Ask the Doctor: Great breakfasts close to the city

Help me Doctor!: can you recommend a cafe close to city which does great breakfasts? (i m taking my ex boss and his wife out on sunday! – so funky but not too funky if you know what i mean!) - Andrea F

Your prescription: More information needed! Which side of the inner city do you want [...]

HOT: Telegramstop

Today I’ve been channelling my inner Swedish housewife by baking some cinnamon buns and walnut and sultana bread. As I haven’t managed to leave the house yet (it’s so warm and smells so good!), I thought I’d write an overdue HOT about Telegramstop.
Everyone’s communicating via the electronic world these days. I confess that I write [...]

NOT: Degraves Espresso Bar, 23 Degraves St, Melbourne

Blind dates are always a risky endeavour. But I’ve always had good luck forming close friendships when my friends set me up with their friends, and even once managed to sustain a two year relationship as a result of a blind friend date. So when Matchmaker friend H suggested that J and I meet A [...]

HOT: Alice in Wonderland, Cafe Vue, Little Collins St, Melbourne

As I mentioned before, my birthday treat from my parents was dinner and drinks at Cafe Vue.
It wasn’t as busy on Friday night as I was expecting, so we had our pick of the outdoor tables (with overhead heaters). For the next three hours, we tripped through Alice in Wonderland with drinks in hand, alcoholic [...]

HOT: Stephanie Alexander, NGV Australia, Federation Square, Melb

I come from a family where food is what binds us together. We reminisce about food we’ve eaten, anticipate the food we’re going to eat, compare cooking methods, discuss Masterchef and take family outings to farmers markets. I think I’m very fortunate that my upbringing has taught me how food gets to my [...]

HOT: J Cafe Restaurant, 167 Exhibition St, Melbourne

The Japanese are reknowned for their quirky mash-ups of Eastern and Western culture, from costume-play to J-pop.

So it’s no surprise that someone thought “Hey, I like burgers, I like sushi – I know! A sushi burger!” This bizarre sounding ensemble consists of two sushi rice patties, special sauce, lettuce, no cheese or pickled onion, your [...]

HOT: Shark Fin House, 131 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

Whoops. Luckily no one important reads this blog, otherwise by now I would have been held to account for my wee defamatory comment on Shark Fin House.
Correction: There is no third floor, and the top floor (second floor) doesn’t appear to be a special area for non-Chinese where they serve sub-standard food. Although if you [...]

NOT: John Brack, Ian Potter Centre NGV Australia, Federation Square, Melbourne

I’m afraid that I will be made a pariah but I cannot tell a lie; I really disliked NGV Australia’s John Brack exhibition.
I’m Australian, I live in Melbourne and I like to think that I know something about art appreciation. He’s apparently one of Australia’s foremost artists – I’m supposed to like his work. But [...]

HOT: Commercial Bakery, Rear 360 Lt Collins St, Melbourne

Commercial Bakery is the kind of hidden Tardis-like cafe on which Melbourne thrives. At first I thought it was a tiny establishment selling only what was displayed in its window shelves, but step inside and you see that a large warmly-lit split-level area stretches into the back beyond.
Its frontage caught my eye because of the [...]

HOT: Cafe Vue, 430 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

I can still remember my visit to Shannon Bennett’s first Carlton restaurant and my initial encounter with multiple courses of wildly fantastical food combinations. Now, when I am asked to name Melbourne’s best restaurant, I invariably answer ‘Vue de Monde’.
Since moving to his CBD location, Bennett has expanded his repertoire beyond molecular gastronomy to encompass [...]