melbourne cbd

HOT: Hell’s Kitchen, 20 Centre Place, Melbourne

October 16, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

It’s 6pm on a Friday night and I’m catching up with Andrea for an impromptu post-work drink. But really, what my stomach is telling me is that I need food, not drink. I don’t think there’s many bars in Melbourne where you can order a gooey chocolate fudge cake at beer o’clock instead of a [...]

HOT: Yu-u, 137 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

October 16, 2009 ⋅ 3 comments

Yu-u. What a funny name. And one of the best lunch deals in the hidden laneways of Melbourne. There’s nothing to mark the entrance to this sleek Japanese restaurant except a steel warehouse door with peeling salmon-pink paint. Step down some concrete steps and it opens out into a dimly serene wood and stone room, [...]

HOT: The Press Club, 72 Flinders St, Melbourne

October 15, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

In case you missed the furor in the blogosphere, George Calombris took a swipe at food bloggers recently in the Herald Sun. So I was a little apprehensive about how I’d be received at his flagship restaurant The Press Club with my camera and notebook in hand and very apprehensive about the consequences if I gave the restaurant a NOT rating. [...]

NOT: Grossi Florentino Grill, 80 Bourke Street, Melbourne

October 15, 2009 ⋅ 10 comments

Lately in Twitter-land there’s been some press circulating about people posting negative reviews on social media sites possibly being sued for defamation. So I had to think twice about whether to give Grossi Florentino Grill a NOT. Let me start off with note (plea) to Guy Grossi. I don’t have a personal vendetta against you. [...]

NOT: Red Spice Road, 27 McKillop St, Melbourne

October 14, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Brendan’s first guest post on rock ‘n’ roll hairdresser Dr Follicles has become one of the most popular posts on MEL: HOT OR NOT, so by popular demand he’s providing you with his razor-sharp insight on Red Spice Road. I went to Red Spice Road for lunch today. Frankly the menu is getting tired. Same lunch [...]

HOT: National Ride to Work Day, Federation Square, Melbourne

October 14, 2009 ⋅ One comment

I grew up in the Sunshine State and I must be one of the few Melburnians who actually prefers the weather in this cold, windy, rainy city. That is, except when it’s National Ride to Work Day. As I pushed my bike out the door dressed in a vintage coat, jersey dress and black [...]

HOT Alert: Week of 12 October 2009

October 11, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

My foodie friend from London and the Jetsetting Parents are in town this week, which means fewer social events and a LOT more restaurant reviews. Look out for posts on Grossi Florentino Grill, The Press Club, Yu.u, Mr Price’s Food Store and Nobu. Also, don’t forget on Wednesday 14 October it’s National Ride to Work Day. In Melbourne [...]

HOT: Shop and Cook Tour, William Angliss Institute, 555 Latrobe St, Melbourne

October 10, 2009 ⋅ 8 comments

When it comes to Christmas and birthdays, I’m a pretty easy person to buy for. Anything food related, travel related, art related or music related is a sure bet. So big hugs and thank you to my high school girlfriends, who gifted me the perfect Jetsetting Joyce experience – a foodie shopping and cooking day. [...]

HOT: frankie Photo Album Launch, 1000 £ Bend, 361 Lt Lonsdale St, Melb

October 8, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Thank goodnesss for frankie, an intelligent, quirky and stylish magazine, far removed from the dross of Who, Hello and That’s Life. For the first time, frankie are publishing the limited-run The Photo Album, a coffee-table collection of photographs from amateur and professional photographers. All of the images share the muted, off-beat, nostalgia-toned aesthetic of the [...]

Ask the Doctor: Best cocktails in the CBD

October 6, 2009 ⋅ 4 comments

Help me Doctor!: Where can I find the best cocktails in the city in a laidback, relaxed setting? – Su Your prescription: When I first to moved to Melbourne to start my first real job, I was given an induction pack. Along with the OHS policy and superannuation forms, an unofficial yet highly essential document [...]