This place is an institution. Famous for its yum cha, it’s not to be confused with Shark Fin Inn, one of its sister restaurants just a bit further up Little Bourke Street. You need to go to Shark Fin House to get the whole experience – lining up at the door, shuffling inside with the crowd to get to the guy with the booking clipboard, cramming into Read more
I’d been meaning to go to this place for a long time now – it’s been on the Top 100 list for some years, so I was glad to finally get there. It was a bit of a special occasion as it also marked the final Top 100 restaurant in Victoria that I had to do from the current list.
Matt McConnell’s Bar Lourinha is a narrow tapas bar in Little Collins Street, and it’s a great place to enjoy a Read more
Another regional gem – this one in Inverleigh, about a half hour drive from Geelong. It’s on the main street, a small unassuming Victorian weatherboard.
This lunch time I was dining on my own. There’s a choice of a five or eight course tasting menu. As I had a dinner booking back in Melbourne at 6pm, the five course was really the only option if I wanted to have any chance of Read more
This is a really tasty, easy dish that’s great to serve on a hot day, or when you feel like a lighter meal. I got the original recipe from my friend Christina Soong and I’ve made a few variations to it. The pork balls are so tasty – I’ve added fresh herbs and cook them in the oven. Don’t try to get all healthy and use Read more
Last year I went on a tour of Vietnam with Luke Nguyen. Luke hosts these trips twice a year, and it was a fantastic experience. One thing he taught us was how to make the perfect, restaurant-quality cold roll. In fact, he made our small group make the cold rolls for a dinner for 140 people – the first night of Read more
I’d wanted to eat here for quite some time as I’d heard good things about it. Joe Grbac is formerly of The Press Club (which I loved!) and Scott Pickett from Estelle Bar and Kitchen (also very enjoyable). Both of these chefs coincidentally worked at London’s two-hatted The Square, but not at the same time.
You walk into a cool vibe – a healthy level of Read more
Once again, a regional restaurant that is worth driving to the middle of nowhere for. You’ll find Brae at Birregurra, about an hour drive north west of Geelong in Victoria. Set on 30 acres, with its own organic produce garden, you drive up past the original old brick house to the restaurant structure that was built around 30 years ago. I think Dan Hunter’s food is even better now than Read more
There’s one word for Gin Long Canteen: FUN! It’s a great place to kick back, have some great food and cocktails in a buzzy, often loud atmosphere, and host Jerri is always entertaining. It’s always busy here with people often being turned away at the Read more
Another Top 100 ticked off – If you’ve been to The Apollo at Potts Point, you’ll know you can expect a good meal at their new place just down the street, Cho Cho San. This light, bright and modern Japanese restaurant serves sensational food! The space is long and Read more
I’d reviewed the menu prior to my visit and it sounded pretty exciting! When I arrived, the disappointing thing was that the actual dining room was shut due to renovations so we didn’t get to sit in the usual area but we were seated in a more casual room. They weren’t Read more
Jacqui's Food Fetish 