Punch Lane

43 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

Whenever a discussion about Melbourne's best restaurants comes around, Punch Lane often comes up in the conversation. With a cosy atmosphere, an extensive wine list and a history spanning over 20 years, it becomes easy to see why Punch Lane received its popularity.

Not actually on Punch Lane

Located close to the top of Little Bourke Street by the entertainment district, Punch lane is a favourite for theatre-goers.

Gippsland natural grass-fed beef, beetroot, dill pickle & petite salad $41

My friend had the Gippsland natural grass-fed beef. The beef was very tender and retained a lot of juice, which is a sign of both high quality ingredients and good technique. However after previously visiting other places such as San Telmo, we thought it could have been seasoned a bit more thoroughly.

Flinders Island Wallaby, kohlrabi, quandong, macadamia, salt bush, finger lime $42

I however chose to try something different and ended up ordering the Flinders Island wallaby. I was expecting the wallaby to be slightly tougher and have a slight gaminess to it, to my surprise however, the meat was tender and there was little to no gaminess in the meat. My favourite element of the dish was how the flavour of the meat was enhanced very nicely with the use of roasted macadamia nuts, but I also felt that some of the other ingredients described in the dish were hard to detect or hidden by the stronger flavour of the meat.

The overall experience of the evening was quite pleasant. From the moment we entered the establishment we were enticed by the great atmosphere and the professionalism of the staff. Our expectations were very high due to the reviews I had previously read, and the experience lived up to my expectations. The only slight letdown was that I was expecting a certain amount of wow factor from the food, and although our dishes were prepared well and had solid flavours, we felt like it was lacking compared to the overall experience we had.

Punch Lane is definitely a place I would recommend visiting for a great night, whether it be to the wine bar for their extensive wine list, their dining atmosphere or even just the cheese selection. The friendly staff and the lighthearted atmosphere are sure to impress.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 8.5/10

Mugen Ramen

11 Bligh Place, Melbourne


A product of the ramen craze that has lead to a large number of small ramen shops and ramen chain stores opening up across Melbourne. Mugen Ramen has distinguished itself by not only keeping traditional elements in their dishes, but also drawing from some western influences in both their restaurant and the tapas menu.

At the back of Bligh Place

Hidden in a small alleyway off Flinders Lane, Mugen Ramen boasts a stylish fit-out with a relaxed vibe, with venues such as the well known Robot Bar next door and Flinders Street Station only minutes away.

Goma Tsukemen (360g) $15

The Goma Tsukemen is a new item on the menu, consisting of the traditional elements of a tsukemen. However instead of the normal dipping sauce there is a strong sesame based dipping sauce. 

Thick noodles, chashu, menma and nori

The thick noodles are cooked nicely and retain some of their firmness which resulted in a good texture. They were served with a small stack of menma, a small sheet of nori and a large slice of chashu, the combination of these elements creates the basic half of the tsukemen.

Thick Dipping Sauce

When immersed in the dipping sauce and slurped up, the noodles take on much of the flavour of the sauce. While I found the dipping sauce had a very intense flavour of sesame, almost too much for me to handle, I realized this was probably a dish designed more towards those who love sesame. While I was nearing the end of my meal and the dipping sauce was getting slightly colder, a waiter brought over a small pot of dashi. This was to be mixed into the dipping sauce so that after the noodles were finished you could sip at the broth afterwards. This was quite pleasant as the flavour of the dashi thinned out the thick sesame sauce creating a nice warm sesame broth. 

Pipi-Sake Mushi $15

When the pipi-sake mushi arrived, the aroma of the pipis cooked in sake with chunks of melted butter on top enticed me into forgetting about my goma tsukemen and instantly dig into the large pile of pipis. The pipis were cooked well and blended nicely with the melted butter and chives on top. This made it all the more disappointing when I started noticing that a large amount of the pipis were very gritty, as it had the potential to be an excellent dish.

My adventurous nature and desire to try new things may have backfired on me for this meal. As I am not a huge sesame lover, the goma tsukemen proved to be too thick and heavy in flavour prior to the addition of the dashi, however I don't think this detracts from the dish itself which is most likely designed for those who love sesame, and as a result I would highly reccomend it to sesame lovers. The pipis on the other hand, had a great flavour profile but was let down by poor preparation of the pipis. Being a ramen store which specialises in tsukemen over the traditional ramen (both are served) is something harder to find in Melbourne. With a wider variety in their menu and more open minds, there is a lot of potential in the restaurant, however on my particular visit there were just a few things that could have been done better.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10

Stalactites

177-183 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

One of the go to places for food at any time of the day, Stalactites Greek Restaurant has made itself known as one of the few restaurants that are open 24/7.

Having found ourselves in the city late at night and quite hungry, there was only one destination on our minds.

The natural habitat of night owls

Making a restaurant stand out in the unique culinary landscape of the Melbourne city is quite a difficult task. Stalactites has chosen to diversify itself from the other Greek restaurants in the city by being one of the few that are open 24/7. One of the payoffs from this choice is becoming one of the more well known restaurants in the city.

