O’Connell’s Hotel is an iconic heritage Melbourne’s dining establishment, featuring stunning architecture, charming dining spaces and a top notch menu. When it comes to a business lunch O'Connell's has you covered. If you're coming here on a Friday afternoon plan a good 2 hours in the diary and tell the PA to advise customers that "you're in a meeting" for the rest of the afternoon. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along for lunch and we were highly impressed. Like other institutions in Melbourne right now they are adjusting to the Coronavirus situation. When we dined there was "social distancing" in place but now the restrictions are more severe. O'Connell's Hotel is currently closed until further notice as at March 2020, but we want to celebrate them and look forward to their return.
Dinner en Rouge returned for its second year for a feast of reds; a lavish five course dinner in celebration of the release of Levantine Hill lovingly aged, single-vineyard 2017 Levantine Hill Estate red wines. We were invited along to experience this joyous release, albeit in an atmosphere of soberness given recent worldwide events (with appropriate social distancing).
Helping hospo during this COVID-19 challenging time is imperative. We all love the Melbourne restaurant and hospo scene and we want to help local business continue to be strong and viable. As you are aware, restaurants and cafes have already taken a huge hit due to the increase of self-isolation. Here are some Melbourne restaurants and companies who have adapted new strategies to try and get through this crisis that we can support. I wish I could include everyone as we are getting alerted to about 30 initiatives a day (check your favourite restaurants and their intiatives).
Fire up your belly, St Hugo has marshalled some of Melbourne’s top restaurants to create a series of special Formula 1 pairings and offerings, available at icons Entrecôte, Grossi Florentino, Rockpool and Sake from March 9 to 23. We have been invited along to a dinner atEntrecôte to raise a glass to the limited edition 2016 St Hugo Coonawarra Shiraz and St Hugo’s new Fine and Rare Collection, hosted by St Hugo Chief Winemaker Peter Munro. Here are the details of the exclusive Culinary Racing Regale offerings featuring the St Hugo fine-dining tour around the world (get your tickets).
Prahran Market is leading the way in terms of new initiatives, tours and in terms of sustainability with its Green Earth Soil food created from waste from the market. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to check out a new food tour and the sustainability initiatives of Prahran Market along with four leading Melbourne influencers. We visted some of the world class stalls such as Sweet Greek Shop, Nahedas Choice, Paddlewheel Prahran, Libertea, Damian Pike Mushroom Man, The Food House, Blackhearts & Sparrows, and The Cheese Shop Deli. Following our tour with Declan, we were treated with an extraordinary brunch cooked by celebrity chef Tobie Puttock.
Food visionary and multi-venue Creative Director, Matthew Butcher, has opened the doors to three new independent venues within the refurbished Crowne Plaza Melbourne; Yugo, Dive Bar and Pow Wow. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to a media launch lunch at Yugo restaurant and was highly impressed, if not inspired.
Best fries and chips in Melbourne range from thin to chunky, spiced up to plain, as well as many being house cut. Gone are the days of rubbish soggy fries; chips are a big deal. Many Melbourne fries and chips offerings are well considered and have descriptive names and personalities. One of the best things to do in Melbourne is to enjoy top notch fish and chips; with many offerings fitting the gourmet bill.
Citibank Dining Program offers diners the opportunity to receive a free bottle of wine when you dine with partner restaurants, with several partner restaurants located in Melbourne. If you're travelling to other states you may wish to take advantage of the offer. The Citibank Dining Program is known for food and wine offers, as well as access to complimentary tickets to food and wine shows, or VIP access at dining events. If you have a Citi credit card or debit card you can be part of the program (I've had a card for over 10 years).
Opus Dining located in Balwyn is an exciting new modern Australian restaurant addition to the Melbourne foodie scene. This is a restaurant that brings to diners flair and innovation, bold flavours and a menu that pleases a variety of tastes. Opus Dining is the culmination of a dream from owners who ventured around Melbourne for 3 years visiting restaurants and experiencing the unique flavours this city has to offer. They wanted an expression that recognises Melbourne as a true food city with its high quality of produce, openness to experimentation (some excellent twists and interpretations at Opus Dining) and homage paid to the heritage and tradition of food origins. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to experience the joyous dining experience at Opus Dining.
Chargrill Charlie's are a chicken shop destination of note on Proespect Hill Road in the Camberwell Shopping precinct, making waves in Melbourne following on from their success in Sydney. Chargrill Charlie's is the ultimate chicken shop but "more than a chicken shop" with an astonishing range of salads, chicken, desserts and tasty comfort food dishes. The vibe is appealing in its Camberwell restaurant and a modern fun place to dine, or indeed take away. We as a family have a Sunday ritual of a chargrill chicken based lunch so the invitation to experience a Footy pack from Chargrill Charlie's was welcomed.
Melbourne is a great city for dining including cheap and affordable eats! Check out our best cheap eats in Melbourne. For the student and city worker there’s a plethora of cheap eateries where quality and price converge.
The best bars in Melbourne are world class and there's a thriving bar scene in Melbourne. Whether you are looking for sophistication or a casual style bar, there is a bar for every taste and occasion. Here are our favourite bars in Melbourne as rated by The World Loves Melbourne.
Best cafes in Melbourne is a mix of new and emerging cafes together with icons that are well established cafes. We celebrate Melbourne's best cafes in the search for perfection. This article is similar to our Best Breakfasts in Melbourne and Best Cafes in Melbourne's East. Melbourne is best known for it's thriving cafe scene, often to be found in laneways.
Written by David Hagger, client Merricks Creek on .
Where are the best wineries close to Melbourne? Sometimes you are time poor or you just don't want to travel 3-4 hours to a wine region. Here are some great wineries relatively close to Melbourne.
With Matt Wilkinson back in Brunswick,Crofter Dining Room and Barwith a modern Australian restaurant with a nod to British cuisine. Crofter is a great example of the dining trend in Melbourne with a no waste policy, and is already making a mark on the Melbourne foodie scene. We posted anarticle about Crofter Dining Room and Barwhen it launched and we were invited along recently (David and Sam), to enjoy a fabulous dinner, starting with drinks and snacks in the bar area before moving through to the main dining area.
Where are Melbourne's best schnitzels and Parmas? What do you look for in a schnitzel? We look for schnitzels that have an appealing shape, decent crust on the outside, tender chicken or veal inside (stays juicy not dry) and cooked evenly, quality cut of chicken breast, not too oily with oil drained, and how it is served (quality sides) and visual attraction and plating.
Sandor Katz the fermentation superstar and American food writer, is coming to Australia and will be delivering captivating and educational sessions across Australian cities. Described by the New York Times as “one of the unlikely rock stars of the American food scene,” Sandor Katz is a fermentation revivalist, a self-described "fermentation fetishist" and will be touring Australia with The Fermentary founder Sharon Flynn and her team in February and March. The Ferment Yourself Wild tour with Sandor Katz will cover topics such as grains, urban foraging, ferments from across Asia, preserving seasonal abundance, why soil health matters and regenerative farming.
Best smashed avocado in Melbourne? We've been around Melbourne and sourced some of our favourites. Some we know will order smashed avo dishes at every cafe they visit. Some gravitate to smashed avo for their hangover cure. Whatever it is, smashed avocado has a cult status in Melbourne.
