em – on weekends, we brunch

The Home Chef

Lockdown special $$$$$ A few pics from my fav home chefs. (*Not actually a restaurant)

Fromagerie/Wine Bar $$ Fun place to go for a cheese and wine night. Recommend the cheese flight (cheese and wine pairing) or the baked brie. But anything with this much cheese is pretty good. Great place for a night out with friends, work drinks or a chill special occasion. 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀 8/10 https://milkthecow.com.au/

Hector’s Deli (Richmond)

Sandwiches $$ I have a new love for deli sandwiches from lockdown; tasty yet portable! Down a quiet street in Richmond, this deli serves fantastic stuffed sandwiches with lines of people down the block. Buttered toasted bread with a generous amount of filling. Tuna melt a favourite, but the beef and pickles a close second.Continue reading “Hector’s Deli (Richmond)”

Mr Sister (Malvern)

Cafe $$ Cute brunch place in Malvern East with a lovely enclosed courtyard at the back. Nothing outstanding, but great for a basic brunch. 🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳 7/10 https://www.mrsistercafe.com/

Chin Chin (CBD)

Asian $$ A quintessential Melbourne restaurant; i.e. hipster and fusion. Great quality modern Asian fusion. Mains were the highlight, super tasty, went basic with the butter chicken and pad seuw, both were delicious, butter chicken was super creamy, and beef very tender. 🥡🥡🥡🥡🥡🥡🥡🥡🥡 9/10 Home

Fuji Tei (St Kilda)

Japanese $$ Down a very unassuming street of St Kilda, this small restaurant is a hidden gem. Even upon entry we weren’t sure we were in the place; but what a find! For $35, got a filling and great quality meal of sashimi, tempura, tofu, pan-fried salmon, rice, salad, miso soup and black sesame ice-cream.Continue reading “Fuji Tei (St Kilda)”

Nene Chicken (Chadstone)

Fast Food $$ Had heard a lot about this Korean fried chicken, so tried it to see what all the fuss was about! Had the classic range with original and freaking hot flavours; definitely tasty and not nearly as oily as KFC. I enjoyed their cheesy mayo chips too; quite crunchy and salty. Fried chickenContinue reading “Nene Chicken (Chadstone)”

Supernormal (CBD)

Asian Fusion $$ A cute Asian fusion restaurant in the CBD. Opted for the banquet so we didn’t have to make any decisions! Highlights were the prawn and chicken dumplings, and the peanut butter parfait for dessert. Lowlights were the kingfish, and the lamb shoulder; it was very tough and chewy, and the kingfish wasContinue reading “Supernormal (CBD)”

Blue Bamboo (Braybrook)

Vietnamese $$ A true Asian mama’s favourite; when Vietnamese people like a Vietnamese restaurant you know it’s the real deal! With a huge menu and a cute bamboo garden out back, this is a nice place for families. Prices aren’t bad, and portions are decent. http://bluebamboo.net.au/ 🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜 8/10

The Mess Hall (CBD)

Italian $$ On a street full of great Italian restaurants, it must be tough to stand out! But this quaint little restaurant has an authentic vibe, with great quality pasta. Duck ragu pappardelle was delicious with good bite! The seafood tagliatelle had a decent amount of prawns, but was a little salty. Gnocchi was anotherContinue reading “The Mess Hall (CBD)”

Punch Lane (CBD)

Modern Australian $$ Comfy wine bar with a casual vibe. Highlights were the gnocchi (so so pillowy), John Dory fish and the chips, super crunchy! The bread was a little tough, and the steak tartare could be more flavourful, but mains were a real winner. PUNCH LANE 🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝 9/10

Handpicked Wine (CBD)

Wine Cellar $$ Stumbled across this place after the nearby bar was full, what a great find! Simple but classy menu of cheese and wine. Great for a post dinner snack and drink, and without the noisiness of a bar! Fairly new place according to the waiter; the idea was to have a restaurant withContinue reading “Handpicked Wine (CBD)”

Master Lanzhou Noodle Bar (Chadstone)

