Melbourne Patron

My chef buddy - whom I've known for years, and whose name I'm going to have to tell you now, since he's deigned to join Twitter , finally - gave a cooking class in Cremorne last week and kindly invited me and my bestie to partake. Chefs Shane Kenny and Mark Favaloro Mark Favaloro (Twitter handle @ChefFluffy ... don't ask) and his sidekick, Shane Kenny ( @Shane_Kenny987 ), met whilst working at the original MoVida , where Shane still holds the fort. Mark now heads up the kitchen at Naked In The Sky on Brunswick Street, and has maintained a strong interest in (and talent for) Spanish cooking. Mark chopping stuff really impressively quickly Our menu/recipe booklets Hence, the theme of this class was "Entertaining - Spanish Style!" and, for a fee, was open to members of the public. Along with other foodies and food appreciators, we were treated to a hands-on demonstration, and (thankfully) the consumption of several tapas dishes and a calamar...

On recommendation from the lovely folk at Next Door Cafe , on our way back from Port Arthur , we stopped in Dunalley for a late lunch of fish and chips (or "fiss 'n' chips", as my Mum would say. I reckon it's the only remnant of her Dutch accent). View from car park. Seem to have lots of those in Tassie As far as I could tell, there's hardly any of Dunalley. It's pretty tiny. (Wiki tells me it had a population of 313 in 2006.) And the Dunalley Fish Market is at the arse end - or the top end, depending on your perspective, I suppose. It does have spectacular water views - which I'm sure are amplified by beautiful summer weather - and is possibly the kookiest takeaway shop you'll ever see, but it also has what is likely to be some of the best fish and chips you'll ever eat. Entrance, complete with traditional fish 'n' chip shop plastic door strips Empty decorated tank thing (or a VERY large bathtub for visitors in summe...