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A refreshing departure from the current Americana food craze (is anyone else sick to death of burgers, pulled pork, po'boys and donuts?), Bad Frankie  (141 Greeves Street, Fitzroy) has chosen to showcase local product instead. Rather than stocking your hospo standards ( Absolut , Jim Beam , Bombay Sapphire , etc), owner Seb Costello has installed a huge selection of Australian-made spirits and liqueurs. This venue is a relative newcomer based on a very fresh idea - so I'm already a fan! You'll find Bad Frankie just off Smith Street, buried among Collingwood's multitudes of eateries. It is actually perfectly situated for those post-dinner cocktails, when you're not quite ready to go home yet. Australiana is the theme here, shown in everything from the name and decor to the food and drinks. In fact, its Facebook page proclaims Bad Frankie to specialise in "iconic Jaffle and local Australian craft spirits". You read correctly: JAFFLE. "Home of the...

There are some things you hear of and immediately think, 'Only in Melbourne!' Jafflechutes are one such thing. ...Jafflechutes, you say? What on earth are jafflechutes?! Well. Have you heard of jaffles? The toasted sandwiches that you make using an electric sandwich maker that squashes the sandwich's edges together, sculpts it so it kinda looks like a moulded cake, makes the outside all nice and toasty and crusty, and melts the cheese inside, so you end up with a hot, gooey, salty, hand-held piece of deliciousness? Now marry that with a parachute, and you have a jafflechute. Someone in this world not only had the amazing idea that a toasted sandwich could be thrown out a window attached to a parachute so it would float it down to its recipient, but then they actually put it into action. The someone was actually two people, Adam Grant and David McDonald, and the idea was born from Grant coming home one night having forgotten his keys. They were thrown down...