restaurants and cafes

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 [...]

HOT: Phillippa’s City Store, 15 Howey Place, Melbourne

November 17, 2011 ⋅ 6 comments

When I worked in the CBD one of my shopping challenges was finding a good loaf of bread. I rarely had time in my lunch hour to travel to Queen Victoria Markets or battle the lines at David Jones Foodhall, which meant often I had to be organised enough to buy my bread on my [...]

HOT: Bento Lunch, Taxi Dining Room, Level 1 Transport Hotel, Federation Square, Melbourne

November 13, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Out of all the dining venues in Federation Square, my favourite is the Transport/Taxi/Transit complex. Transport is great for a quiet riverside drink (though it can get rowdier on weekends), I often take visitors to experience the slick food and expansive Yarra views at the high-end Taxi restaurant and we even arranged our post-wedding drinks [...]

HOT: Mad Cow Thursdays, Hotel Nest, 111 Victoria Ave, Albert Park

November 10, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

A steak for $1? Too good to be true, I hear you say. Well, on Thursdays at Hotel Nest they’ve termed it ‘Mad Cow Thursdays’ when premium John Dee sirloin steaks start from $1 for a 125g steak! The catch is that you’re likely to be spending more than $1 as the larger steaks cost [...]

HOT: Wye River General Store, 35 Great Ocean Rd, Wye River

November 8, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

With summer arriving my thoughts turn to the beach and the coast. To be exact, my thoughts are turning to where to eat at the beach and the coast. And one of my recommendations is Wye River General Store. As the name suggests, it’s a general store which operates for the citizens and visitors of [...]

HOT: Aviv Cakes & Bagels, 412 Glenhuntly Rd, Elsternwick

November 7, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

I once held a bake-off amongst my friends where everyone had to bring a baked dessert for judging (and eating). J and B brought a beautiful chocolate babka which was suspiciously excellent…and after a few drinks it was revealed that on a friend’s tip they had bought the babka from Aviv Cakes & Bagels! I’ve [...]

HOT: Easy As Vegan Pie Cooking Class, Milkdwood, 120 Nicholson St, Brunswick East

October 26, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

I think it’s pretty obvious from this blog that I’m not vegan. However, I do have an interest in vegan food and vegan cooking, in the same way that I have an interest in any food that tastes good. So when Carla from vegan blog Easy as Vegan Pie advertised that she was starting beginners [...]