Chinese $ Was craving a good bowl of noodle soup, so came here! House-made noodles, warm beefy broth, definitely hit the spot. I had the signature handmade beef noodle soup (minus coriander so looks a bit bare!) and the spicy and numb beef noodle soup. The signature was okay, personally I feel like it’s tooContinue reading “Master Lanzhou Noodle Bar (Chadstone)”

Din Tai Fung (CBD)

Taiwanese $$ One of my favourite places for xiao long bao (pork dumplings). Super juicy with a light dumpling skin, mmm. They even have instructions on how to eat it printed on the chopstick packets! Food comes very fast and you order everything (with pictures to guide you) on an ipad. My other favourite hereContinue reading “Din Tai Fung (CBD)”

Brew Sisters (Parkville)

Cafe $ On the corner of Grattan and Swanston St of Melbourne Uni, definitely a meeting place for students. Had one of their chicken schnitzel wraps; veges tasted like packet veges, but the chicken was okay! For a cheap, fast, student meal, not bad at all. 🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯 6/10 https://www.facebook.com/brewsisters/

Pho Hung Vuong (Springvale)

Vietnamese $ For the true pho lovers. They don’t do anything except pho, and they do it well. Don’t expect service with a smile or a menu, just look on the wall and choose your pho topping and size. Two minutes later, you’ll have a beautiful bowl of hot noodle soup. You’ll feel like you’reContinue reading “Pho Hung Vuong (Springvale)”

Osteria Ilaria (CBD)

Italian $$$ In terms of Italian in the city, had never heard of this place! But this place is a gem! Everything was beautifully flavourful and buttery. Highlights were the croquettes (wonderfully crunchy), duck pappardelle (nothing like that bitey fresh pasta) and fried potato. On top of that, desserts were also incredible, ricotta gelato hadContinue reading “Osteria Ilaria (CBD)”

Little White Duck (Chadstone)

Chinese $$ Been meaning to try this restaurant in the Chadstone foodcourt for a while! Tried the shanghai pan-fried black truffle pork buns and the homemade buns, pretty good! Couldn’t taste any truffle, not as flavourful as I’d like, but still delicious. And I know the homemade buns are easy to make, but I’m aContinue reading “Little White Duck (Chadstone)”

Meet Fresh (Glen Waverley)

Dessert $ A bit of a misleading name, but a popular Taiwanese dessert franchise, famous for its shaved ice. A relatively light dessert that suits an Asian palate. Had the Q Mochi Snowflake Ice, mochi was soft and chewy, and shaved ice was light with a delicate condensed milk flavour. Certainly an Asian favourite. 🍧🍧🍧🍧🍧🍧🍧Continue reading “Meet Fresh (Glen Waverley)”

The Grand Tofu (Glen Waverley)

Malaysian $ Great Asian food for the soul. Cheap, good quality, and fast! I had the Yong Tofu, where you can choose your soup, type of noodles, and extras (dumplings, meat, veges). Also had the Combination Crispy Fried Noodles, delicious. Noodles so crispy and good mix of meat and prawns. The Teh Tarik (both hotContinue reading “The Grand Tofu (Glen Waverley)”

Lulu’s Char Koay Teow (CBD)

Malaysian $ When you’re after authentic, good quality Char Koay Teow, this is the place. Taste was on point, prawns were delicious, and decent amount of noodles. Love these little places that only do a couple of dishes but do it well. 🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜 9/10 https://www.facebook.com/lulucktmelbourne/

Doot Doot Doot (Merricks North)

Fine Dining $$$ A creative dining experience located inside the Jackalope hotel. Starts off with a menu that you can scratch to reveal a riddle; if solved by the end of the meal you get a small treat! Definitely had things I had never seen before, such as oyster toast, and fruit tin dessert. AdmireContinue reading “Doot Doot Doot (Merricks North)”

Jackalope (Merricks North)

Hotel Breakfast $$ Probably the best and most luxurious hotel I’ve ever stayed at, Jackalope has a great breakfast held at it’s Doot Doot Doot restaurant. Offering a surprising range, definitely has breakfast options for everyone. The miso chicken soba noodle was a favourite, chicken was so tender and flavoursome. 🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳 9/10 https://www.jackalopehotels.com/stay/

Grazeland (Spotswood)

