melbourne cbd

HOT: Portico Balcony, Melbourne Town Hall, Cnr Swanston and Collins St, Melbourne

April 20, 2010 ⋅ 7 comments

It’s been a month since I was married and so I thought it would be a good time to start a series of posts relating to the wedding – basically my review of all the different suppliers we used for our day. I know that when I was researching florists, photographers and cake shops I [...]

HOT: Ron Mueck, NGV International, 180 St Kilda Rd, Southbank

April 16, 2010 ⋅ 5 comments

I’m a bit late with this post given that the Ron Mueck exhibition at NGV International closes this Sunday – but if you have a chance get down to NGV tonight (it’s open till 9pm) or this weekend to see some really life-like giant people and miniature people. Ron Mueck is a Melbourne-born London-based sculptor [...]

HOT: Pasta Al Giro, Mezzo Bar & Grill, 35 Lt Bourke St, Melbourne

April 15, 2010 ⋅ 4 comments

After three weeks of non-stop Chinese food on our honeymoon, what a nice way to get back into real (Western) life than to sit down to Southern Italian comfort food with Pasta Al Giro. What is Pasta Al Giro? A feast of fresh and filled pasta to share with your table for $45 a head, [...]

NOT: Breadwell, 135 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

April 13, 2010 ⋅ 9 comments

Breadwell? BreadNOT. This small café is popular with the lawyer/banker crowd down towards the Paris end of Collins St, and I’m not sure why because the food that L and I had for lunch was pretty poor. To whit – Breadwell’s ‘famous’ spicy meatballs with pasta ($20) and green lentil dahl with yoghurt and crispy [...]

HOT Chat: Chris Howatson of tropicalhowie

April 11, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Do you know about Springwise? It’s a great website that scans the world for cool business ideas and it’s how I found out about tropicalhowie. The company’s unique, limited-edition laptop covers were featured recently and I was excited to discover that they were designed and sold right here in Melbourne. Well, of course I had [...]

HOT: Izakaya Chuji, 165 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

April 9, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments

Izakaya Chuji proudly pronounces that it’s been operating since 1989. It must be doing something right if it’s still going strong after 20 years, despite a rather dingy interior (and increasing in dinginess the further away from the window you are) and no-frills service. At lunch time the 50s diner-like setup is full of office [...]

HOT: Melbourne Dae Jang Geum Korean BBQ, Level 1, 235 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

April 8, 2010 ⋅ 13 comments

Melbourne Dae Jang Geum Korean BBQ is the sort of restaurant that I would normally avoid in Chinatown. The entrance is manned by a bored tout in national costume wielding a picture menu. Plus as it’s upstairs you can’t check whether there are any patrons inside. If you make your dining choices in the same [...]

HOT: Von Haus, 1 Crossley St, Melbourne

April 7, 2010 ⋅ 15 comments

Von Haus. I’m imagining a private club for beardy little men with a penchant for tweed knickerbockers. The reality is much more cool. Von Haus is a café/bar with an almost invisible doorway on achingly stylish Crossley Street. Step inside and it’s like being in your best friend’s cosy, rustic dining room with perfectly distressed [...]

Ask the Doctor: Upmarket restaurants that welcome solo diners

April 4, 2010 ⋅ 2 comments

Help me Doctor!: I travel to Melbourne for a few days several times a year (for the shopping/galleries) and on the past two trips have had real issues with being a solo diner… MoVida -was ignored and watched people being sat ahead of me, had to argue to be given a single seat available at the bar. Gills Diner – [...]

HOT: Aix Cafe Creperie Salon, 24 Centre Place, Melbourne

March 31, 2010 ⋅ 6 comments

Aix Cafe Creperie Salon is a stalwart out of all of the tiny-perch-on-the-pavement cafes lining bustling Centre Place. As the name suggests, the café serves crepes and since my last visit a few years ago it has also increased its offering to standard breakfast items (eggs, toast), an expanded selection of crusty filled baguettes and [...]