Melbourne Patron

Spice Temple  Neil Perry's Fine Dining Chinese Restaurant at Crown, Southbank, Melbourne It's considered an institution in Melbourne, and with a chef to its name like Neil Perry , a location like Southbank , and an existence of six years in the Melbourne restaurant scene (when staying power is notoriously elusive), it's no wonder. Spice Temple's name is a pretty accurate description of the restaurant: food heavy in spices and spiciness; a dim space with a sort of hushed reverence. A line-filled eating den The quiet tone of Spice Temple (Shop 7, Crown Complex, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank) could well be due to its design. With lots of dark wood and more traditional red and gold carpet, one might be forgiven for thinking it's a little dated. What keeps it current is the symmetrical and perpendicular fittings, creating neat squared-off eating nooks, and the dark, felt-like soundproofing material spaced out overhead, muffling any white noise. Over...

As I was moving out of the area, I made a few nostalgic brunch visits to one of my favourite cafes, Three Bags Full (60 Nicholson Street, Abbotsford). It was on one of these visits that I picked up a postcard advertising French dinners at the very same venue. Two of the cafe's chefs, Nicolas Toll é  and Fabien Laville (better known as Nico and Fab), are French expats who came up with the clever idea to use the cafe's space by night to stage dinners showcasing their talents as chefs with French-inspired dishes. Two handsome young French men cooking me food with the novelty of a setting I only knew by day? Sold! It turned out to be a girls' dinner on Thursday 11 December 2014. Four of us met at 8pm (sadly the only booking time left - we were quite starving on arrival! luckily there was bread) among the quiet hum of chatter and clinking glassware. There were no great changes in the cafe's layout, however the tables were laid with floral fabric placemats, ...

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...