casual

HOT: Rooftop Cinema, 6/252 Swanston St, Melbourne

January 20, 2012 ⋅ One comment

Ah summer! There are certain events that happen every year which really mark the season in Melbourne. Cricket. Tennis. The Suzuki Night Market. Free music in the parks. And one of my favourites, outdoor cinema. Every year I try to get to at least one summer movie screening under the stars – it’s still a [...]

HOT: Shanghai Street Dumpling, 342 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

January 18, 2012 ⋅ One comment

A couple of years ago RM and I had a week’s holiday in Shanghai. We ate ourselves silly in all manner of restaurants, with a particularly memorable dumpling gorge at Crystal Jade which is still my gold standard for dumplings worldwide (well, limited to the dumpling places that I’ve tried around the world). Shanghai Street [...]

HOT: Gorski & Jones, 304 Smith St, Collingwood

January 12, 2012 ⋅ One comment

I’ve been eye off the maroon meat slicer in the window of Gorski & Jones since it opened about 2 months ago. It’s a big, shiny, impressive beast atop a long white marble bar and it announces the restaurant’s Italianate roots with no need for dinky red gingham tablecloths and an accordian player. Gorski & [...]

HOT: Backstreet Cafe, 152 Kerr St, Fitzroy

January 11, 2012 ⋅ 3 comments

In Fitzroy, it’s another day, another new cafe…. Backstreet Cafe is the new project from the people behind Birdman Eating and it takes some of what’s great about that Fitzroy stalwart and extends it beyond – or more precisely below. More on that later. The cafe is located in a corner spot in amongst residential [...]

HOT: Huxtaburger, 106 Smith St, Collingwood

January 10, 2012 ⋅ One comment

Thanks to the folks at deliciously excellent Huxtable, Smith Street now boasts its own American-style burger and beer joint. It’s a small space across the road from the mother ship with a few outdoor tables and continues the Cosby Show theme with the moniker Huxtaburger. Cute! The menu is short and straightforward – there are [...]

HOT: Threefold, 381 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

December 8, 2011 ⋅ One comment

Threefold is a casual cafe/bar tucked into a narrow corner space on Flinders Lane and Tavistock Place. You’ll recognise it by the planter boxes laden with fresh herbs at its entrance - a happy contrast to the soulless vistas offered by its office block neighbours. It’s a smart establishment that seats mostly business people along narrow benches and small [...]

HOT: Duchess of Spotswood, 87 Hudsons Rd, Spotswood

November 28, 2011 ⋅ One comment

So the Queen just visited to Melbourne and Princess Mary came to town. If you’re not royal-ed out, take yourself to visit the Duchess in Spotswood. Duchess of Spotswood is a cafe is located in an unprepossessing strip of shops near Spotswood station and when I arrived at 9am on a weekend it was easily [...]

HOT: Giant Steps Innocent Bystander Winery, 336 Maroondah Highway, Healesville

November 25, 2011 ⋅ One comment

A sunny weekend saw us taking a trip out to the Yarra Valley, armed with a recommendation for lunch at Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander. Unlike most of the other wineries in the Yarra Valley, Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander isn’t located on an expansive piece of green land – it’s just a straight turnoff from the Maroondah Highway [...]

HOT: Rose Garden BBQ Shop, 435 Elizabeth St, Melbourne

November 23, 2011 ⋅ 6 comments

Rose Garden may sound romantic but it’s not the sort of restaurant where you’d take a first date. But go with your friends, your colleagues, your relatives, on your own – it’s that good! The small no-frills restaurant specialises in cheap, quick Cantonese fare. It’s a favourite amongst international students and office workers during the [...]

HOT: WLG Wellington Pop-up Restaurant, 153 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

November 20, 2011 ⋅ One comment

For the last week I’ve been watching the corner of Gertrude and Napier Streets with interest. WLG stamped on the walls. Brightly coloured metal chairs lining long tables on the pavement. A dude with an enormous 19th century handlebar moustache working the tables. The answer? The WLG Wellington pop-up restaurant has landed in Melbourne to [...]