As part of the opening weekend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Southgate held the Southgate Fiesta, involving live music performances, free movie screenings and $15 tasting platters from participating restaurants. I chose to try out the tasting platter offered by Bluetrain. Recently revamped with a modern colour scheme, it has high ceilings and an airy feel that create a relaxed and casual environment. Bluetrain has been a resident at Southgate for more than 20 years and has a menu covering pizzas, pastas, burgers, char-grilled dishes and...

The Festival Artisan Bakery & Bar was a pop-up set up specially for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival. Over 17 days, famous bakers from both Australia and overseas came in to oversee the production of baked goods for us to devour, and enjoy a selection of salads, rolls and boards with wine and coffee. On the first day of the festival I dropped by hoping to grab one of Julian Gellatly's famous salted caramel cream-filled doughnuts, but sadly they'd already sold out by 8:30am. Justin Gellatly is from...

Translating to 'The People's House', Popol Nah brings us Latin American food in a casual atmosphere. The menu is divided into chicos (small plates), carnes (larger meat plates), and intermedios (in between). It's designed for sharing, though you could order dishes for yourself if so desired - most people on our table did. [caption id="attachment_7352" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Bolinhos de Bacalhau - Fried Cod and Potato Croquettes, Aioli $10[/caption] [caption id="attachment_7353" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Chicharron - Slow Roasted Pork Belly, Lime, Salsa Verde $8[/caption] I was keen to try a couple of different...

Lorem Ipsum, the text used in publishing, typography and graphic design as a space filler to demonstrate layout and features, is the name cleverly chosen for Melbourne’s first ever pop-up gala space. Created as a collaboration between EMG (Event Management Group) and Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Lorem Ipsum is nestled in the unlikely location of an exhibition bay within MCEC. The space is capable of accommodating 500-2000 people for occasions ranging from cocktail functions to gala dinners and lunches. Each year will follow a different theme and this...

Compared to the multitude of Italian restaurants on Lygon St, the frontage of Il Gambero is relatively quite dark and unassuming, but upon walking in we were surprised at the clean, modern and airy space inside. [caption id="attachment_7268" align="aligncenter" width="529"] Entree Special - Truffle Oil, Porcini, Pancetta Aranchini $14[/caption] The entree special immediately caught my eye. The perfectly crispy shell enclosed the fragrance of truffles, and mushroom, pancetta, and rice. The restrained dab of aioli on top gave just the right amount of moisture to the complement rice. [caption id="attachment_7267" align="aligncenter"...

error: