Thursday, October 30, 2014

Wine wanker of the week

Red Wine Is the Drink of Choice on ‘Scandal’ and ‘The Good Wife’ - NYTimes.com:

Wine writer David Asimov:

As much as a small group of wine lovers would like to believe wine has gone mainstream, in fact its portrayal on television as a character prop suggests that many Americans still view it as somehow effete, foreign or, at least, no different than any other alcoholic beverage.
For me, use of wine as a prop is not so much an issue of morals or health as it is of aesthetics. Many Americans regard wine as booze. They go to a bar for a topped-up glass of wine, or drink a glass on the deck at home before sitting down to dinner with a soda. Such a utilitarian view is anathema to classic wine culture, which puts wine at the center of the table, to be savored as a vital component of a meal rather than a stand-alone drink.


'via Blog this'

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Restaurant list for WA

Asado, Claremont
Balthazar, Perth CBD
Bistro de Artistes, Subiaco
Bread in Common, Fremantle
Casellas Wine Tapas Grill, Bunbury
Co-op Dining, East Perth
Cott &Co, Cottesloe
Edosei, Perth
Emporium, Bridgetown
Fuyu, Nedlands
Grand Bar and Bistro, Perth CBD
Greenhouse, Perth CBD
Itsara, Nedlands
Kirby's at Ricketty Kate, Denmark
Lady of Ro, Subiaco
Lo Zucchero, City Beach
Long Chim, Perth
Lucky Chan's Laundry, Northbridge
Mandoon Estate, Caversham
Marumo, Nedlands
Meeka, Subiaco
Mosmans Restaurant, Mosman Park
Muscats Restaurant and Bar, The Vines
Nine Fine Food, Highgate
Nobu, Victoria Park
Orecchiette, Bunbury
Petition Kitchen, Perth CBD
Piari and Co, Dunsborough
Print Hall, Perth CBD
Punjab Indian Restaurant, Woodlands
Restaurant Amusé, East Perth
Rustlers, Albany
Sandalford Estate, Caversham
Sauma, Northbridge
Shorehouse, Swanbourne
Steve's Fine Wine and Food, Nedlands
The Coffee Club, Kalamunda
The Shorehouse, Swanbourne
Vasse Felix, Cowaramup
Wildflower, Perth CBD
Wills Domain, Yallingup

Restaurant list for SA

82 Thai, Semaphore
2KW, Adelaide CBD
Abbots and Kinney, Adelaide
Adelaide Pho, Adelaide CBD
Africola, Adelaide CBD
Aharn Thai, Malvern
Aldgate Providores, Aldgate
Amalfi Pizzeria Ristorante, Adelaide CBD
Ambrosini's, Norwood
Andre's Cucina, Adelaide CBD
Appellation, Barossa Valley
Argo on the Parade, Norwood
Assagio Cafe, Campbelltown
Auge, Adelaide CBD
Aux Fine Bouches, Brighton
Bar Torino, Adelaide CBD
Betel Leaf Cafe, Seaton
Beyond India, North Adelaide
Bistro DOM, Adelaide CBD
Borsa Pasta Cucina, Adelaide CBD
Botanic Gardens, Adelaide
British India, Adelaide
Cafe Sia, Evanston
Caffe L'Incontro, Adelaide CBD
Cardone's Seafood and Grill, Glenelg
Carmel’s CafĂ© Bar & Grill, McLaren Vale
Chefs of Tandoori, Malvern
Chianti Classico, Adelaide CBD
China Chilli, Adelaide CBD
Cibo Espresso O'Connell Street, North Adelaide
Cinnamon Club, Norwood
Cliche Exhibition, North Adelaide
Coriole, McLaren Vale
Cos 18 Leigh, Adelaide CBD
Cotto Espresso, Glenelg
Cucina Nuova,  Henley Beach
d'Arry's Verandah, McLaren Vale
Daniel O'Connell, North Adelaide
Delicatessen Kitchen & Bar, Adelaide CBD
Devour Cafe and Patisserie, Richmond
Dhaba at the Spice Kitchen, Leabrook
Ellen Street Maxwell Wines, McLaren Vale
En Japanese, Goodwood
Enzo's Ristorante, Hindmarsh
Estia, Henley Beach
Etica, Adelaide
Farraja, Goodwood
Fasta Pasta, various locations
fermentAsian, Tanunda
Fino, Willunga
Fino, Seppeltsfield
Fire on Unley, Unley
Flinders Street Project,  Adelaide CBD
From Orient, Adelaide CBD
Gaucho's Argentinian, Adelaide CBD
Georges on Waymouth, Adelaide CBD
Ginza Miyako, Adelaide CBD
Golden Boy, Adelaide CBD
Gondola Gondola, Adelaide CBD
Grill'd, Norwood
Hanuman, Adelaide CBD
Hentley Farm, Seppeltsfield, Barossa Valley
Hey Jupiter, Adelaide CBD
Hill of Grace, Adelaide Oval
Hispanic Mechanic, Frewville
Hotel Wright Street, Adelaide CBD
House of Chow, Adelaide CBD
HWY, Plympton
Ichitaro, Hyde Park
Insieme, Adelaide CBD
Jamie's Italian, Adelaide CBD
Jarmer's, Bowden
Jasmin, Adelaide CBD
Jimmie's Restaurant, Crafers
Jolleys Boathouse, Adelaide CBD
Kangkong, Adelaide CBD
Kenji, Adelaide CBD
L'Atelier Gourmand, Wayville
La Moka, Adelaide CBD
La Rambla, Adelaide CBD
Leonards Mill, Second Valley
Lickerish, Semaphore
Little NNQ, Adelaide CBD
Madame Hanoi, Adelaide CBD
Magill Estate, Magill
Magill Estate Kitchen, Magill
Market Street, Adelaide
Mayflower Restaurant and Bar, Adelaide CBD
Mayura Station’s ‘The Tasting Room’, Millicent
Mestizo, South Glenelg
Minestra, Prospect
Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard, Lenswood
Muratti Cakes & Gateaux, Prospect
MyTho City, Hindmarsh
Napoli, Mile End
National Wine Centre, Adelaide
New Local Eatery, Hindmarsh
Nghi Ngan Quan, Woodville
Olea, Adelaide CBD
One Little Sister, Normanville
Orana, Adelaide CBD
Osteria Oggi, Adelaide CBD
Paddy's Lantern, Adelaide
Papa Rich, Adelaide CBD
Parwana, Torrensville
Pasta Deli, Glynde
Patch Kitchen and Garden, Stirling
Peel Street, Adelaide CBD
Pink Moon Saloon, Adelaide
Pipers of Penola, Penoa
Pizza e Mozarella, Adelaide CBD
Press Food and Wine, Adelaide CBD
Queen's Head Hotel, North Adelaide
Red Cacao, Stirling
Red Ochre, North Adelaide
River Cafe, North Adelaide
Ruby Red Flamingo, North Adelaide
Rumi Palace, Norwood
Salopian Inn, McLaren Vale
Sean's Kitchen, Adelaide CBD
Shanker's, Prospect
Shiki, Adelaide
Si Senorita, Glenelg
Signature, Adelaide CBD
Stranded Store,  Colonel Light Gardens
Sukhumvit Soi 38, Adelaide CBD
Sushi Train Central Market Station, Adelaide CBD
Sushi Train Unley Metro, Unley
Tasca Viva, Glenelg
The Apothecary, Adelaide CBD
The Artisan Cafe, Blackwood
The Barn Steakhouse, Mt Gambiet
The Crane, Glenelg
The Daniel O'Connell, North Adelaide
The Elbow Room, McLaren Vale
The Ghan Kebab House, Kilburn
The Glasshouse Hotel, Adelaide CBD
The Highway, Plympton
The Jungle, Kent Town
The Kitchen Door, McLaren Vale
The Lane Vineyard, Hahndorf
The Lion Hotel, North Adelaide
The Old Curiosity Shop and Tea Rooms, Walkerville
The Old Vine, Aldinga
The Penang Adelaide CBD
The Playford Restaurant, Adelaide CBD
The Stirling Hotel, Stirling
The Tasting Room - East End Cellars, Adelaide CBD
The Victory Hotel, Sellicks Hill
Toptai,North Adelaide
Treasury on King William, Adelaide CBD
 Vietnam Gourmet, Millswood
Vintners, Angaston
Viva Zapata, Semaphore
Windy Point Restaurant, Belair
Yakatori Yakumi, North Adelaide
Yan Linh, Adelaide CBD

Grand Bar and Bistro


RestaurantGrand Bar and Bistro
Street address150B St Georges Terrace
SuburbPerth
StateWA
Postcode6000
Phone08 9486 7333
Websitehttp://grandbarandbistro.com.au/
Style
Awards 2014 Fairfax Good Food Guides
Awards Gourmet Guide
The Australian Top 50
Restaurant & Catering Awards
Other Awards
Reviews & Notes"As the lady said, this is fairly posh nosh for a lot less dosh. Generally, good-value, well-cooked, well-presented fare using quality ingredients and served quite competently in very elegant surroundings."
ReviewerDon Stott - West Australian 23/10/14
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Owner's note

Don Stott restaurant reviews for the West Australian

23 October 2014 Grand Bar and Bistro - " Generally, good-value, well-cooked, well-presented fare using quality ingredients". Our summary HERE

The Penang

RestaurantThe Penang
Street address22 Gilbert Place
SuburbAdelaide
StateSA
Postcode5000
Phone08 8231 2552
Websitehttp://www.penangrestaurant.com.au/
StyleMalaysian
Awards 2014 Fairfax Good Food Guides
Awards Gourmet Guide
The Australian Top 50
Restaurant & Catering Awards
Other Awards
Reviews & Notes"Inside The Penang, you could be forgiven for thinking you were in a timewarp. Even the menu and prices look to be unchanged in 20 years, making it very good value for money."
ReviewerMary Taylor - InDaily 29/10/41
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Owner's note

Nora


Carlton VIC 3053 Thai/Cafe

RestaurantNora
Street address156 Elgin Street
SuburbCarlton
StateVIC
Postcode3053
Phone03 9041 8644
Websitenoramelbourne.com
StyleCafe - contemporary Thai; Special dinner Friday only
Awards Fairfax Good Food Guides
Awards Gourmet Guide
The Australian Top 50
Restaurant & Catering Awards
Other Awards
Reviews & Notes"... a smart, small cafe that totally belongs in Carlton"
ReviewerSimone Egger - Melbourne Age 28/10/14
Reviews & Notes"... the new Friday-nights-only, bookings-compulsory dinner service is one of Melbourne's most exciting. Book it and now."
ReviewerGemima Cody - The Age 8/9/15 14.5/20
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Owner's note

Green Park

RestaurantGreen Park
Street address815 Nicholson Street
SuburbCarlton North
StateVIC
Postcode3054
Phone03 9380 5499
Websitehttp://greenparkdining.com.au/
StyleCafe
Awards 2014 Fairfax Good Food Guides
Awards Gourmet Guide
The Australian Top 50
Restaurant & Catering Awards
Other Awards
Reviews & Notes"... let's call it an Australian bodega." 14/20
ReviewerDan Stock - Herald Sun 25/11/14 14/20
Reviews & Notes"There is much to like at Green Park at whatever time of day. ... they’re on the right track."
ReviewerDan Stack - Herald Sun 18/11/14 13.5/20
Reviews & Notes
Reviewer
Owner's note

Jane Ormond restaurant reviews for the Age

28 October 2014 - A foodies' guide to Mordialloc

Simone Egger restaurant reviews for the Age

2015
13 January 2015 Aragvi Georgian Cafe - "Aragvi's Georgian cuisine for lunch, brunch and dinner is decently priced and, though traditional dishes are not the prettiest (a lot of beige, and stews), it's beautiful on the inside." Our summary HERE
10 February 2015 Botherambo - "Casual bump-in bar and eatery." Our summary HERE
3 March 2015 Nuevo Latino - "Nuevo Latino takes traditional, potentially exotic ingredients from all over the Latin world, like yuka (or cassava), and offers them in an Anglo-friendly way:" Our summary HERE
17 March 2015 Lieveta - "Eat in or take out: Lieveta sells slices of pizza by weight. Our summary HERE
31 March 2015 Tokyo Tina - "There's wow in the small plates section of the menu." Our summary HERE
28 April 2015 We Love Dumpling - "... the place stands out for its good food and service." Our summary HERE
9 June 2015 Grub - "you might also wonder how the small, open kitchen turns out such a diverse, cheffy menu. There’s magic here." Our summary HERE
7 July 2015 Denis the Menace - "... some quietly sophisticated food that's consciously nutritous." Our summary HERE
21 July 2015 La Svolta - "Pedigreed pizza delivers with dash." Our summary HERE
4 August 2015 Sugar Prawn - "... playful plates of food that are rooted in the hawker scrums of [the chef's] homeland." Our summery HERE
1 September 2015 Little Drop of Poison - "... these guys ... bring out great flavours in their deceptively simple-sounding bar food." Our summary HERE
15 September 2015 Saba's Ethiopian - "With carefully made coffee and punchy food you can eat with your hands, Saba's should have broad appeal." Our summary HERE
29 September 2015 Chef's Tandoor - "... it's really a neat local restaurant." Our summary HERE
27 October 2015 Sabai Richmond - "It's a smart small menu that weaves chacteristic Thai zing with a bit of contemporary zing." Our summary HERE
10 November 2015 Indian Burrp - "The ranging menu is to please as many people as possible; there’s a very good chance of folks finding their favourite dishes here, be it veg vindaloo, Goan fish curry or rogan josh." Our summary HERE
2014
28 October 2014 Nora Our summary HERE
25 November 2014 Rice Paper Scissors - "The food is feisty Thai, with a smattering of Vietnamese, in refined one- or two-bite serves ... a dependably good, no-bull place to eat." Our summary HERE
9 December 2014 Patbingsoo - "... El Cubano: the Cuban sandwich ... simple but tasty sandwiches" - Our summary HERE

Gemima Cody restaurant reviews in the Melbourne Age

2016
23 February 2016 The French Saloon - " It's more a fresh bistro than a French one, but that's good news for everyone." Our summary HERE
8 March 2016 Igni - "What makes Igni one of the most comfortable, casual and refined dining experiences we've seen for some time has everything to do with experience. The rolling list of dishes climbs to 30 at weekends, yet the kitchen is almost disturbingly calm, the moves quiet and economical. Service is enthused, professional and self-aware – everything it should be in 2016. Everyone's having fun, and so will you. Brace yourself, Geelong. The world is coming." Our summary HERE
12 July 2016 East Bar and Dining - "... the menu on the website featuring every cheffy trend of the last three years – kimchi, cultured creams, liquid nitrogen and chocolate with beets ... there's a lot of skill and passion here ... Pro Tip: Come early, it gets busy and slower later at night." LOur summary HERE
15 July 2016 Hellenic Republic - "There's fun to be had. ... George Calombaris brings his brand of Greek to the beach." Our summary HERE

2015
13 January 2015 Minamishima "There's a nice balance between the rare. the wierd and the familiar. ... In this town it doesn't get any better." Our summary HERE
20 January 2015 L'Hotel Gilan "The pan-European-and-sometimes-Asian menu tends to give traditional bistro and pub numbers a gentle nudge rather than a kick in the pants." Our summary HERE
27 January 2015 Hammer and Tong 42 "Serious dining returns to Fitzroy ... The careful plating may tell a story of serious intent, but your overall experience stays on the casual side of the fence." Our summary HERE
3 February 2015 Pei Modern - "... elegent interesting food." Our summary HERE
10 February 2015 St Hotel - "This is easy earing Thai." Our summary HERE
17 February Entrecote - "What they're serving is steak, but what they're selling is the fantasy of wealth and luxury." Our summary HERE
24 February 2015 Highline at the Railway Hotel - "Highline is all about what's on the plate, and that's some elegant cooking from a young chef with eyes locked tight on the future... Take the ride." Our summary HERE
3 March 2015 Estelle Bistro - "... it's now an extensive choose-your-own adventure of snacks. There's a pretty staggering assortment of things you want to eat, and the hit rate is high." Our summary HERE
17 March 2915 Sagra - "... simplest dishes work best ... Sagra has potential". Our summary HERE
24 March 2015 Meat Fish Wine - "It's a luxe, central place where you can get a decent fish, steak and glass of wine. That may not win you over hook, line and sinker, but sometimes, it's enough." Our summary HERE
31 March 2015 La Bonta - "The menu is tight, gardeny and aggressively fresh." Our summary HERE
7 April 2015 Rosa's Kitchen - "... a menu with snack flexibility ... food made famous for its total lack of faff and fuss ... For maximum fun keep expectations set to 'accessible Italian'." Our summary HERE
14 April 2015 Transformer - "... creating complex, thoughtful dishes for all ... It's boundary defying food." Our summary HERE
21 April 2015 Moor Please - "This is smart-casual eating, executed well. All day, any day stuff adhering to the simple Middle Eastern idea that fruit, nuts, labna and cumin make everything better." Our summary HERE
5 May IDES - "... this is a once-monthly pop-up by Attica sous chef Peter Gunn ... Gunn is on a mission. He's even got a slogan. "In pursuit of creation, not perfection." ... It's $100 for seven courses, which is good value, but that's not the draw. There's something important happening here. This isn't just one chef making good. It's the start of a tiny revolution, and judging by the interest it has piqued on both sides of the pass, it's one we need to have. If this is what the great burger revolt looks like – wild, free-wheeling and risky cooking – we're behind it, 100 per cent." Our summary HERE
12 May 2015 South Society - "The menu rings bells too – bar-snacky stuff such as calamari and crab sliders, with bigger things like slow-cooked lamb haunches and roughage-filled salads that cater to the hottest intolerances of now. What matters is that young chef Auriele Ducasse is doing them well." Our summary HERE
19 May 2015 Becco - "Becco is a legend and for reasons that still exist. It's had a hit in The Age Good Food Guide since 1998. But if it wishes to remain a living legend, it needs to step up." Our summary HERE
26 May 2015 Anchovy - "Book ahead - this is the next big thing. ... classic Vietnamese flavours, sharply focused and formatted for fun." Our summary HERE
2 June 2015 Brooks of Melbourne - "Brooks is a restaurant you frock up for and put it on someone else's card." Our summary HERE
9 June 2015 The Roving Marrow - "If the yum cha concept sounds like a gamble, it’s a calculated one. Two sittings see a trolley loaded with a limited number of tweezer- driven small plates that know no geographical bounds." Our summary HERE
16 June 2015 Woody P - "Woody P is more easy than exciting. But sometimes easy is all you need." Our summary HERE
23 June 2015 Bax Food Co - "It's all about cheap. simple and and solidly executed Jamaican food ... You basically get a crash course in Jamaica's history of foreign occupation, mouth first." Our summary HERE
21 July 2015 Deja Vue - "Beam in on the bird. Eat and leave happy." Our summary HERE
28 July 2015 Lume - "Dining here takes a leap of faith, but the reward is an adventure. ... Don't expect perfect. This is an uncut diamond. A few facets gleam. Time and trimming will show its worth." Our summary HERE
4 August 2015 Saint Urban - "The restaurant has a progressive look but it's comfortable, as is the food." Our summary HERE
11 August 2015 Nant 1821 Distiller's Bar and Restaurant - "For what is essentially a cellar door the sell is soft. ... The menu hasn't fully graduated from bar land." Our summary HERE
18 August 2015 Estelle by Scott Pickett - "When Pickett began Estelle, the tasting menus were famously cheap. Potent yet brief. The room and service humble to a fault. It's now a $130 a head experience, minimum secen courses, backed by service so tight it's almost tense. It's no longer a neighbourhood restaurant but a restaurant-restaurant in a neighbourhood." Our summary HERE
25 August 2015 Hattori Hanzo - "It's a geographical brawl, the menu jumping from Thailand to Laos and Korea, with brief stops in Japan ... No one's taking things too seriously here and neither should you. Serious is not the point." Our summary HERE
1 September 2015 Dashi - "Wada has stepped quietly, carefully into Mount Eliza, placing one foot each into the classic and creative camps." Our summary HERE
8 September 2015 Nora - "... the new Friday-nights-only, bookings-compulsory dinner service is one of Melbourne's most exciting. Book it and now." Our summary HERE
15 September 2015 Lee Ho Fook - "Still the frontier for new-wave Chinese, still possessing a certain don't-give-a damnitude, still unique." Our summary HERE
22 September 2015 The Stag - "If it's native and edible you'll find it on [Chef Ryan] Sessions' plates. ... The Stag feels like a big step on the road back to glory. Sessions is settlling back into his groove." Our summary HERE
29 September 2015 Semi-Permanent - "The result is a dinner of classic wine food, executed with pep. ... straight forward excellence..." Our summary HERE
6 October 2015 Toko Melbourne - "It's the sort of place where what's going on around the plates seems as important as what's on them" Our summary HERE
13 October 2015 Lamaro's Bodega - ""This isn't a restaurant reinvented. It's a restaurant revived. And it's better than ever." Our summary HERE
20 October 2015 Lady Carolina - "... it's busy and loud and so on-trend that it hurts, but there's substance beyond the hype. And that's a rare and nice thing too." Our summary HERE
27 October 2015 Pinotta - "The $45 prix fixe gets you snacks, a starter and a main any time, any day Go-to dish Fresh gnocchi, spring peas, lots of herbs and salted ricotta." Our summary HERE
3 November 2015 Two Wrongs - "Two Wrongs nails hipster dining so well that you can’t tell if they’re geniuses or victims of their own joke. ... a collection of zeitgeisty dishes all tricked out in the same trash-glam fashion as the room." Our summary HERE
10 November 2015 Oakridge Winery - "There’s a classic entree-main-dessert format and a set menu at weekends of two or three courses. ... A couple of options in each course, and chef Matt Stone knows his way around vegetables" Our summary HERE
Marion Wine Bar, Fitzroy - "And while the formula is now familiar – the short, sharp snack menu of seasonal dishes where the likes of seared duck hearts buried in herb and onion foliage with slips of smoky leg meat is king one day, gone the next, and where the focus is on interesting and not exclusively natural wines; and the policy of busting open a magnum for by-theglass tastings is regularly enforced – no one’s tired of it. They do it well at the sunniest end of Gertrude Street." Our summary HERE
2014
28 October 2014 - Green Park - "... let's call it an Australian bodega." Our summary HERE
4 November 2014 O My - "... thoughtful mature dishes ... possibly the most exciting restaurant you'll discover all year" Our summary HERE
18 November 2014 Lady Boy Dining + Bar - ""... this is a business in its youth. The ideas are there; the ability to execute them well and lose what doesn't work hasn't caught up." Our summary HERE
25 November 2014 Tipo 00 -"If their mission here was to provide comfort and tastiness with polish, they've nailed it.'' Our summary HERE
2 December 2014 Mister Jennings - "Mister Jennings, at five months old, has become a definitive next-gen restaurant ... a talented chef who uses his talents for fun." Our summary HERE
9 December 2014 Bacash - "Fish get the respect they deserve". Our summary HERE
16 December 2014 Meat Maiden - "Good booze and boozing food". Our summary HERE

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Dan Stock restaurant reviews in the Melbourne Herald Sun

2016
28 June 2016 Tulum - "It’s accomplished and exciting, enlivening and completely enjoyable cooking that somewhat manages to be at once comforting and clever."  Our summary HERE
2015
13 January 2015 Cerberus Beach House - "it’s a brillian brilliant bargain." Our summary HERE
20 January 2015 Yabby Lake - "Lunch, too, is a thing of quiet beauty. ... you’ll find some of the best casual dining to be found along the peninsula." Our summary HERE
27 January 2015 L'Hotel Gilan - "It really is a perfect neighbourhood venue." Our summary HERE
3 February 2015 Botherambo - "Safe and sanitised, Botherambo captures the new Richmond perfectly. It is, of course, a huge hit with the suburb’s new rich." Our summary HERE
10 February 2015 The Lincoln - "... turning out some good, often excellent, food. ... Unexpected twists, such as ocean trout cured in coffee , highlight an adventurousness to be applauded." Our summary HERE
17 February 2015 East - "East gives diners a new vocabulary for Chinese flavours." Our summary HERE
24 February 2015 Tippo 00 - "The food and service at this pasta bar are simply the best." Our summary HERE
3 March 2015 Minamishima - "Yes, you will be served arguably the freshest and most skilfully prepared fish you can find in this city, but you will pay very handsomely for the privilege." Our summary HERE
10 March 2015 Mr Lawrence - "There would be everything right about coming here just for pizza, but there’s lots to like through the rest of the menu." Our summary HERE
17 March 2015 Magic Mountain Saloon - "... to write this off just as a bar for the young and the thirsty would do you no favours — and you’d miss out on some of the very best Thai flavours going in this town." Our summary HERE
24 March 2015 Bahari - "Bahari has good, hone honest food at good, honest price prices." Our summary HERE
31 March 2015 Meat, Fish, Wine - "It might have a simple name and mission statement, but there’s still some way to go before the Meat Fish Wine offering matches its ambitions. It does what it says on the tin, sure, but it needs to do more." -  Our summary HERE
7 April 2015 Sagra - "...cooking can err on the fussy side of rustic, with a tendency to finish dishes with vincotto, it’s generally solid, and the produce very good ... Though Sagra has its faults, none are insurmountable, and you’d be well happy to have this in the area if you lived here. Exactly what Malvern needs, indeed.." Our summary HERE
14 April 2015 Highline - "Laudable farm-to-plate philosophy gets lost during delivery." Our summary HERE
21 April 2015 Maha - "The food ... has undergone a tweak or two, but retains at its heart a generosity of spirit for which the cuisine is famed, though with a modern twist or two." Our summary HERE
28 April 2015 Ovest - "While pizza may be the hero at Ovest, the lasagne is worth a visit alone." Our summary HERE
5 May 2005 Donovans - "Sharing and caring — that’s what the Donovans do and why people come. ... I’d forgot what a pleasure it is to eat three actual courses — no “designed to share” malarky here." Our summary HERE
12 May 2015 Rosa's Kitchen - "Offal is not a dirty word at Rosa’s Canteen, ... Simple and delicious, that’s always been Rosa’s way. This canteen for the court class is no exception." Our summary HERE
19 May 2015 Transformer - "It’s cool without being overly so, on a mission without making a show. Transformer heralds a new way of thinking about vegetarian food. And that’s good for all of us." Our summary HERE
26 May 2015 Cook and Norman Trattoria - "... there’s some excellent cooking going on in this trattoria." Our summary HERE
2 June 2015 Lost Heaven - "... a meal that ... showed a decidedly deft hand on the numbing heat that is the cornerstone of the second-most famous style of Chinese cooking." Our summary HERE
9 June 2015 The Roving Marrow - "... a trolley laden with all manner of bites will be quick to trundle by, with bigger dishes ordered off a traditional menu. ... There’s clever elegance to these dishes... The trolley might be the gimmick to get you through the door, but it’s the rest of the sophisticated package that will have you rolling back in." Our summary HERE.
16 June 2015 Flower Drum - "Flower Drum is so far from world class it’s an insult to our best restaurants that it’s still mentioned in the same breath. It’s trading on — and charging for — the goodwill of decades of made memories." Our summary HERE and a story on different opinions HERE
23 June 2015 Woody P - "So #whatiswoody? It’s definitely a lot of great food, keenly priced, in elegantly casual surrounds. Woody just needs to reconcile its duelling personalities into the fun, generous whole it could so." Our summary HERE
30 June 2015 Din Tai Fung "Din Tai Fung is worth every minute in the queue." Our summary HERE
7 July 2015 Deja Vue - "... it’s the perfect time experience some Deja Vue and remember what makes French fare so fab." Our summary HERE
14 July 2015 Anchovy - "Billed as “Modern Asian, modern Australian, a little bit in between”, this new addition to Bridge Rd is doing its level best to reinvigorate what dining Asian in Richmond means in 2015." Our summary HERE
21 July 2015 Harry's Bar - "The food at Harry’s Bar is good – often excellent — but locals already know that. A few easy tweaks to the rest of the offering and this little local could be a real neighbourhood gem that transcends suburban borders, drawing fans from afar. If only just for those meatballs." Our summary HERE
28 July 2015 Saint Urban - "A new wine bar is filled with heavenly pleasures. ... It’s the local Richmond did didn’t know it needed and now can’t live without." Our summary HERE
4 August 2015 Sugar Prawn - "... the menu favours the brave and adventurous. ... there’s much that’s easily shared on this menu that you’d be hard pressed not to find many things to like." Our summary HERE
11 August 2105 Lume - "Lume feels very much like a restaurant created by and for the young with a degree of insouciance coming from the kitchen, though it patently is yet to cope with demand." Our summary HERE
18 August 2015 The French Milkbar - "Capturing the 'humble things done well' lessons of Lyon but seen through the prism of 20915 Melbourne ... this is a special little spot that's serving lunch with heart and soul." Our summary HERE
25 August 2015 Abbondante - "Just one of the most honest and enjoyable meals I’ve had all year. Kooky and quirky as all get out, it’s the perfect antidote to shiny and new. ... It’s a small venue with small ambitions — to provide honest to goodness food without fuss or ceremony. A place for locals to eat well, drink better and leave with a smile." Our summary HERE
1 September 2015 Estelle by Scott Pickett - "Not only is the space one of the most deeply dramatic and, frankly, stunning dining rooms in Melbourne, but it’s where Scott is serving up a meal of transcendent beauty. ... ESP delivers a definitive Melbourne dining experience and is a new jewel in our crown." Our summary HERE
8 September 2015 Ladro Tap - "A once great icon has gone to fat and needs help.... I’m fascinated at how the institutionalised knowledge of a decade’s pizza-making knowhow has been lost and for such pizzas to be served within these once-hallowed walls." Our summary HERE
15 September 2015 Lee Ho Fook - "There’s heaps to like. ... juxtaposition of exuberant flavours next to the subtle and refined ..." Our summary HERE
22 September 2015 Ezard @Levantine Hill - "Yes, this is a place where people chopper in for lunch, ... But it’sit s also a place to bring the kids in for a Sunday ay lunch of wagyu sliders and cured meats and elegantly hearty fare in the allday dininging room that’s keenly priced to welcome all. But it’s the signature restaurant where the food and wine come together to dance, with the wines taking the lead and Teage’s Asian accents refined over years at his other restaurants (Gingerboy, ezard) replaced with European restraint the better to match those drops." Our summary HERE
29 September 2015 Dexter - "This little 'meat and buns' joint in Preston certainly has surprises in spades. ... And those buns – not burgers – are seriously good." Our summary HERE
6 October 2015 111 Spring Street - "It might be one of the strangest dining experiences you’ll have right now. It’s also one of the most delicious." Our summary HERE
13 October 2015 Toko Melbourne - "Though disposable chopsticks cheapen the beautiful glazed ceramic crockery, the package is otherwise all very polished and stylised, surprisingly well-priced and certainly delicious. While it might not be the most heart-thumpingly exciting new offering of the year, it’s accomplished and has clearly struck a chord." Our summary HERE
20 October 2015 Emilia Trattoria - "A bustling trattoria doing a good line in Italian-accented breakfast, city lunches and lingering dinners." Our summary HERE
27 October 2015 Lady Caroline - "It’s now buzzy and bustling with an unapologetic love of authentic heat that’s delicious." Our summary HERE
3 November 2015 Lamaro's Bodega - "Greenvale Farm up Ararat way is giving the Spanish a good run for their pork, feeding their rare-breed free-range pigs the same acorn diet that creates the famed Spanish Jamon on Iberico and that turns up as a plate of sublime beauty at Lamaro’s Bodega." Our summary HERE
10 November 2015 Enquire Within - "... a restaurant that’s been created with selfimposed obsolescence. Every year, so we’re told, this restaurant will close, to be born anew with a new look, new concept, new chef, new name, in order, presumably, to create new buzz. ... And while party pies and a sundae with fries leads the dude food charge, an Asian-inspired beef short rib, or beef tartare with smoked yolk, turn a frontal assault into something altogether more elegant and accomplished. ... The concept seems like it was hatched late at night after many drinks. The menu, likewise. But somehow it works." Our summary HERE
17 November 2015 Ichi Ni Na Na - "It’s a menu is built for sharing with little plates priced for ordering with abandon. ... Though there are much better places for partytime Japanese — Toko in Prahran, for instance — you won’t find it served at all hours or atthis price. It’s cheap, cheerful and certainly fun, and though it still needs work, I applaud the open open-all hours vision." Our summary HERE
8 December 2015 Hunter and Barrel - "As for a company that has much experience in opening restaurants, Hunter & Barrel is, so far, manifestly subpar." Our summary HERE
15 December 2015 Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - "... a chef who obsessively creates food that’s all about flavour. Powerful, eye-rollingly delicious food that definitively, consistently answers the question: does this taste as good as it could? So while the Fat Duck popup was the headline-grabber, it’s the permanent Dinner by Heston Blumenthal that’s the real win for Melbourne." Our summary HERE
2014
28 October 2014 - Polperro - "... a menu as fittingly stylish as the new space"
4 November 2014 - Coppersmith Hotel "... there’s a bar menu that ticks off the classics with class"
9 November 2014 - Lucy Lius - "... fun, funky,buzzy and super-busy. It is up there with the best of the new arrivals"
11 November 2014 Lady Boy Dining + Bar - "... just great food at a great price, which too is cause for celebration." Our summary HERE
18 November 2014 Green Park - "There is much to like at Green Park at whatever time of day. ... they’re on the right track." Our sunmary HERE
25 November 2014 - L'Altro Modo - "... word is filtering out that L’Altro Mondo is good. Very good. In fact, it’s a #perfectlocalrestaurant." Our summary HERE
2 December 2014 Kappo - "... an impressive first course of colour, textures and tastes but it was the next dish to arrive that frankly blew my feeble mind. ... The procession of perfection continued ..." Our summary HERE
9 December 2014 Gradi Crown - "... authentic Neapolitan style pizzas to ... exacting, world-beating standards." Our summary HERE
16 December 2014 Boca del Sur - "... there is some real class coming out of the kitchen, serving an evolving, broadly Spanish menu." Our summary HERE