Incredibly busy Sunday night

Lamb Giros Souvlaki $13.50

My friends had the Lamb Giros Souvlaki, which arrived to our table relatively quickly. Although the meat was tender and juicy, there could have been a little more of it, especially since the souvlaki cost $13.50. There was however a good balance of salad, sauce, seasoning and wrap which made it a decent souvlaki.

 Mixed Grill $29.50

As I was feeling a lot hungrier than everybody else, I chose to have to Mixed Grill over the souvlaki. The plate contained a combination of chicken and lamb skewers, lamb cutlet, greek rissoles and a greek salad with a side of chips. The first thing I tried was the chicken, which was tender and well seasoned, this set me up for high expectations for the rest of the dish! Unfortunately, the lamb skewers and cutlet were dry and the rissole wasn't seasoned enough. The greek salad also didn't have much flavour to it, which was strange as there was so much dressing that it ended up covering the entire bottom of the plate and turning the chips into a soggy mess. 

Stalactites' niche of being open 24/7 may also be one of it's weaknesses. Being open at all times during the day makes it much harder to keep the quality of the food at high standards. While I would definitely go to Stalactites for a take-away souvlaki in the future, I would probably think twice about dining there. I hope that the quality of the food can be maintained at a consistently high level in the future, as 24 hour restaurants contribute a lot to the Melbourne nightlife. 

Food Rating 5.5/10

Overall Rating 6/10

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

Crown Melbourne, Level 3, 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank

After Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck departed from Melbourne after it's 6 month opening at Crown Melbourne, it left behind Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. A sister restaurant to Dinner by Heston Blumenthal - located at London's Mandarin Oriental and praised as one of the world's best restaurants.

Having missed out on having a chance to dine at the more experimental The Fat Duck, I jumped at having a chance to visit Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.

Next the the level 3 spa at Crown

Located where The Fat Duck once stood, Dinner is situated on level 3 of Crown Melbourne past Koko restaurant, right next to the spa.

Dinner

Hard to spot entrance at the end of the hallway

After entering from outside, there is a dark hallway in which the entrance to the restaurant was difficult to find. After investigating for a bit we found the door on the right side of the end of the hallway.

Simple yet elegant

View of the city skyline and river

Our table was close to the window, which provided a great view of both the river and the night city skyline as our booking was quite late.

Open kitchen so you can see the magic happen

As you enter the restaurant, the first thing you see is the open kitchen to your left. Inside the kitchen you can see the team of chefs working on creating the intricate dishes as well as items like the pineapples roasting on a spit for the Tipsy cake.

Complimentary bread & butter

The crispy bread and slightly salted butter prepared us for what was expected to be a great experience.

 Meat Fruit (c.1500) $38

As a fan of Heston, one of the dishes I was most excited to try was the iconic Meat Fruit. It lived up to my high expectations as one of Heston's most famous dishes. The chicken liver parfait which was coated in a mandarin jelly was incredibly light, while maintaining a light taste of chicken liver as well as a hint of the mandarin flavour from the jelly coating. Combined with the grilled bread, it delivered subtle flavours and texture from the crispy bread as well a stunning visual impact. This was a welcome surprise, as the chicken liver I have tried in other French restaurants carry quite a heavy liver taste. 

 Roast Marrowbone (c.1720) $34

The Roast Marrowbone was a combination of flavours that worked very together, the saltiness from the anchovy in the filling along with the texture and slight earthiness of the snails worked very well together. The pickled vegetables on the side provided a different texture in addition to a little bit of acidity to the dish. While the Roast Marrowbone was an excellent dish worthy of praise by itself, I could not help but compare it to the other starter which was hard to measure up to.

Powdered Duck Breast (c.1670) $54

The Powdered Duck Breast was a dish that originally confused me slightly. This was until our waiter kindly explained the process of "powdering", which was the process by which the duck was brined and salted. Although I didn't ask, I was fairly certain the duck was also cooked sous vide, which is a process of cooking that Heston is well known for. The result of these methods of preparation and the skills of the chef was nothing short of perfection. The combination of the perfectly cooked duck and skin along with the ale sauce and artichokes, was finished off with some small duck hearts which resulted in a marriage of the rich flavours and textures - one of my all time favourite dishes.

Lamb & Cucumber (c.1830) $56

My partner had the Lamb & Cucumber, which was a combination of lamb and sweetbreads, cucumber heart and broad beans with barilla and mint. After trying some of the lamb it seemed like it may actually have been overcooked just slightly, it was still nice and tender however slightly on the dryer side. The sauce for the lamb was also on the strong side.

 Tipsy Cake (c.1810) $30

As we were deciding on what to order, we were informed by a waitress that unlike the other desserts, the Tipsy Cake had to be ordered with our mains and entrees as it took slightly longer to prepare. The thought of the pineapples I saw roasting on the spit on our way in made it so I had to order this dessert. This proved to be an excellent decision as the soft pillows of baked brioche soaked in a brandy sauce had a very distinct sweetness almost like butterscotch, which paired brilliantly with the roasted pineapples acidity and sweetness.