Food market $$ A new foodie haven on the westside, this place has a multitude of food stalls and cuisines for anyone’s taste. And open every weekend! For just a $2.50 entry fee, you can access all the food and live entertainment. Family and pet friendly too! Busy, as expected, but lines weren’t too long,Continue reading “Grazeland (Spotswood)”

Marion (Fitzroy)

Wine bar/Modern European $$ In the streets of Fitzroy, this classy wine bar is the first of a row of hip quintessential Melbourian restaurants. Elegant interior with a tapas like menu, it’s a nice place for a fancier night out with friends. I enjoyed the homemade Cavatelli pasta and I’m a sucker for croquettes. Wouldn’tContinue reading “Marion (Fitzroy)”

Rare Hare (Merricks North)

Winery $$ High quality winery food without the hefty price tag! Modern décor with a beautiful view as well. Highly recommend! Favourites were beef tartare, scotch fillet, fries, oysters (so creamy!) baked brie and cookie. 🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩 10/10

The Butcher’s Daughters Cakes (Mornington)

Dessert/Bakery $$ What a cake would look like if it was a shop. Fantastic carrot cake, moist with light icing. Oreo brownie was very sweet and bitey, but the cupcake was a bit dry. https://www.thebutchersdaughterscakes.com.au/ 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰 8/10

Paringa Estate (Red Hill)

Winery $$$ A quaint winery with top-notch food. Have to book ahead because there’s not many seats. Set menu doesn’t have many options, but it means the food they do, they do fantastically. Course one pastry was the highlight. 🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩 10/10

Galleon Cafe (St Kilda)

Cafe $$ A cute cafe in St Kilda, that focuses on quality food. A local favourite. While food isn’t always Insta-pretty, it tastes great! Highlight was the sweet potato and feta mash. https://galleoncafestkilda.business.site/ 🥯🥯🥯🥯🥯🥯🥯🥯 8/10

Lulabelle’s (Camberwell)

Cafe $ A family friendly lunch spot. Chicken schnitzel sandwich was decent, and nothing like a warm scone with cream and jam. Little play area in the back for kids. http://lulabelles.edan.io/ 🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪 7/10

JoJo Little Kitchen (CBD)

Malaysian $ Hidden in a little alleyway is this little Asian gem. Great noodles, hits the spot. You can pick if you want dry or soup noodles, and what thickness. Fried pork wasn’t as good as I hoped, but still decent. https://www.instagram.com/jojolittlekitchen/ 🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜 8/10

Cornershop (Yarraville)

Brunch $$ Popular brunch in the middle of the hip part of Yarraville. Nice covered outdoor area out back, and can’t go too wrong with a smashed avo. Good chai latte, you get at least 1.5 servings out of the pot. https://www.cornershopyarraville.com/ 🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳 8/10

Seven Seeds (Carlton)

Coffee/Brunch $ Well known coffee place near Melbourne University. Popular, expect a line! ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️ 8/10 https://sevenseeds.com.au/

Leilani’s on the Beach (Maui)

Hawaiian $$ Came here several times on our stay in Maui! Right next to the beach, famous for their fish tacos which live up to the hype! Coconut shrimp is also very tasty. (Visited November 2014) https://www.leilanis.com/ 🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮 9/10

Japengo (Maui)

Asian $$ Delicious but expensive. Had duck meatballs, soft shell crab rolls, salmon sashimi, duck potstickers. For dessert, the Tengu Ka’anapali Pie; brownie crust, banana, macadamia nut ice-cream, cream, chocolate and caramel. Yum. (Visited November 2014) https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/hotel/hawaii/hyatt-regency-maui-resort-and-spa/oggrm/dining 🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣 9/10

Hula Grill (Maui)

Hawaiian $$ Nice beach vibe restaurant. Focaccia bread smelt absolutely amazing. Had the seafood chowder for main which was a little too watery yet too salty. But the cookie cheesecake for dessert was delicious! Too big to finish. (Visited November 2014) https://www.hulagrillkaanapali.com/

Arancino (Honolulu)

Italian $$ Cute vibe, all the waiters were of different ethnicities with little flag pins with what languages they spoke! Excellent spaghetti and meatballs. (Visited December 2014) https://www.arancino.com/ 🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝 9/10

Marukame Udon (Honolulu)

