Melbourne Patron

Cheap Asian food is something I grew up with in Sydney. Melbourne is often touted as having a better dining scene than Sydney (medium-range and fine dining -- absolutely! -- well, in my experience), but even after nearly six years here, I still find Melbourne lacking in the cheap-but-great-quality-Asian-food category. And I'm not talking pan-Asian: I'm talking specific to one cuisine only, (Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Malaysian, etc). I still find it upsetting when I go to a Japanese restaurant and find Pad Thai on the menu, or something similar. I feel a restaurant should do one cuisine well, rather than try to pander to the tastes of patrons who may not yet be familiar with that cuisine. Use it as an opportunity to educate! Let your customers experience one of the last genuine representations of culture: food! /rant Happily, Jinda Thai (1-7 Fergus St, Abbotsford) is genuine, great-quality Thai food (only) at quite reasonable prices. It was opened in July 2013 by the ow...

*This venue is now closed* All I knew of Scholars Wine Bar (480 Victoria Street, North Melbourne) was that it was a wine bar, in North Melbourne, that did food - mainly because I knew its sommelier and one of its chefs, and that their gal pals spent an inordinate amount of time there. I myself had never gotten around to sampling its delights until a dinner there was suggested. Despite the obvious connections resulting in us being very well looked after, I was surprised and impressed by our meal, and would have no reservations in recommending it for dinner parties, intimate dates or cosy catch-ups with friends. It's a gateway for accessible upmarket dining. Walking in, the main bar is to your right, complete with both bar stools and lower, more comfortable seating. Decor is simple and elegant with touches of the antique, clearly in keeping with the 'scholarly' theme: serious, dark, somewhat traditional, always well-presented.  Veer off to the left an...

I'm not much of an ice-cream person. I know, I know: disgrace to womankind, blah blah. (For the record, and in my defense, I am definitely a chocolate kind of a person.) HOWEVER, when there is awesomeness available (usually less often in stock-standard, over-sugary, too-creamy versions of ice-cream, and more often in unusual-flavoured, fresh, fruity, beautiful-consistency gelato kinds), I will partake. Willingly. When in Sydney, I usually hover around the inner-Eastern suburbs, and it's not unusual for me to be on Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, at least once most days. And there, right in the guts, not far from the corner of Liverpool Street, is Gelato Messina , one of the better (and most-revered) frozen-sweetness-peddlers in the country. Gelato Messina, 241-243 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst Nick Palumbo's obsession with gelato began as a teen. In 2002, he established Gelato Messina and is still a co-owner. Number 241 Victoria Street is Gelato Messina...

My visits to Sydney in the last few years have been centred around the inner eastern suburbs of Darlinghurst, Kings Cross, Paddington and Rushcutters Bay. I'm of Dutch descent and was recently granted my Dutch citizenship (yay!). So, really, it is quite AMAZING that I'd never been to Una's (338-340 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst) prior to last month. Una's is somewhat of an urban legend in Sydney. Its focus is home-style, traditional European cuisine with influences from the likes of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Hungary. Its infamous plate-wide schnitzels, its relaxed and friendly vibe, and its proximity to the nightlife of Kings Cross for over 40 years have ensured its continued success. My Dad tells me tales of prolonged business lunches he spent at Una's 20 years ago, and my 20-something (OK, 30-something) friends still pop in there for a schnitzel before a night on the town. Una's is a Victoria Street mainstay, complete with...