Melbourne Patron

In my initial Googling of this place, I had to specify "restaurant" in the search term, because it was still new and Google thought I was looking for a bowling joint. Tenpin (67 Beach Street, Port Melbourne) is actually named after a giant bowling pin - not really relevant to South-East Asian cuisine, I would have thought, but hey! why not. I do very much like the bowling alley style font used in their logo, however. Retro and with a swish! Port Melbourne is a bitch to get to. Seriously, if you don't have a car, Uber or a cab is your best bet. (Sort out your s*^t, PTV !) I got there in a very roundabout way via PT, getting into the city first to catch the 109 tram right to the end (near where the Spirit of Tasmania docks) and walked five minutes down the road. Although annoying to get to, no one can deny this restaurant's premium position: literally across the road from the beach, looking out to Port Phillip Bay. We were there on a February evening (only a f...

The Imperial Hotel, corner of Bourke and Spring Streets, Melbourne Touted on its website as Melbourne's third-oldest pub, there's no doubting that the Bourke Street Imperial Hotel  (2-8 Bourke Street, Melbourne) is old-school. Established in 1858 and boasting red cedar doors of the same age, "the Impy" is one of those comfy drinking holes you tend to forget about, even though you pass it on the tram every day. It's on the corner of Bourke and Spring Streets, right on the 86/96 tram line, and a hop-skip-jump from Parliament Station. Red cedar doors dating back to 1858 I'd been to the Imperial a few times before. It's an easy meeting point considering its proximity to PT, and a safe haven from the unpredictable Melbourne rain when all you feel like is a drink on the way home. I've watched footy there, sipped wine at their footpath tables when I couldn't get into City Wine Shop , seen comedy upstairs, and even been through a break-up the...

Oh look, another burger joint in Melbourne. *yawn* Wait - what's that you say? On a rooftop? Oh okay, that's kinda cool... In TRAIN CARRIAGES on a rooftop? Wha-- whaaaaaaa??! Only in Collingwood would this kind of place exist and would people make a special effort to go there. Like I did, one Saturday afternoon, oh months ago now, but I'm guessing not too much has changed since my visit. Inventively named for the street it's on, Easey's  (48 Easey Street, Collingwood) is hard to miss on approach. Three train carriages jut out from atop a rooftop. Oh hai. Trouble is, to get to them, you have to climb about a million stairs. Or maybe I'm just lazy. (Note: You can totally eat burgers on the ground level, too. But why would you go to this place and NOT go to the train carriages on the rooftop?!) (Another note: There is a lift. But either it wasn't working or I didn't/couldn't use it for some other reason on the day of my visit. Or maybe I w...

In the winter months, everyone's thoughts seem to turn to holidays. What could be better than relaxing somewhere in the sun, rather than working somewhere in the cold? It's almost as though, to survive the cold and grey, we need a goal of warmth and light to work towards. Even if it's just a temporary sojourn. Low tide at Surfer's Paradise Beach This year, my parents and I met for a June long weekend in the Gold Coast . Uncharacteristically, the region was experiencing fairly consistent rainfall - so it wasn't exactly the sunny paradise we'd anticipated. Nonetheless, the temperature was a solid 10 degrees warmer than in Melbourne , so I was still happy. And, as it turns out, moody weather makes for better beach photos. We mainly wandered between Surfer's Paradise , Broadbeach and the Nerang River , at one point ascending the popular SkyPoint building to visit its observation deck. Inviting walkway to Surfer's Paradise Beach View t...