Japanese $ Long line! Was a 20minute wait, but worth it. Freshly made udon noodles, for a very cheap price. Also tried the salmon onigiri and inari, good stuff. (Visited November 2014) 🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜 9/10

Il Lupino (Honolulu)

Italian $$ Ordered the meatballs dish, didn’t realise it’d just be one giant meatball! Still tasted pretty good. Tried the ginger shot as it was recommended, but was oh so terrible. (Visited November 2014) https://illupino.com/ 🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝 7/10

Hula Grill Waikiki (Honolulu)

American $$ Good view of the beach, but very average food. Croissant french toast was overly sweet. https://www.hulagrillwaikiki.com/ 🥐🥐🥐🥐🥐 5/10

Buho Cocina y Cantina (Honolulu)

Mexican $$ Flavoursome Mexican food with a beautiful rooftop view. Only drawbacks are they have small portion sizes and quite pricey. Worth a visit though! (Visited November 2014) https://www.buhocantina.com/ 🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮 7/10

Bills (Honolulu)

Australian $$ Hadn’t heard of this Aussie gem until I came here! Famous for their ricotta pancakes which were great. Pasta and pizza were decent but not amazing. (Visited November 2014) https://www.billshawaii.com/en/waikiki 🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞 7/10

Tanaka of Tokyo (Honolulu)

Japanese $$$ Excellent dinnertainment teppanyaki. Pricey but worth it! Chef did the ‘shrimp in the pocket’ trick, and juggled a bowl of rice! Great fun, tasty stuff too. (Visited November 2014) https://www.tanakaoftokyo.com/ 🍤🍤🍤🍤🍤🍤🍤🍤🍤 9/10

Egg ‘n Things (Honolulu)

Brunch $$ Popular place! Large line out front. Had the Hawaiian Loco Moco; strange to have rice in brunch, but I like it! Essentially gravy and spam, I am not complaining. (Visited November 2014) 🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳🍳 8/10

Romano’s Macaroni Grill (Honolulu)

Italian $$ Located in the Ala Moana Centre in Honolulu, this is a tasty family friendly Italian place with great pasta! Would come back for their spaghetti and meatballs. They also give you crayons to doodle on butcher paper while you wait, keeping your inner child happy too. (Visited November 2014) https://www.macaronigrill.com/ 🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝 9/10

Island Vintage Coffee (Honolulu)

Cafe $$ May have partly been the jetlag, but tasted amazing! Had the chicken pesto sandwich. Buttery avocado, crispy bread, tender chicken, pesto sauce. What more do you need in life really. (Visited November 2014) https://www.islandvintagecoffee.com/ 🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪 8/10

Brae (Birregurra)

Australian $$$$ About an hour and a half drive from Melbourne is this beautiful Australian fine dining. Some ingredients feel a bit more exotic than I’m used to, but still delicious. I stayed at their accommodation as well, gorgeous rooms. 🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂🥂 8/10

Tetsuya’s (Sydney)

Japanese $$$$ Delicious Japanese fine dining in the Sydney CBD. Highlights were the bread and white fish, perfectly cooked! Beautiful Japanese garden as a backdrop. https://www.tetsuyas.com/ 🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣 10/10

Black Star Pastry (St Kilda)

Dessert $$ Famous watermelon cake lives up to the hype! Not overly sweet, absolutely well balanced. Other cakes weren’t as great, but still tasty. https://www.blackstarpastry.com.au/ 🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉🍉 10/10

Koko Black (South Yarra)

Dessert $$ This chocolate is next level. My favourites are the coconut dotties and the Australian wattleseed biscuits! Eating in was less impressive, brownie was a bit dry. Mango white chocolate smoothie was too thick. The chocolate honey joys were surprising great. And the easter ‘eggs’ were praline chocolate! https://www.kokoblack.com/ 🍫 🍫 🍫 🍫 🍫 🍫 🍫 🍫 8/10

Pancake Parlour (Malvern East)

Dessert $$ Great range of pancakes and huge size, but quite expensive. https://www.pancakeparlour.com.au/ 🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞🥞 8/10

The Westin (CBD)

