restaurants and cafes

NOT: Jolimont Expresso, Federation Square, Melbourne

July 12, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments

I think that Melbourne has an amazing cafe dining scene. So when I encounter a below-par cafe, it makes me wonder how they are able to survive with the above-average level of competition and a clientele of highly discerning diners. What’s even more surprising is that Jolimont Expresso (why not espresso?) is busy. The city [...]

HOT Chat: Carley Andrews of Ujamaa Hostel

July 9, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

Today’s HOT Chat is the first time I’m interviewing a Melburnian who actually no longer lives in Melbourne. Melbourne-born Carley Andrews now lives in Tanzania with her husband, running a hostel focusing on providing volunteer work opportunities. I was inspired to interview her after reading about her new project, a childrens’ home, which she has [...]

HOT: Ghin Khao, 242 Swanston St, Melbourne

July 8, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

Ghin Khao is the second of my Soup Noodle posts, this time recommended by Billy of food blog Half-Eaten. Obviously I have been up and down Swanston Street a million times, and do you know I have never even noticed Ghin Khao. Mysterious actually, given that the frontage is plastered with laminated pictures of Thai [...]

HOT: Izakaya Hachibeh, 143 Bourke St, Melbourne

July 6, 2010 ⋅ One comment

Izakaya Hachibeh is new contender for my favourite quick-and-easy CBD lunch spots. The relaxed and fuss-free Japanese restaurant spans over two levels on Bourke Street, with a rather nondescript frontage and the standard red-lantern izakaya decor. I would never have gone in if my friend J hadn’t suggested we meet there for lunch. She wanted [...]

NOT: Terrace Bar & Bistro, Art Series The Cullen, 161 Commercial Road, Prahran

July 5, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

The Cullen is a glamorous boutique hotel in Prahran which has been inspired by artist Adam Cullen, and it’s one of the series of Art Hotel popping up in Melbourne. While a hotel is not an obvious location for dining out, a high-end boutique hotel does have a certain reputation for quality to uphold, and [...]

HOT: Shanghai Cultural Session, David’s Restaurant, 4 Cecil Place, Prahran

July 2, 2010 ⋅ 7 comments

What’s the best antidote for coldest day in Melbourne in 10 years? Why, bunkering down for dinner at David’s Restaurant in Prahran. Thanks to David’s, RM and I, along with some other journos and the lucky winners of a Herald Sun competition, were invited to chat and dine with David Zhou, owner of David’s Restaurant [...]

HOT: The Bell Jar, 656 Smith St, Collingwood

July 1, 2010 ⋅ 12 comments

Occasionally I have readers tipping me off about places to go and I recently received an email suggesting that I try The Bell Jar. So one cold, blustery afternoon I decided to trek up the nether-regions of Smith St (I rarely go past Johnston Street) to have a look. The cafe is quite hard to [...]

NOT: Bokchoy Tang, Level 2, The Crossbar Building Federation Square, Cnr Flinders & Swanston Sts, Melbourne

June 30, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Bokchoy Tang is a contemporary high-end Chinese restaurant which holds a prime position facing Federation Square and ACMI. The long narrow restaurant is impressively decked out in expensive-looking cabinets and feature tables, and a window table is a pleasant place to bask in the afternoon sun. I haven’t been to Bokchoy Tang in years and [...]

HOT: Felice’s, 141 Greeves St, Fitzroy

June 23, 2010 ⋅ One comment

Just last week I discovered that tucked in behind a lurid kebab shop on Smith St is the other-worldly Felice’s. The retro wood panelling and black laminex bar is reminiscent of an old-fashioned Italian social club, while interesting touches such as the giant model aeroplane suspended from the carved ceiling take the cafe out of [...]

HOT: The Grand BBQ, Shop 6, Target Centre, 236 Bourke St, Melbourne

June 21, 2010 ⋅ 9 comments

Whenever I feel a bit blah, I often seek the aid of the comfort food of my childhood, which can mean a craving for soup noodles. However, I’m not very adventurous when it comes to trying cheap-and-cheerful Asian restaurants unless they come with a recommendation – so one lunch hour I popped onto twitter with [...]