Melbourne Patron

I am fonda Mexican. Boo-doom-TISH! Side wall of Fonda Mexican, Richmond Actually, I'm not that fond of Mexican. I used to be very anti-chilli - thankfully, not the case anymore, although I still prefer other people to cook with chilli for me, rather than cook it myself. Plus, Australia wasn't so fortunate in the '80s and '90s as it is now, with such a large spectrum of international cuisines available to us - so I never grew up eating Mexican food. Then, when I did, it was mainly crappy Tex-Mex: lots of heavy, fried, oily, cheesy stuff that actually barely resembles Real Mexican food. Only in the last few years have Melburnians been privy to (hopefully more) genuine Mexican flavours - and fresh ingredients - through the likes of Mamasita , Chingon , Acland St Cantina , and Fonda Mexican . So, I'm coming around. :) Fish taco from Fonda Mexican, Richmond In 2001, David Youl and Tim McDonald opened the original Fonda Mexican at 248 Swan Street, Richmond...

*Virginia Plain is now closed.* So I completely forgot to take pics this night. At least publishable ones that don't have my friend's face in the middle. But that's okay, because this place is worth blogging about, even without pictures. One of my best friends and I have a regular catch-up, and this one fell the week before Christmas, so we decided to make an event of it and try the much-hyped new kid on the Flinders Lane block, Virginia Plain (31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne). We were early, so went for a drink first at Tazio Birraria & Pizzeria on the corner of Flinders Lane and Exhibition Street. We sat on the upstairs balcony, which was far less sleazy-old-man-filled than the downstairs section, and had a lovely glass of Prosecco. When we got to the restaurant, I almost walked right past. It's so unassuming-looking. It is literally next door to Cumulus , which might make it easier for me to find it in future... I had booked for the $75 pp degustation men...