High Tea $$ There was a ‘high cheese’ at the Westin, serving baked camembert and gouda scones. Delicious! I never feel full after high tea, but was fun to try. Not always a cheese themed high tea there, as themes change with the seasons. https://www.westinmelbournedining.com.au/ 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀 7/10

Gami (Maribyrnong)

Korean $$ Love the boneless fried chicken and cheese corn. Kimchi pancake isn’t bad either! Not cheap, but tasty stuff. https://gamichicken.com.au/ 🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗 8/10

Sapa Hills (Footscray)

Vietnamese $ A more modern and slightly westernised version of a typical Vietnamese restaurant. Has all the classics such as beef skewers wrapped betel leaf and papaya salad. http://www.sapahills.com.au/ 🥢🥢🥢🥢🥢🥢🥢🥢 8/10

The Loft (CBD)

Cafe $$ On one of the top floors of Peter Mac hospital, this has a large outdoor area with beautiful views akin to a fancy hotel. Decent lunchables. Home 🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪 8/10

Mr Brooks Stonegrill and Bar (Braybrook)

Australian/Steakhouse $$ Surprising steakhouse/Australian restaurant in the ‘burbs of Braybrook. Good quality food and decent range. Not pictured but great stonegrill steak. Homepage 🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩 8/10

Hakata Gensuke (CBD)

Japanese $ When you can’t go to Japan for ramen this is the next best thing! Always a huge line, but moves fairly fast and quick service once inside. My go to place in Melbourne for ramen. I’m basic and like the Signature Tonkotsu, the gyoza and chicken kaarage are great sides. 🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜 10/10

Sydney Fish Market

Seafood Market $$ So much great produce to choose from! Gets fairly hectic on weekends, but well worth it. My favourite is the cheesy scallops, you can’t go to Sydney without trying this. https://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/ 🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟 9/10

Particle Cafe (Avondale Heights)

Vegan/Brunch $$ Didn’t realise we’d stumbled onto a vegan cafe, but food was great! Mango smoothie with almond milk was one of the greatest smoothies I’d ever had, and tacos were delicious! Fake cheese was even quite tasty. Not a fan of fake bacon though. Had some games to play while you waited for foodContinue reading “Particle Cafe (Avondale Heights)”

Bahari (Richmond)

Greek $$ Probably the best Greek restaurant I’ve been to. Loved the saganaki (cheese) and the Taramosalata ‘Caviar’ dip. Soooo delicious. https://www.bahari-richmond.com.au/food 🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯🌯 10/10

Maccaroni Trattoria Italiana (CBD)

Italian $$ A great little Italian place in an alleyway of the CBD. Good quality pasta and pizza. https://www.maccaronitrattoria.com/ 🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝🍝 8/10

Rockpool Bar and Grill (Southbank)

Steakhouse $$$ Some of the best steak in Melbourne in a chic place in Crown Casino. Obviously the meats are good, but shoutout to the mac and cheese, I’d go just for that. Home 🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩🥩 9/10

The Kiosk by D’Asporto (Williamstown)

Cafe $ A nice cafe on Williamstown beach. Good for a light lunch/snack or smoothie. Perfect for a beach lunch. https://www.facebook.com/thekioskdasporto/ 🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪🥪 9/10

Sargon Cafe (CBD)

Brunch/Cafe $ Great coffee, even by Melbourne standards! Goes fantastically with their range of bagels. ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️ 8/10

Curry Smuggler (Fitzroy)

Indian $$ In the middle of Brunswick St, a tasty Indian restaurant. I’m basic, but the butter chicken is fantastic. And cheesy roti is amazing! Home 🥘🥘🥘🥘🥘🥘🥘🥘 8/10

Meet Sando (CBD)

Brunch/Japanese $$ Located near Queen Victoria Market, a hipster corner cafe. Had a decent brunch here, would like to come back to try their Katsu Sando (Japanese style sandwiches). Home ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️ 7/10

Jaspresso (North Melbourne)

Japanese $ Fantastic place for Japanese curries and jaffles for an inexpensive but delicious lunch. Close to Parkville hospitals if you’re in the area. They also do an excellent matcha and white chocolate cookie, definitely worth a trip! https://www.instagram.com/jaspresso.melbourne/ 🍛🍛🍛🍛🍛🍛🍛🍛🍛🍛 10/10