Melbourne Patron

The Orchid Room at Red Spice Road QV I'm feeling less than wordy today, so rather than an extensive recap in words, here are a bunch of pweeetty pictures from a work lunch at Red Spice Road QV (37 Artemis Lane, Melbourne) quite a few months ago. We were well looked after and the South-East Asian-inspired (essentially Thai) food was fantastic, both visually and taste-wise. Snappy, clean and bright Looking up towards the main dining area Hangin' out Large group table overlooking Lonsdale Street. And some heavy dudes minding the windows. Word on the street is that RSRQV is currently under renovation, reopening on 9 February, 2015 (I hope they don't do too much to their pretty events space, The Orchid Room ). Meanwhile, the more traditional-looking  original Red Spice Road venue (27 McKillop Street, Melbourne) is still open for business. The Orchid Room at Red Spice Road QV. I'd like a pond in my dining room, too. Actually, I'd ju...

Ocha (3 Church Street, Hawthorn) is something of a suburban legend. The Japanese restaurant built up a huge following at its original location in Pakington Street, Kew - so much so that it relocated to its current location in the revamped Beehive complex in 2010, effectively doubling its cover size from 35 to 70 plus. Comfortably settled in next door to schmancy gastro-pub  Barkers Wine Bar  (old-man-pub the Beehive Hotel in another life), Ocha is still notoriously difficult to get a booking at. I haven't tried their degustation ($120.00 per head), held on the last Monday of each month - but I imagine it, too, would be very popular. Ocha has even released its own ranges of dressings and sauces for home use. MERCH! My, that is confidence personified. Bottled. Whatever. There to celebrate a milestone birthday, five of us rocked up on a Thursday evening, armed with lots of nice wine (of course). A delightful young chap was our waiter, most smiley and helpful, and he even remem...

Top Paddock ? A new cafe in Richmond? Pfft, I'm not going there. Richmond doesn't have quality cafes that actually last. Plus, Richmond is a huuuuuge suburb. I'm a PT kind-of-a-gal. Tell me EXACTLY where it is, then maybe I'll check it out. What? 658 Church Street, near the river? Just down the road from my work?! No WAYYYYYYY! Okay. I'll probably get there one day. A venue for a belated birthday lunch, with my weekly lunch date? ...Why the hell not!? Geez. That was easy to find. And this place is huge. And schmick. I don't think I've ever seen so much cool designer lighting. Are they recycled crystal vases with lightbulbs inside, casting different geometric patterns on the wall? White coffee machine. White marble benchtop. Bar stools. Long communal table. Small private nooks. Clean. Airy. You have HOW MANY different coffee blends? I'm in love. Okay. What are you having to eat? One steak sandwich, please, ...

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...