Here is a list of the places we ate at to ensure that you are informed when you go and don't waste one single meal opportunity to have something memorable and delicious:
Australian Open - I was lucky to be invited to attend this tournament in a 'Corporate Superbox' (it actually said this on the ticket!). The view from the top of the stadium as you can see was much better than I expected. The buffet food exceeded my expectations as well. Appetisers included mixed dips of hummous, babaganoush and diced salmon with baby capers, all served with crackers and lavosh, cold vege frittata. The mains included 3 huge platters, pan-fried salmon fillets, roasted beef with mixed mushrooms and pan-fried chicken fillets with enoki mushrooms. Green salad and beans completed the assortment. Dessert was incredible and I sampled one of everything, meaning I ate about 7 mini-desserts! Quite strange to be gorging whilst watching Federer and Wozniacki sweat it out on court!
Teppansan - This is a small and unassuming little restaurant in Melbourne's CBD. It's the equivalent of Sydney's Don Don. Well, not exactly, more like Don Don when it was good. The best items on the menu are the sushi and sashimi cut by a rather expert sushi chef. The hot food is tasty and good value too but does not stand out unlike the sushi. So order up, it's cheap and cheerful.
Longrain Melbourne - I had to go back here after a great experience last time. The wait at the bar on a Saturday night was exactly what they estimated, 45 minutes. All of that was forgotten when the spectacular dishes arrived. We had salt and pepper tofu which was delicate, silken tofu with a nice seasoning, all of which was enhanced by a tasty dipping sauce, roasted pork belly with calamari and yellow bean sauce being a Thai surf and turf but ten times better and a roasted ocean trout with green papaya salad, all light and lovely. Highly recommended.
Hardware Societe - Yum. The coffee was not memorable but I actually wanted to order nearly everything on the breakfast menu. Every item had a clever twist such as the Bircher muesli I ordered with raspberry 'soup' (unforgettable) and the 'fried bread' being a take on French toast served with poached pear and butterscotch sauce and toasted almonds.
Movida - Is this the most hyped up restaurant in Melbourne or what? I made a reservation for 4 of us about 2 months in advance at the main restaurant. Between the 4 of us, we ordered 5 dishes to share - shaved beef with garlicky potato and poached egg, poached octopus with baby herb salad, steamed cod with more garlicky potato and poached egg, seared scallops with cured salmon. All of these 'racines' were tiny, each one feeding 2 people max. You can order individual 'tapas' so they can rip you off by charging you $4 for a stuffed mussel that you could inhale - you really could probably fit it in your nostril and $7 for one lamp chop which ended up being the hit of the night. Recommended for its' uniqueness and strong flavours.
Kitchen Cat (now closed 2012?)- This place sort of tricked me into booking it as it was the former 'Fifteen' restaurant run by Jamie Oliver until only recently. That aside, it is now more than ably run by Jamie's good mate, Tobie Puttock. Smart, fresh and simple Italian food is presented elegantly with minimal distraction and maximum flavour (see the fish with herbs and butter above). Recommended.
Mamasita - Modern Mexican in Melbourne - hurrah! Worth the wait down a steep staircase. Lots of chilli, spices and lime. See the fish tostaditas below. Highly recommended.
Small Block - This grungy cafe in suburban Melbourne is exactly what you'd expect to find. Old 70s baby chairs and unusual wall-hangings make the setting quirky and fun. The food was not as fun an experience though as the Bircher muesli here was dry and didn't taste like it had been soaked overnight. Further, the yogurt was not stirred in but slopped on top making it even harder to swallow. Others enjoyed their food so maybe the eggs and more standard items were better. Not recommended unless you're in the area.
All up, I succeeded in not having one bad meal the whole time, catching up with Ange and Alex and going to the tennis twice. I did not succeed in shopping up a storm though and left with only one pair of shoes. At least, I had the rest of the summer sales to make up for that. Now, bring on the French Open!
