NOT: Min Lokal, 422 George St, Fitzroy

My friend M is moving into Fitzroy next week and for our Sunday catchup he wanted to try a place around his new hood. Min Lokal is Swedish for ‘my local’ and I thought it’d be the perfect venue for this northside newbie.
Evidently lots of other locals treat Min Lokal as their neighbourhood cafe too, [...]

HOT: Funky Curry and Vindaloo Against Violence, 164 Bourke St, Melbourne

Today’s post is a bit of a mishmash – my views on a serious issue as well as a light-hearted food review.
Firstly, you may or may not have been aware that last Wednesday 24 February was Vindaloo Against Violence day.
Melbourne, Victoria and Australia has been subject to some shameful local and international press recently due [...]

HOT: The Social Studio, 128 Smith St, Collingwood

Fitzroy/Collingwood seems to be the hotbed of social enterprise businesses in Melbourne (see my review of restaurant Charcoal Lane), and in late 2009 another one opened around the corner from me – The Social Studio.
The Social Studio is a non-profit fashion studio space staffed by approximately 20 young members of Melbourne’s refugee community and overseen [...]

HOT: Mamma’s Boy, 13 Little Collins St, Melbourne

I’m not sure who ‘Mamma’s Boy’ refers to, but for me the name of this cafe’s name conjures up images of mothers all around the world urging their sons to ‘Eat up!’ ‘Mange!’ ‘Chī fàn!’.
Certainly their cabinet selection of fresh-looking pre-made sandwiches, appetising sit-down lunch menu and cartoon recipe blackboard encourages you to get hungry [...]

HOT: Roundhouse Roti, 220 Gertude St, Fitzroy

Roti is the flavour of the month for me (see my review of Old Town Kopitiam Mamak) so I was delighted to discover a Malaysian style roti joint close to home.
Roundhouse Roti has been open for a couple of months and is run by a young Fitzroy local Lee  Chong (his mum runs the famous [...]

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

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

HOT: Outpost, 9 Yarra St, South Yarra

Outpost. How much do I love thee, let me count the ways:

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

HOT: Three Bags Full, 56 Nicholson St, Abbotsford

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

HOT: Cibi, 45 Keele St, Collingwood

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

HOT: Old Town Kopitiam Mamak, Level 2, Shop 11 QV Square, Melbourne

If you had any doubt that food bloggers are influential people, then you’ve never been on Twitter.
Forget what The Age and old media is telling you. The hottest restaurant in Melbourne at the moment is the newly opened Old Town Kopitiam Mamak at QV Square. Not one, not two but seven bloggers (to my knowledge) [...]