Melbourne Patron

Anyone who's met my current housemate will know she is a massive ramen fan. Along with nachos, it's pretty much all she eats. In fact, she was one of the first to take me to Shop Ramen on Smith Street, which has since become one of our favourites. Having lived with her for a while now, I am happy to admit that her ramen obsession has rubbed off on me. So it was not unusual that a group of us decided, after an afternoon drinking session at Naked In The Sky one Saturday, to head to Little Ramen Bar (346 Lt Bourke Street, Melbourne) for dinner. A tiny joint near the corner of Lt Bourke and Elizabeth Streets, Little Ramen Bar is consistently packed, often with a queue outside the door. Fortunately, the staff have a great system in place, manning the door and ushering in patrons as soon as a table becomes available. There is usually a quick turnaround, so even though waiting might be annoying to some, it's usually not for long. The front door queue Most tables s...

*This venue is now closed*  I'd been looking forward to this dinner for a long time - not only for the company, but also because I was keen to try Mercy Bar + Eatery (31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne), formerly known as Virginia Plain (see my previous blog post here ). PINK ! In its former state, I'd tried the degustation with matching wines and been quite impressed. Word on the street was that, although Mercy Bar is still run by the same crew (owned by Marco Santucci, with Andy Harmer as chef and Mat Beyer running front-of-house), it was revamping in response to what the people wanted: a more casual eatery, with a 'less austere' ambience. It's still a great venue, but I'm not sure it has hit its mark just yet. Sure, it's a little more colourful, with street-style art by Steve Cross and touches of bright neon lighting, but I was expecting more bar, less eatery - well, less 'restaurant' style eatery, anyway. I was kinda disappointed to ...

Youth homelessness is a big issue in Victoria, with over 22,000 homeless souls unsure of their next night's sleep, and roughly half of those under 25 years old. Coming from a comfortable, 'unbroken' home on Sydney's North Shore, with a healthy, happy family, access to great education, always enough to eat, and a warm, comfortable bed - plus many, many other perks - I often feel guilt about my fortunate upbringing. This translates into huge sympathy for anyone less fortunate. I've lived in Melbourne for over four years now, and have come to realise how important a landmark the MCG is to this city. Not only is it the spiritual home of AFL to any Melburnian worth their salt, but it embodies our sporting culture, or at least what we like to think our sporting culture is: warmth, the encouragement to excel, a sense of community, pride in our history, and not least the old adage of 'a fair go' for all. So, it seemed a fitting venue for a youth homelessness fund...