restaurants and cafes

HOT: Cupcake Central, Level 2 Melbourne Central Dining Hall, cnr Swanston and Latrobe Sts, Melbourne

July 25, 2011 ⋅ 6 comments

What would you do if you lost your job tomorrow? Sheryl Thai used to be an IT consultant. Then during the GFC two years ago, she was told that she no longer had a job. Not one to cry into her keyboard, Sheryl decided that it was time to fulfil her dream of owning a [...]

HOT: Chasing Kitsune, State of Design 2011

July 19, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

Winter in Melbourne can be pretty grey, cold and miserable but it does bring with it some joys – festivals galore! One of my favourite festivals is State of Design, Victoria’s annual design festival. So get ready because from 20-31 July I’ll be bringing you lots of State of Design related blog posts. I’ve got [...]

HOT: Wallis & Ed, 1 Bourke St, Melbourne

July 18, 2011 ⋅ 4 comments

With so many excellent restaurants to choose from in our city, Melbourne never really had a place in its heart for the Hard Rock Cafe. So the American chain’s prime location on the corner of Bourke Street and Spring Street has now been transformed into the chic space known as Wallis & Ed, named after, [...]

HOT: Story In A Cup, Shop 4, 9 Yarra Lane, South Yarra

July 15, 2011 ⋅ 4 comments

I know, I know, it’s hardly ice-cream weather at the moment (but forecast sunny today and tomorrow!). But I for one cannot resist ice-cream any time of year. Especially where you can help yourself! For this post I’m lumping frozen yoghurt in with ice-cream as in my mind they’re much the same, though frozen yoghurt [...]

HOT: Chez Dre, Rear of 285-287 Coventry St, South Melbourne

July 14, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

Happy Bastille Day! While it’s not our national holiday, why not use it as an excuse to pop into new French boulangerie and patisserie Chez Dre? Right near the bustle of South Melbourne Markets and down a bluestone laneway you’ll find a little bit of pastry heaven. Chez Dre is a large space which makes [...]

HOT: Pillar of Salt, 541 Church St, Richmond

July 7, 2011 ⋅ 3 comments

In The Melbourne Magazine’s recent list of Melbourne’s best cafes, Richmond’s winner was Pillar of Salt. Intrigued by its biblical name, I made a mental note to visit it the next time I was around Richmond. Let me just say at the outset it’s a place worth a trip across town. On a weekday afternoon [...]

HOT: Naked for Satan, 285 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

July 6, 2011 ⋅ One comment

When Naked for Satan first opened in September 2010, it was all about the drinking. The bar infuses its own vodka in a polished metal engine-like contraption and as the wall of wine attests, it’s a gathering place for people to drink and be merry. A year later, the focus seems to have turned to [...]

HOT: Melba Mannequins, Melba Restaurant, The Langham Melbourne, 1 Southgate Ave, Southbank

June 28, 2011 ⋅ 3 comments

Melba Mannequins is the twinning of my two loves – fashion and food. The name of the event comes from experiencing lunch at the Melba Restaurant at The Langham while beautiful models parade fashion around the restaurant. Thanks to The Langham, I attend the first sold out Melba Mannequins event which featured the Autumn/Winter collection [...]

HOT: Duckfest, The Provincial Hotel, 299 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

June 28, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

I am an unashamed omnivore – my favourite meat is duck, followed closely by pork. So when I heard that a Duckfest was being organised at The Provincial Hotel, how could I say no? The dining room at The Provincial has an earthy stone-set warmth which is a fitting backdrop to the rustic European style [...]

HOT: Cacao Green, 258 Swanston St, Melbourne

June 26, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

The landscape of Swanston Street changes so often that it’s hard for me to keep up. Even the areas of the street that I’ve passed a thousand times are a blur of noodle shops and fast food outlets such that I’ve never noticed Cacao Green, a store near the corner of Lonsdale Street which opened [...]