The Prosecco Festival is back! Returning to the Northcote Town Arts Centre on Feb 23! This is a popular unique festival purely dedicated to Prosecco with 40 Proseccos on tasting as well as compelling food offerings to pair. After the inaugural Prosecco Festival last year, which was a smash it, the festival returns even bigger and brighter!
Looking for a winery with character? Rustic charm and style? Bespoke? Here are our favourite Victorian wineries with character.
Calia has opened in Chadstone bringing a casual and accessible premium curated dining experience to Chadstone Shopping centre. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to experience the menu, dining with Rita Erlich (Melbourne food identity and author), Morri Behrmann (Oliveria Wholesale and Oliveriamel) and his son Aidan. In summary I felt all the dishes were hits, no misses. In fact it was hard to define the best of the dishes as they all stood out, however the Wagyu Bowl, Smoked Salmon Sashimi and the Matcha Lava Cake were outstanding. Sumptuous but affordable (you don't have to pay big dollars to experience the tasting menu).
Where to go to get outstanding platters at a winery? Fortunately we've visited tons of wineries in Victoria and experienced some great platters. Here are some of our favourites.
Yu Kitchen has already made a huge impact as a Chinese restaurant that respects tradition, but brings a modern twist to dishes for a first class curated experience.
After a wonderful recent Yum Cha experience at Yu Kitchen on the day it opened in Chadstone Shopping Centre, The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to experience dinner at Yu Kitchen. It was a pleasure to dine with Morri Behrmann from Stonebarn Truffles with wife Raya from The Ruby Report, and Alex and Rita Erlich (Melbourne foodie identity and author).
Le Petit Chef the 3D Mapping dining sensation has come to Melbourne and it's fabulous. The people behind Restaurant Lume and Cardigan Place Cellars are hosting this global phenomenon, putting their own interpretation on the experience. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to experience Le Petit Chef first hand.
Carlton Wine Room has received rave reviews and widespread acclaim since it re-launched. The revamped venue has nailed the brief on quintessential Melbourne with a classy fit out without being ostentatious, and a nod to the local in terms of design and foodie offerings, as part of the Carlton renaissance. The World Loves Melbourne was invited to experience lunch at Carlton Wine Room, and was highly impressed.
Yu Kitchen is a top notch restaurant in the Chadstone Luxury Precinct that takes fine dining at Chadstone to another level. The World Loves Melbourne was invited by Morri Behrmann of Stonebarn Truffles and General Manager, Oliveria to the Grand Launch. Yu Kitchen is a joint venture between The Oriental & Ruyi Group in Malaysia and Calia Collective of Australia. The entire menu is a curated collective of experiences. We also visited Calia which is directly below Yu Kitchen, both venues launching on the same day.
Green Man's Arms is a vegetarian revelation in Carlton and Melbourne's first vegetarian pub. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along with Adam Nichols from leading wine tour comapny Wine Compass to experience the menu and beverages. In recommending vegetarian places to eat in Melbourne Green Man's Arms would be the first on our lips.
ISH is a lively modern Indian restaurant in Gertrude St Fitzroy sitting at the intersection of old and modern Indian cusiine. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to experience ISH and we were highly impressed.
Looking to relax at a winery on the weekend? Are you tired of over crowded wineries where buses are pulling in every 5 min and it's tough to relax? Here are some of our favourite Mornington Peninsula wineries to relax and imbibe and take in the serenity. You may have had a hard week in the office. Come to these recommended wineries to unwind.
Andy Harmer and the QT Melbourne team are hitting some serious home runs with their new Secret Garden at Rooftop at QT . Perched high above the city hustle and nestled behind the iconic Rooftop at QT, QT Melbourne’s rooftop garden was a space unbeknown to Melbournians up until now. I can imagined the well healed and corporates booking up the Secret Garden with bespoke functions. A stunning sensory experience. Is this the hottest destination in Melbourne right now?
Tipico impresses with its chic ambience and it's fun playful quality menu, channeling Milan into Windsor.
Adam D'Sylva is one of Australia's premier chefs and he has got behind top notch duck producer Luv-a-Duck for a pop up sensation in Melbourne. For one night only The World Loves Melbourne was treated to a stunning 8 course degustation featuring Luv-a-Duck dishes with a twist.
Saxe restaurant in Melbourne was the perfect venue for the first of a series of Suckling Pig Dinners featuring Western Plains Pork. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along as a guest of PorkStars.
Dandelion restaurant in Elwood Village is an iconic Melbourne dining experience, featuring Vietnamese cuisine with a modern expression. While primarily Vietnamese the restaurant also diverges into other South East Asian cuisines. The World Loves Melbourne was invited for lunch and we were highly impressed.
Babajan is one of Melbourne's best cafes. Hands down. Of course it's described as an eatery so in some ways it's more than a cafe. The World Loves Melbourne was invited to brunch to experience the Babajan magic.
Alepat Taylor was the venue for an “The Extraordinary Italian Taste” event hosted by the Consul General of Italy in Melbourne Mr. Pierluigi Trombetta and Carlo Travaglini, Director of Alepat Taylor. Alepat Taylor is a leading specialist company in the import of extraordinary Italian wines, liqueurs and other beverages and the event was held at their showroom in Preston.
The World Loves Melbourne was invited to Benny Burger in Richmond to sample the menu across the range. "The Ethical Burger" is a great thing and Shannon Bennett delivers in terms of sustainable and ethical, as well as taste. The burgers are fresh, delicious, rewarding and interesting, if not innovative. And there's even more to Benny Burger than just burgers - so much to discover.
Merricks Creek offers visitors a fabulous cellar door experience, with a range of wines on tasting, ability to purchase wines, and wines by the glass that can be enjoyed with gourmet share plate dishes. The showcase wine is the Pinot Noir made in the Burgundy style, as well as an Estate Chardonnay. The cellar door experience is bespoke as these wines are not sold anywhere else; only at the cellar door. Merricks Creek is a fabulous cellar door experience also offering a plethora of attractive dining spaces and vineyard setting.
Chef Kenji Ito has opened his first Melbourne restaurant, Wa Kenbo in Fitzroy and The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to experience this already highly acclaimed Japanese restaurant. Chef Kenji, who for the last 11 years ran the award-winning Adelaide restaurant, Kenji Modern Japanese in Adelaide, opened the doors to Wa Kenbo in September 2018.