Melbourne Patron

Despite still being new-ish to the South Yarra area, I'd already walked past A25 Pizzeria (720 Chapel Street, South Yarra) multiple times before actually getting around to trying it. (I find decent Chapel Street venues a bit few and far between, so tend to dine out in other areas instead.) Over the Easter weekend, a friend from interstate stayed with me. When she landed, we were both starving - where was there wine and tasty food within walking distance, that was not likely to be too noisy or jam-packed? Hey, let's try this place I've been meaning to check out... A25 is on the northern end of Chapel Street, a few minutes' walk from Toorak Road. Named for a freeway between Rome and Pescera, it is a long, thin venue (along the street front, not perpendicular to it), with indoor and outdoor seating, amply cocooned by clear plastic shades and heated. The initial impression is clean and bold: white, black and blonde-wood hard surfaces and occasional splashes of green ...

Who is Rosa? You know... Rosa! Rosa Mitchell. She's been on the Melbourne food scene for a while. Remember that Journal Canteen joint next to the library on Flinders Lane? Lotsa eggplant, meat, tomato... yummy, hearty Italian stuff, with Sicilian leanings? Yeah, that was her. She also wrote some cookbook, My Cousin Rosa , and did something-or-other foodie in Williamstown?? To the chagrin of her devotees, she kinda disappeared for a while. Turns out she's popped up again on Punch Lane, taking over the old Luccatini's bistro site with her trattoria, Rosa's Kitchen  (22 Punch Lane, Melbourne). Saweet! The front Head chef Lucy David hails from such esteemed kitchens as Coda and Pei Modern , and there seems to be a MoVida link in there, too. Tucked down clean and cobblestoned Punch Lane (off Lt Bourke Street, next to Longrain ), the site has been revised from its '80s pastels to industrial chic - think polished cement floor, chalkboard menus, low lighting and...

Birthday celebration no. 2 came in the form of a "surprise" evening organised by one of my dear friends. She picked me up from home and we trammed it into le city, alighting at the promising Paris end of Collins Street, and landing at the foot of the infamous 101 Collins building. (I'm not sure if this building is infamous due to some titillating history, its art, architecture and design, or merely because the nearest tram stop is named after its address. In trying to find this out, it turns out the building has its very own website and Wikipedia entry , neither of which sheds much light on the matter.) Walk through the spacious, immaculate foyer, past a gazillion banks of elevators, and you will find, neatly tucked in one corner, The Italian . No, this is (sadly) not a tall, dark, handsome man with an alluring accent, wandering eyes and curly hair, but its restaurant equivalent - though maybe without the wandering eyes. The Italian is generally regarded as a prestig...

Meyers Place is one of my favourite Melbourne laneways to hang out in, not least because it offers a variety of bars to choose from. Yes, there are several, but together they form a chilled-out sanctuary from the ritzy, pricey hotspots around the top end of Bourke Street ( Siglo/Supper Club/City Wine Shop , Longrain , Madame Brussels , Gin Palace and 1806 all come to mind). Don't get me wrong - many of these are excellent; but when you venture out midweek on a regular basis, it's nice to know you have a cluster of affordable, more relaxed options available, as well as the schmancier, special-occasion places. Also handy is how easy Meyers Place is to find, compared to many other Melbourne laneways. "It comes off Bourke Street, near the Parliament end," is a phrase I'm sure I've spouted multiple times to uninitiated friends. Failing that, I tell them to look for the Palace Theatre - it's almost directly across the road. The Bourke Street entrance to Me...

An institution of Melbourne, Pellegrini's Espresso Bar is one of the first places you are told about when you arrive in Melbourne. It faces street-front at 66 Bourke Street - on the corner of a most artistic-looking laneway - making it relatively easy to find, unlike many of its rooftop-dwelling, laneway-hiding neighbours. Aesthetically, it has an old-school Italian charm, and claims to have imported Melbourne's first espresso machine in the 1950s. Considering that, it's very disappointing that Pellegrini's uses and makes such terrible coffee. Vittoria! Oh, the shame. I have been to Pellegrini's several times over my four years in Melbourne, but I honestly have to say this was my most disappointing visit. Sure, it's cheap - but hey, pasta's not expensive to make. Yes, it has character - but so do a lot of places in this wonderful city... and too many 'cons' does not a 'pro' make. There is a long bar/counter that runs down one side o...