Coming from the team behind Veggie Bar, Transformer sparked much interest with its upper-end vegetarian offerings. High ceilings carried over from its warehouse shell, spot lighting, splashes of greenery and projected images and videos on walls create a sense of grungy cool. The size of our Friday dinner group meas we have to take the banquet menu for $55pp, and after ordering the procession of dishes came quite quickly....
Eastern European restaurants and bars are not too common in Melbourne at the moment, but Palinka is one of the few. Tucked on the corner of Brunswick St and Kerr St, they keep a large range (over 70) of its namesake spirit and European beers, serving up Eastern European-inspired tapas to go alongside them. The food menu is divided into 'Yummy' and 'Fancy'. The fancy plates are not only bigger, but also feature more complex flavours and techniques. As a separate menu item, the thrice cooked smoked pork hock...
I have to say I don't know of too many Indian restaurants where the vibe is casual and the fit-out is contemporary. As a new restaurant offering just that, Mukka piqued my interest. It's a family effort here, with Prateek and his brother the driving force behind the venture, and input into the menu from others in the family. In fact a number of the recipes are sourced from their own mother. The interior had been dreamt up, and much of the furniture was hand-crafted by themselves, right...
Full of 80s vibe, Pixel Alley brings the concept of barcades to Fitzroy. Iconic retro games are the inspiration for the pixel art paintwork, knick knacks and arcade games available for button bashing. Shot glasses look like lego and drink tumblers are adorned with life hearts. Donkey Kong, Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat 2, Pac-man and Daytona are just a few of the machines on offer. I even tried my hand at pinball for the first time in real life (obviously very different from the Space Cadet and...
Smith & Daughters took the vegan dining scene by storm, being incredibly popular by both vegans and non-vegans alike. Earlier this year Shannon Martinez and Mo Wyse opened up Smith & Deli a block away to cater more for the casual day-time crowd, though it doesn't close until 7pm so it's perfect for grabbing a thing or two on the way home. There are ready-to-go meals like salads, pizza, lasagne and pies, and vegan sweets that are sitting temptingly next to the coffee counter. Its impressive selection of sandwiches...
