restaurants and cafes

NOT: Coda Bar & Restaurant, Basement 141 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

May 21, 2010 ⋅ 20 comments

I know I’m going out on a limb here. I’m sure I must be the only person in Melbourne who wasn’t impressed by Coda. But at least I have the Jetsetting Parents to back me up on the NOT verdict. Trust me, I really wanted to like Coda given its mountain of rave reviews, but [...]

HOT: Cocoro Japanese Pottery & Cafe, 117 Smith St, Fitzroy

May 20, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments

Japanese. Jazz. Tea. Pottery. Who would have thought all those elements could work together so successfully in one place. Cocoro is first and foremost a lovely restaurant which serves high quality Japanese food. The prime position is the leather couch by the bay window, but if you’re dining it’s probably better to sit upright in [...]

HOT: Rockpool Bar & Grill, Crown Melbourne, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank

May 17, 2010 ⋅ 7 comments

I normally avoid restaurants that are chains, headed by celebrity chefs, housed in casino complexes and specialise in steak. However, my first experience at Rockpool and I’m converted. Neil Perry’s RockPool Bar & Grill in the uber-slick corporate confines of Crown Melbourne is a resounding HOT. As you walk through the entrance corridor you’re surrounded [...]

HOT Chat: Stef Dadon and Elise Kausman of Up & Comers Fashion Market

May 13, 2010 ⋅ 3 comments

We interrupt our usual blogging schedule today to bring you this week’s HOT Chat a couple of days early. That’s because Stef Dadon and Elise Kausman are launching the Up & Comers Fashion Market this Saturday 15 May, and of course you need to know about it now rather than on Sunday. RMIT Graduate Stef [...]

HOT: Tutto Bene, Shop 28, Mid Level Southgate, Southbank

May 12, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments

Friday afternoon on Twitter: @jetsettingjoyce: Going to a concert at Melb Recital Centre. Dining black hole. Any suggestions for nearby dinner (not EQ, always end up at EQ)? @tephdee: tutto bene at southbank does great risotto http://www.tuttobene.com.au/ [an hour later] @jetsettingjoyce: oh my I looooved Tutto Bene! Look out for HOT review and thanks for [...]

NOT: Mecca Bah, 55a New Quay Promenade, Docklands

May 11, 2010 ⋅ 13 comments

There was a time a couple of years ago where restaurants Mecca and Mecca Bah were HOT, HOT, HOT. Then Mecca was sold off and Mecca Bah shifted to Docklands. I think it’s been off the Melbourne foodie radar ever since. Mecca Bah takes up a prime position in Newquay as the glass-housed restaurant juts [...]

HOT: Bar Lourinha, 37 Lt Collins St, Melbourne

May 10, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

Every weekday Bar Lourinha has a different lunch theme – Mondays are lamb stufato, then comes flaming chorizo diablo, paella valenciana and goat special. For Fishy Fridays I had expected a large fishy lunch dish – maybe some fish stew? Apparently not. It seems that Fishy Fridays just indicates that on Fridays some of the [...]

HOT: Isthmus of Kra, 50 Park St, South Melbourne

May 7, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

Today we have a guest post from the lovely Miss Kish, my blog crush, friend and collaborator. She reviews long-standing restaurant, Isthmus of Kra, from a vegetarian point of view. Thanks Kish! The Isthmus of Kra is the narrow land bridge which connects the Malay Peninsula with the mainland of Asia. In Melbourne however, Isthmus [...]

HOT: Verge Restaurant & Winebar, 1 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

May 6, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments

It’s currently wedding season amongst my group of friends and so I’ve been invited to various forms of hen’s nights, from raucous cocktails to life drawing. One of the classier outings was a dinner at Verge, the two-hatted Simon Denton restaurant. As we were a large group we had a three course set menu, very [...]

HOT: Ici, 359 Napier St, Fitzroy

May 5, 2010 ⋅ 12 comments

Not being much of a drinker, when I say my ‘local’ I’m generally referring to the nearest café to my house rather than the nearest pub. While Ici is not strictly my local, it is the sort of café which I wish was my local. The quiet and unassuming bluestone building is tucked away in [...]