Restaurants in Victoria
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Orange
Orange’s Bloody Mary breakfasts are a fine way to start the day (or continue the night before) and the more subtle lunch and dinner fare is inventive and delicious. By the time you’ve finished dinner and that bottle of plonk, the whole place gives way to its alter-ego as a bar.
reviewed
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Claypots
A local favourite, Claypots serves up seafood in its namesake. Get in early to both get a seat and ensure the good stuff is still available, as hot items go fast.
reviewed
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Gingerboy
Brave the aggressively trendy surrounds and weekend party scene, as talented Teague Ezard does a fine turn in flash hawker cooking. Flavours pop in dishes such as scallops with green chilli jam or coconut kingfish with peanut and tamarind dressing. There are two dinner sittings, and bookings are required.
reviewed
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Carlton Espresso
Piadinas and panini are stuffed with a wonderful array of fillings and the little tarts and biscotti are homemade. This place brims with contemporary Italian brio – a nice change from the drab nostalgia found elsewhere.
reviewed
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Batch
Its walls are decorated with bric-a-brac donated by locals who love the food on offer (the scotch-fillet steak sandwiches are winners) and great coffee. Good luck getting a seat during the weekend-only all day brunches. Carlisle St runs east off St Kilda Rd.
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Brother Baba Budan
Cute city outpost of indie roasters St. Ali. There’s coffee, of course, and only the odd ruglach or biscuit to distract you. They also sell beans and a good range of coffee-related equipment.
reviewed
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Soul Mama
All-vegetarian, guilt-free, soul-warming food with unrivalled sea views.
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Vegie Bar
Delicious thin-crust pizzas, tasty curries and seasonal broths can be eaten outside along fab Brunswick St itself, or in its cavernous, shared-table space inside.
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Vue de Monde
Melbourne's favoured spot for occasion dining has relocated to the old 'observation deck' of the Rialto, so its view will finally match its name. Expect the usual fantastic French cuisine thanks to visionary Shannon Bennett. Book ahead. Remaining at the old barrister's chambers will be Bistro Vue and Café Vue.
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Bar Lourinhã
Matt McConnell's wonderful northern Spanish-Portuguese specialities have the swagger and honesty of an Iberian shepherd, but with a cluey, metropolitan touch. Start light with the melting, zingy kingfish pancetta and finish with the hearty house-made chorizo or baked morcilla (blood sausage).
reviewed
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Taxi
It takes a space this big to accommodate the reputation of head chef Michael Lambie. He creates audacious Asian-inspired dishes that have earned him a loyal following. The sushi menu is one of the city’s finest. All glass, steel and concrete, the hangar-sized dining room looks over the river and Flinders Street Station. It’s stagy, or as some Melburnians might mumble, a little bit ‘Sydney’. After dinner, sip a digestif at Transit and watch the lights sparkle.
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Giuseppe, Arnaldo and Sons
Prodigal (and preternaturally talented) Maurizio Terzini sold Melbourne’s café e cucina concept to Sydney and now he’s brought North Bondi Italian back south. It’s a splendid space – with the drama of a marble bar hung with small goods and a spot-lit bread station – and but be prepared for some noise and bustle. Food is enticing, stunningly fresh and exciting, while retaining a produce-driven simplicity. The menu is flexible and great for sharing.
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Journal Canteen
Journal Canteen, tucked away up an obscure flight of stairs off the CAE building foyer, is no secret. It’s packed to the rafters each lunchtime with diners lapping up Rosa Mitchell’s sensational Sicilian-style antipasto plates, pastas, roasts and ragus. Be spared the agony of choice: Rosa bases her few offerings on what is fresh and seasonal on any given day. There’s a $30 degustation deal, which comes with a complimentary caffitere -brewed coffee.
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Montague Foodstore
This sunlit café is the friendly, corner store gone gourmet. The Montague serves a range of breakfasts and lunches, incorporating its own breads, jams and relishes. The croque-monsieur (French-style toasted ham and cheese sandwich) will keep you going for days, or, if you insist on a healthier option, the wattle-seed granola is really good. Filled baguettes, salads, cakes and daily specials round out the selection.
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Sarti Restaurant Bar
There’s a lot of ciao bella schmooze going on, but the menu doesn’t just flirt – it delivers. A joyful mix of the knowingly modern and rustically nostalgic: wild harvested venison is prettily parsed with pickled beetroot, celeriac puree and crispy beets or a perfect pistachio panna cotta is embellished with salted popcorn. Or a plate of pasta ($24) on the terrace makes for a soothing city lunch.
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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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Añada
Dishes such as mackerel with orange-blossom and pistachio or veal meatballs and braised cuttlefish are alive with hearty Spanish and Muslim Mediterranean flavours. It’s unpretentious, passionate cooking and the place fills up most nights. There’s the usual arrangement of big and little plates plus a good selection of Iberian wines. Book ahead or try to nab a table at the bar or outside.
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Degraves Espresso Bar
The rickety cinema seating and fashionable gloom make Degraves a quintessential Melbourne laneway experience. If you've overindulged in that other Melbourne laneway experience, the hip little bar with no signage, beat your hangover with poached eggs or French toast with maple syrup from the all-day breakfast menu. Or just pull up a pew for an always-good coffee.
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Gravy Train
You wouldn't chug across town to get here, but you'd certainly pull in for a bite or coffee if in the area. Gravy Train is the coalface of Yarravillagers: students, workers and pram-pushers all converge on the bright dining room or roofless courtyard. Some artful savoury dishes accompany staple café fare, and there's a good selection of sweet things too.
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Flower Drum
The Flower Drum continues to be Melbourne's most celebrated Chinese restaurant. The finest, freshest produce prepared with absolute attention to detail keeps this Chinatown institution booked out for weeks in advance. The sumptuous but ostensibly simple Cantonese food is delivered with the slick service you'd expect in such elegant surrounds.
reviewed
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Hopetoun Tea Rooms
For five generations, ladies and 'nice' families have been nibbling pinwheel sandwiches here, taking tea (pinkies raised) and delicately polishing off a lamington. Hopetoun's venerable status, arcade location and pursed-lip air make afternoon or morning tea here refreshing indeed - the antithesis of Melbourne's constant coffee-taken-in-hip-laneways shtick.
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Cafe Fidama
With so many world flavours available, Fidama has thrown open the food-group classification to include influences from the Mediterranean, Middle East and Asia. Dexterous dishes are served up in sleek surrounds - all dark wood, banquettes and bentwood chairs. Locals love it here, so if you find yourself in the 'hood, it's best to book ahead.
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O'Connell's
This posh pub is a long-time leader in the gastropub stakes. Forget about fronting up for a plate of cheap food cooked until it's colourless. O'Connell's is fancy down to the glassware, though good value. Choose to dine in the casual front room, or take yourself off out the back to the formal dining room - the same hearty menu's on offer.
reviewed
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Longrain
The Wegner chairs and raw décor are fabulous, but like its Sydney sibling, the off-hand service, big-night-outers and woo-woo ear candy can make a chore out of getting your fill of the best Thai food in town. It’s best at lunch, when you can book a table or bolt a few trout-topped betal leaves and gin slings at the bar.
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Oriental Tea House
They’ve ditched the trolley ritual, but David Zhou’s intriguing Shanghainese offerings are just as good à la carte as off the cart. (And they still do the kid-pleasing lurid jellies for dessert.) The bright refit of an old pub is a departure from the norm too. The excellent teashop is worth a concerted postprandial browse.
reviewed