NOT: Seoul Restaurant, 396 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

September 1, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

Today we have a guest post from Jetsetting Mum after her recent visit to Melbourne. What can I say, she really didn’t like Seoul Restaurant. Ever since we came back from a trip to Seoul a few months ago, Jetsetting Dad and I have been yearning for some good authentic Korean food in Australia. We [...]

HOT: MoVida Next Door, 1 Hosier Lane, Melbourne

August 27, 2010 ⋅ 4 comments

I’ve pretty much given up hope of getting a booking at MoVida nowadays, so I’m very grateful for its little offshoot MoVida Next Door, where I’m more likely to be able to walk into a table if I time it right. Besides, MoVida Next Door has a frontage facing the passing parade of Flinders Street [...]

HOT: Postal Hall, 116 Russell St, Melbourne

August 24, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments

When I first walked into Postal Hall, it reminded me a bit of an Eastern bloc railway station. The sound of hissing steam bouncing off concrete, glass and metal surfaces. A high ceiling with exposed beams hanging a large functional clock. A brushed metal bench supporting people in transit, as they climbed onto red padded [...]

HOT: Pancake Dessert House, Shop 18, Mid-city Arcade, 200 Bourke St, Melbourne

August 11, 2010 ⋅ 13 comments

When I visited Gold Star Noodle House recently, I noticed the enormous lunch time queues for the nearby Pancake Dessert House and made a mental note to visit at some stage just to see what the fuss was about. The next week, I was looking for a quick pre-movie dinner option and thought of the [...]

HOT: The Runaways

August 7, 2010 ⋅ One comment

Today we have a guest post from Kylie, a writer for the sister blog BNE: HOT OR NOT, reviewing the rock chick film The Runaways. Thanks Kylie. Floria Sigismondi is the director of some of the most impressive music videos of the past fifteen years. Her dark, seductive work has accompanied music by the likes [...]