melbourne cbd

HOT: My Mexican Cousin, Corner Sturt St and Southbank Boulevard, Southbank

February 3, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

Finally the Arts Precinct has a decent place to eat, in the form of My Mexican Cousin. The all-day restaurant is part of the Melbourne Recital Centre and is a joint project between Savatore Malatesta (St Ali, Plantation) and Jerome Borazio (The Resurrection, Ponyfish Island). It’s named after St Ali‘s most famous breakfast dish ‘My Mexican [...]

HOT: Annoying Brother Espresso + Kitchen, 650 Nicholson St, North Fitzroy

January 31, 2012 ⋅ One comment

Do you have a brother? Does he make you coffee? Cook you eggs? Bake you muffins? If he’s an annoying brother, then he might just do so. Annoying Brother Espresso + Kitchen is a small new cafe that’s opened on the southern end of Nicholson St village on the corner of Bik Lane. I have [...]

NOT: Kokoro Ramen, 157-159 Lonsdale St, Melbourne

January 25, 2012 ⋅ Post a comment

In the documentary and cross-cultural love story ‘Banana in a Nutshell’ there’s a funny moment where the Chinese girl and her Anglo boyfriend argue whether cereal is a breakfast food or ‘anytime’ food. It mirrors the kind of conversations that I’ve had with RM before – to me cereal is only for breakfast, whereas he thinks [...]

HOT: Rooftop Cinema, 6/252 Swanston St, Melbourne

January 20, 2012 ⋅ One comment

Ah summer! There are certain events that happen every year which really mark the season in Melbourne. Cricket. Tennis. The Suzuki Night Market. Free music in the parks. And one of my favourites, outdoor cinema. Every year I try to get to at least one summer movie screening under the stars – it’s still a [...]

HOT: Shanghai Street Dumpling, 342 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

January 18, 2012 ⋅ One comment

A couple of years ago RM and I had a week’s holiday in Shanghai. We ate ourselves silly in all manner of restaurants, with a particularly memorable dumpling gorge at Crystal Jade which is still my gold standard for dumplings worldwide (well, limited to the dumpling places that I’ve tried around the world). Shanghai Street [...]

HOT: Threefold, 381 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

December 8, 2011 ⋅ One comment

Threefold is a casual cafe/bar tucked into a narrow corner space on Flinders Lane and Tavistock Place. You’ll recognise it by the planter boxes laden with fresh herbs at its entrance - a happy contrast to the soulless vistas offered by its office block neighbours. It’s a smart establishment that seats mostly business people along narrow benches and small [...]

HOT: N. Lee Bakery, 62 Little Collins St, Melbourne

November 30, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Summer’s here, the sun is out! (Well, not today. But it’s Melbourne so the weather could change by lunch time.) Instead of eating your lunch at your desk, why not stroll down to Little Collins Street to N. Lee Bakery? Join the fast-moving queue of office workers, grab a $5.50 Banh Mi and eat your [...]

HOT: Melbourne Tweed Ride 2011

November 29, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Tally-ho ladies and gents! Thanks to some Sunday sun, a group of about 50 well-dressed cyclists gathered for the annual Melbourne Tweed Ride. Tweed wearers and vintage-stylers rode out from Federation Square along the tweedy brown Yarra River to Como House, which was hosting the Paris to Provence Festival. We got many amazed glances, friendly waves and [...]

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 Chat: Georgia Beattie from Lupe

November 18, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

Melbourne Music Week starts today until 26 November – a fun-filled week of music (natch), films, workshops, parties, eating and drinking. One of my discoveries for Melbourne Music Week is actually not directly about music. If you visit any of the bars at Melbourne Music Week you’ll find Lupe, an innnovative single serve filled wine glass [...]