restaurants and cafes

HOT: Espressino Coffee and Pizza Bar, 68-70 King St, The Rialto, Melbourne

September 1, 2011 ⋅ 4 comments

A lifetime ago I worked at Rialto in Collins Street and there were zero good lunch options. Fortunately things have been moved on in what my former colleague dubbed the ‘Beirut’ end of town. One of the great places located under my former liftwell is Espressino. Espressino is a pizza and coffee bar brought to [...]

HOT: Brunetti, 194 – 204 Faraday Street, Carlton

August 31, 2011 ⋅ 3 comments

There’s something to be said for revisiting old favourites. Before I moved to Melbourne, every time I visited the city I’d make a pilgrimage to Brunetti. Back then it was only a single store in Carlton, half its current size. I loved the European atmosphere, the mirrored walls and the glass cabinet full of cakes. [...]

HOT: The Age Good Food Guide 2012 Winners!

August 30, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

The winners of The Age Good Food Guide 2012 Awards were announced last night. Here is the complete list of winners, some with my previous reviews – congratulations! Vittoria Coffee Restaurant of the Year – Attica Citibank Chef of the Year – Dan Hunter, Royal Mail Hotel Regional Restaurant of the year - Loam Best New [...]

HOT: Dumpling Masterclass, Oriental Teahouse, GD 068/69 Melbourne Central

August 27, 2011 ⋅ 3 comments

Restauranter and tea merchant David Zhou has expanded his Oriental Teahouse empire to Melbourne Central. The entrance is not immediately obvious from Elizabeth Steet which is a shame as the fitout is gorgeous – warm and earthy tones beckon you inside while punches of firecracker red accentuate the concept’s Chinese origins. I have blogged about [...]

NOT: Miss Marmalade, 126 Union St, Brunswick

August 25, 2011 ⋅ 3 comments

This is how much I expected to love Miss Marmalade. Monday. I borrow a car to drive through choc-a-block traffic on Alexandra Parade to meet my friend A there. On arrival, my baby vomits copiously on herself and on me. The mess is so bad that I have to drive home straight away without any [...]

HOT List: Bike-friendly cafes in Melbourne

August 23, 2011 ⋅ One comment

How are you enjoying the beautiful weather this week? I’m going to ride my bike and enjoy some lunch. The Wheeler, a quarterly magazine about cycling culture in Melbourne, recently compiled a comprehensive list of bike-friendly cafes in Melbourne. Being a cycling and cafe fan (though not of the road racing lycra-clad variety), I thought [...]

HOT: Green Refectory, 115 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

August 18, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

There are certain cafes that are the perfect weekend haunts for nursing a hangover. The requisite criteria? Huge servings of hearty breakfast, lashings of coffee, nothing too fancy or complicated and good value for money. I think one of the places that does ‘hangover food’ really well is Green Refectory – and judging by the [...]

HOT: Golden Dragon Palace, 363 Manningham Rd, Lower Templestowe

August 16, 2011 ⋅ 7 comments

I don’t shy away from being decisive on this blog so I’m going to make bold claim. Golden Dragon Palace has the best yum cha in Melbourne. So. I’ve put it out there now. Of course, I haven’t eaten at every single yum cha restaurant in Melbourne. It’s possible that there are places that do [...]

HOT: Salford Lads Club, 1 Fennell Street, Port Melbourne

August 15, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

Hip hangouts can be found everywhere in Melbourne and Salford Lads Club fits in the bill in the most unlikeliest of areas – the nether-regions of industrial Port Melbourne. Ex-industrial factory space – check. Stripped back brickwork and exposed beams – check. Wood, lots of it – check. Cool bikes – check. Young and hip [...]

HOT: L’atelier de Monsieur Truffe, 351 Lygon St, East Brunswick

August 8, 2011 ⋅ 4 comments

Three words to cheer up your Monday. New. Chocolate. Shop! Collingwood favourite Monsieur Truffe has opened bigger and brighter establishment in Brunswick East and it has all of the charm of the original plus more. Thibault Fregoni, the ‘mister’ of Monsieur Truffe, has set up his own old-fashioned cocoa bean roaster and bean press, which [...]