30 Apr

Mabrown, the venerable house of quail in Balwyn, expanded to the CBD a few years ago bringing their signature dish with them. Walk into Southern Cross lane using Australia Post as your landmark, and keep a look out for the red signage. Unlike its much older and well-established Balwyn cousin, whose white tablecloths, white napkins and high-backed chairs are more typical of Chinese restaurants, the CBD branch has a much more casual style, almost like a Chinese cafe. [caption id="attachment_12055" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Tea Tarik ($4)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12051" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Salt...

20:09 / Food / Mabrown / Malaysian / Melbourne CBD / Restaurants
28 Apr

The duo behind Joylati are certainly not newbies when it comes to gelato. Cristino Vedovato and Fabrizio Locatelli ran a successful gelateria in Piedmont in northern Italy for 15 years, shortly before relocating to Melbourne. Their desire to replicate authentic, artisinal gelati in Melbourne gave birth to the newest gelateria in town. A chocolate waterfall frozen in motion is positioned behind the counter, and a chocolate tap is on hand to fill up those waffle cones with liquid goodness. It's a concept that brings forth memories of Willy Wonka....

20:54 / Dessert/Sweets / Food / Joylati / Prahran / Restaurants
07 Apr

From the outside, Pumphouse Hotel looks like a typical brown-brick pub, but once you walk through the doors you’re greeted with a neat and modern dining area and cosy bar. I have lunch in the bistro section, where the menu offers traditional pub fare as well as other seasonal dishes with more of a European-influence. [caption id="attachment_12009" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Chilli and citrus braised beef ribs - Herbed polenta, sauteed greens, citrus jus ($29.90)[/caption] I’m tempted by the linguini marinara special with salmon, scallops, squid, tomatoes, chilli and basil, but settle...

12:10 / Bar/Pub / Fitzroy / Food / Pumphouse Hotel / Restaurants
06 Apr

Hoping to grab a quite bite before heading in to work, I pop into Hard Pressed, situated within easy access by train and tram. The interior is dark and very retro, and despite the wet and dreary Melbourne weather they’re doing a good trade. [caption id="attachment_12016" align="aligncenter" width="800"] El Cubano - Orange braised pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, Dijon mustard ($15)[/caption] They’ve been known for their sandwiches, or tortas, but on my visit they seemed to have cut back on the torta menu and there’s only one. [caption id="attachment_12015" align="aligncenter" width="800"] El...

12:16 / Cafe / East Melbourne / Food / Hard Pressed
03 Apr

Right next to Camberwell station on Railway Parade, Coffeehead has been providing locals with a coffee-focused venue since 2011. Ash has over 30 years experience as a chef himself, training and working in London before coming to Australia and spending time under Gary Mehigan at Novotel on Collins. Through further work at Blue Train in Crown, he met Paul Mathis, eventually taking over Mathis' CoffeeHead. When Ash Nathan became the owner, he decided to start roasting his own beans on-site with their Probat roaster and retail them, providing...

13:33 / Cafe / Camberwell / CoffeeHead / Food
error: