Brady Michael - Eating and drinking Melbourne 2012: over 700 of the best restaurants, nifty bars and cheap treats

Published in 2011 by Hardie Grant Books

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Copyright 2011 Hardie Grant Books

EISBN 9781742736747

Cover and Design Manager Heather Menzies
Text design by Susanne Geppert
Edited and project managed by Emma Schwarcz
Typesetting by Michael Hanrahan
Typeset in Agenda-Light 7.7/9.8pt

Frequently referred to as the foodie capital of Australia, Melbourne and its people are unquestionably food-and-drink obsessed.

Whatever your budget, you can choose from a variety of cuisines and still get your fill.

Elizabeth Street in the city has emerged as a cheap-and-cheerful hotspot, with Afghan, Indian, Japanese, Thai, Malaysian and Chinese all to be had for under $10. The new cuisine on the block comes courtesy of an influx of Korean students, who have transformed the city into a tasty New Seoul. Raph Rashids mobile food vans, Beatbox Kitchen and Taco Truck, have also given a new edge to Melbournes scene.

The restaurant scene continues to be dominated by the culinary empires of local celebrity chefs, including Shannon Bennett (Vue de Monde and cafs Vue), Frank Camorra (MoVida x 4), Guy Grossi (foodie flashpoint Grossi Florentino), dining hydra George Calombaris (six restaurants and counting) and entrepreneur Con Christopoulos (his Supper Club is now just one of six venues), and the coffee houses of Salvatore Malatesta (St Ali) can be found all over town.

After a decade of over-the-top themed enterprises, Melbournes bar scene is tending to a more minimalist aesthetic though the venues surely cant get smaller than new bolthole Bar Americano (so new it missed our reviewing deadline, sadly). Boutique breweries feature at an increasing number of venues, but beyond local beer and cider were also being treated to the finest whiskies and tequilas. The laboriously handmade cocktail, now upwards of $16, remains as fashionable as ever.

Dont know where to start? Dont worry: this guide is like a Melway for your tummy! Whether youre on the grid or on the outskirts of the city you wont go hungry in Melbourne-town. Theres something for every budget and all occasions just be sure to leave enough room for dessert.

Dale Campisi, Michael Brady and Genevieve Gannon

Our team of dedicated reviewers has gobbled and guzzled its way through more than 700 bars, cheap and cheerful eateries and restaurants to bring you this annual guidebook to Melbournes finest. Venues have been carefully selected to represent a cross-section of each of Melbournes distinct locales from the burbs to the bright lights of the city with casual and schmick options in every area.

Unlike other publications, our reviews go beyond a single meal and typical menu coverage to focus on the whole eating or drinking experience, providing the low-down on the atmosphere, service style and type of crowd you can expect to encounter. For us, its not about rankings and star ratings, but showing off the unique, quirky and noteworthy elements that make these venues worth a visit.

On top of this, weve also compiled a number of Top 5 and Top 10 lists, which offer suggestions for specific occasions or experiences.

Our contributors are 100% independent, drinking and dining anonymously and paying their own way. Because we all know that if someone buys you a drink or dinner, they might expect a little something afterwards.

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in the latest venues, facts and figures presented, lets not forget that menus, prices, opening times, decor, ownership and even standards are subject to change. Use this book as a guide, but please dont hold any differences in details against us. Hey, if everything stayed the same, why would you need this at all?

Use this guide to search for what youre after in three easy ways: by geography and category, by business name or by cuisine type.

First, the book is divided into area chapters, and then into the three categories of restaurants, cheap and cheerfuls and bars. However, dont assume that all restaurants are pricey or that you cant find decent food in a bar it might be worth looking at all the reviews in that chapter.

To look for the details of a particular venue or specific type of food, head to the convenient indexes at the back of the book, after the map section, where entries are listed by business name and by cuisine type.

As you can imagine, the city and surrounding suburbs offer up masses of choice so these areas have been divided into smaller geographies. For example, the city has been broken into two areas: NoBo (north of Bourke) and SoBo (south of, and including, Bourke). Hey, if New York can do it, why can't we? Similarly, the overwhelming options in Melbournes inner suburbs can be found across five chapters: Inner North (covering Fitzroy, Collingwood and Carlton), Inner East (covering Richmond and Abbotsford), Inner South (covering Southbank, South Melbourne, Albert Park, South Yarra and Prahran), Bayside (covering St Kilda, Port Melbourne, Elwood and Brighton), and Inner West (covering Melbournes North and West).

Each entry follows the same format, providing the basic need to know information first, followed by the review below. Everythings pretty self-explanatory, but price ranges for drinks relate to single units (a pot or bottle for beers, a glass for wines) and all major cards accepted means that the venue does not accept either AMEX and/or Diners Club as a payment option.

In 2012, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival celebrates its twentieth year with an extra-long run and a focus on the legends of Melbourne food, so expect lots of historical dinners nouvelle and ye olde.

MasterChefs George Calombaris continues his empire-building with the opening of South Yarras Mama Baba in late 2011, while Shannon Bennett will add high-end bar Leos to his new and expanded signature restaurant Vue de Monde, atop the Rialto Towers. Kids will also be able to have the Vue experience with special extracurricular activities on-site in 2012. Matt Wilkinson (Pope Joan, ex Circa) is soon to open the Bishop of Ostia in Brunswick, and a new fine diner is also planned. Macaron magnate Adriano Zumbo is also set to open here in 2012.

The most noticeable trend in our food culture has been the casualisation of fine dining, to the extent that many restaurants wont take bookings, leaving us to queue around the block (which might also be symptomatic of the citys lack of a half-decent clubbing culture). Also, restaurant bars have become features in their own right (Bar Lourinh, Longrain); the music is now loud (Mamasita, MoVida) and the service comes with attitude (Golden Fields, Chin Chin).

Fine dining has spread to the suburbs, with Scott Pickett (ex the Point) recently snapping up Northcotes the Estelle, Geoff Lindsays (ex Pearl) modern Vietnamese Dandelion lighting up Elwood, and George Calombaris putting Kew on the map with St Katherines.