 Sambocade (c.1390) $24

The Sambocade is a goat's milk cheesecake with elderflower, apple, perry poached pear and smoked candied walnuts. When you think of cheesecake, normally you think of something that has quite a strong flavour. However the Sambocade has a more subtle flavour in which the goat's milk cheese was able to shine through. This, paired with the subtle fruit notes both from the apple within the cheesecake, in addition to the perry poached pair made for a good dessert. Unfortunately the smoked candied walnuts had an extremely strong and overpowering flavour, which left a slightly unpleasant walnut aftertaste.

 After dinner ganache

As we were finishing off our meal we were served with a complimentary ganache which is sweet and had a smooth texture. 

The overall experience of the meal was nothing short of otherworldly, from the moment we entered the restaurant we were greeted with an excellent atmosphere, a great view and lovely staff members. From the lovely waiters and waitresses who took the time to explain everything with a smile on their faces, to the knowledgeable sommelier who helped pair a wine to multiple different dishes as we were deciding, and most of all, the meal experience which apart from one or two small issues was almost perfect.

Dining at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal can set you back quite a hefty amount. However what you pay for is not just the food. What you are paying for is for the entire experience, and while one or two of the dishes may not have been the best I have ever had, over my long journey in search for good food, this was by far the best overall dining experience.

Food Rating 9.5/10

Overall Rating 9.5/10

Bowery To Williamsburg

16 Oliver Lane, Melbourne

Recently I've been craving all sorts of American food, from barbecue to burgers and anything else I could find. So when we found ourselves in the city thinking about breakfast after spending the night out I knew exactly where we had to go.

With a new location opening up not too long ago Bowery to Williamsburg now has two locations within the CBD, however we decided that it would be a good idea to go to the original.

 Hidden in one of Melbourne's laneways off Flinders Street

Hidden in one of Melbourne's many laneways just off Flinders Street, Bowery to Williamsburg is well known for both its New York style sandwiches and coffee. Just to the side of the laneway there are a set of small stairs that lead down into a small, bustling space that looked like it could have been taken right out of an American movie.

 Strong Latte 

A good smooth coffee was just what I needed to snap me out of a long night out, however it could have been slightly hotter.

 Reuben Breakfast Bagel $12

Originally I had planned on creating my own Reuben sandwich, however devoid of energy I ended up ordering the Reuben Breakfast Bagel off the menu. The flavours were exactly what I was hoping for, with well seasoned and flavoured pastrami beef brisket, a good pile of sauerkraut topped with a runny fried egg, Russian dressing a slice of swiss cheese. However, as with most other bagels I've had, it was a hard as a brick which made eating the Reuben Breakfast Bagel incredibly messy.

 Good Morning Cubano $12

My friend had the Good Morning Cubano which was ham hock, pickles, mustard, swiss cheese and a fried egg served on challah, which is the type of bread it was on. The Cubano was seasoned well with good pickles and the crispy bread, however the mustard was quite strong and was a little overpowering, which was a bit disappointing considering how good the Cubano would have been if there was slightly less mustard.

Key Lime Pie

As we were seated right next to the display case of quite a few delicious looking pies and tarts, we were quite tempted to try some of these, however as the meals we had just finished were quite filling, our stomachs had to disagree with us.

Breakfast at Bowery to Williamsburg was quite a relaxing experience, from the great atmosphere to the lovely waitress that served us with a big smile and great humour even though it was an extremely busy morning, I look forward to returning and trying one of the well known New York style sandwiches!

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 8/10

Duchess of Spotswood

87 Hudsons Road, Spotswood

A small and stylish brunch spot only a couple of minutes from Spotswood train station, it was the perfect location to fill up before we headed off the spend the day at the nearby Scienceworks Museum. Having heard previous praise for the location I was eager to try it out.

Small brunch spot minutes from the train station

 Duchess of Pork $18.50

While I was going through the menu the Duchess of Pork was the first thing that caught my eye, as a lover of sourdough, eggs and pork it seemed like a no brainer.

As the plate was set down in front of me, the scent of the truffle oil instantly drifted through the air. The toasted sourdough and perfectly cooked eggs were a great combination with the crispy block of pork jowl and was quite filling. However as this was the first meal of the day for me, the strong flavours and oily dish overwhelmed me slightly, only a slight oversight in an otherwise good and filling dish!

Prince of Wales $19.00

My partner had the Prince of Wales which was a combination of grilled salmon, baba ghanoush, flatbread, poached eggs and a mint, coriander and chilli salad. As I already had quite a substantial dish in front of me, I had to politely decline an offer to try the dish, however it looked amazing and the poached eggs were perfectly cooked, nice and runny.

Unfortunately the cutlery was covered in watermarks and other stains and I had to look for a slightly cleaner set from one of the adjacent tables, however this was more than made up for with a good atmosphere and open kitchen as well as good and filling dishes.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7/10

About Us

I'm just an average guy with a passion for all things to do with food!

In my spare time I love to adventure around the CBD, looking for new and exciting places to fulfill my culinary desires. I hope to be able to share my experiences and journey with everyone as I continue to discover new things!

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