Melbourne Restaurants

  1. Blue Chillies

    The dark-wood shelving artfully stacked with Asian produce makes for ambient casual dining at Blue Chillies. For entrée try the ikan billis (fried whiting in sambal ) followed by a piquant, creamy laksa. Meals come in quick succession, so if you want to linger, let the obliging staff know. You can BYO wine or swill from the decent varieties on offer.

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  2. Bopha Devi

    The modern Cambodian food here is a delightful mix of novel and familiar Southeast Asian flavours and textures. Herb-strewn salads, noodles and soups manage to be both fresh and filling.

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  3. Cookie

    Also a thumping bar, Cookie's kitsch twist on Thai dining has proved to be an immensely popular option. Take cutesy gingham plastic table coverings, doilies and kiddies'-book bill covers into an otherwise slick fitout (opening out to a balcony), and you have a winning combination. While genuinely tasty, the food is not great value: 'small' serves are tiny and 'large' is, well, small. Still, it's a unique joint that deserves a visit.

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  4. Isthmus Of Kra

    This is where the local business community 'does lunch'. Specialising in Thai and Nonya cuisines, the Isthmus of Kra is a chance for business execs to show the clients they take to lunch how cosmopolitan their tastes are. The blue dumplings (dyed with butterfly-pea flowers) are sure to impress. In the evening, take some friends and choose from one of three banquet options. It's a good idea to book.

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  5. Laksa Me

    One of the city's more eccentric (and, we suspect, ironic) interiors is home to some great Malaysian grub. Laksa is king here, but there are also some out-of-the-ordinary entrée options like Chinese pastry triangles of diakon, yam bean and chive. There's a nice little beer list; wine drinkers will need to BYO.

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  7. Longrain

    One of the city's most anticipated restaurants, with sharing food and conversation at its heart. Think long communal tables, large dishes to share (plenty of veg options) and background beats. Longrain is restaurant royalty in its refined Thai- and southern Chinese-influenced dishes and wine offerings, and its pedigree (it has an older Sydney sibling, and its Melbourne staff and backers have all been long associated with the industry).

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