Dani Valent

Grana review

331 Lygon St Brunswick East, VIC 3057 View map Opening hours Mon-Fri 4pm-9pm, Sat noon-9pm, Sun noon-8pm Features Licensed, Food shop Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Payments eftpos, Visa, Mastercard Phone 0402 349 353 I don't think I've ever been so…

Dale La Pau brunch review

255 Camberwell Rd Camberwell, VIC 3124 View map Opening hours Breakfast and lunch daily; dinner Fri-Sun Features Outdoor seating, Breakfast-brunch Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Phone 03 8528 0821 Sometimes you see a phrase on a menu that stops you…

Sunshine Social review

64 Glengala Rd Sunshine West, VIC 3020 View map Opening hours Tue-Sun 11.30am-close Features Outdoor seating, Licensed, Family friendly, Bar Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Payments eftpos, Visa, Mastercard Phone 03 9312 0223 When we're all zipping…

Shamiat review

64 Victoria Rd Northcote, VIC 3070 View map Opening hours Mon & Wed-Fri 5pm-10pm; Sat-Sun 11am-10pm; cafe Wed-Mon 5am-5pm Features BYO, Groups, Vegetarian friendly Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Phone 03 9486 4458 Would you like a crash course in…

PBK Noodles review

354 Clayton Rd Clayton, VIC 3168 View map Opening hours Wed to Mon 9.30am-3pm Prices Cheap (mains under $20) Phone 03 9544 2466 It's time to take a metal straw and blow some coffee onto a saucer so I can slurp it up. No, really. I'm sitting at PBK…

Top Melbourne restaurants make a flying start on reducing food waste with Bardee larvae

Top restaurants including Gimlet and Supernormal are transforming their food waste into fertiliser and high-protein feed for animals, with the bonus of reducing methane emissions and turning rubbish into a resource. The secret? Fly larvae. Andrew…

4 Sisters Kebab and Cafe review

It always happens. Cook enough great meals for family and friends and you'll hear these words: "You should open a restaurant." Most of the time, though, you shouldn't. Restaurants are complex machines and lots of fine cooks find out the hard way that…

Induction v gas: Which cooktop comes out on top in our road test?

The debate is certainly heated. Is it better to cook with gas or shift to electricity-powered induction? And what are the downsides to using a new-fangled induction cooktop? I'm not going to go as far as Californian chef Andrew Gruel, who recently…

Poh Ling Yeow takes over sushi train afternoon tea menu at QT Melbourne

Cookbook author, TV host and MasterChef royal Poh Ling Yeow is doing her first restaurant takeover, creating a temporary afternoon tea menu for QT Melbourne that will be served to diners via a sushi train in the lobby. Matched cocktails are by whisky…

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival 2023 brings the fun and the flavours

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival has just released its program for 2023 with a focus on fun and accessible experiences at Federation Square, plus a slew of high-profile guests jetting in from overseas. Curtis Stone will bring his lauded Los Angeles…

Affordable luxury: How to host your own tinned fish date night at home

​It's the easy, affordable snack that's gone from "eww" to "ooh" as "tinned fish date night" becomes a social media-inspired food trend. San Francisco chef Ali Hooke posted a TikTok video in August, stepping viewers through the weekly canned seafood…

Rufio restaurant and rooftop brings Latin American fusion to Carlisle Street, St Kilda

The renaissance of Carlisle Street continues with the arrival of Rufio, a Latin American fusion bar and eatery from the team that opened Elwood's Repeat Offender in autumn 2021. They've carried the Latin American theme across the highway to St Kilda,…

Smith Street bakery Falco is opening a second Collingwood outlet

Hot cross bun anxiety starts on Boxing Day in Collingwood. As soon as residents spy Easter buns in the supermarkets, they start stressing about the annual bunfight at Smith Street sourdough hotspot Falco: "Will I be able to snare a half-dozen this…

DesiNental review

475 High St Prahran, VIC 3181 View map Opening hours Tue-Thu & Sun noon-9pm, Fri-Sat noon-10pm Phone 03 9193 9486 Sandwich origin stories are among my favourite fables. They tend to be tales of immigration and inspiration, accessible but impassioned…

Westwood review

313 Victoria St West Melbourne, VIC 3003 View map Opening hours Wed-Fri 5pm-late, Sat noon-late Features Licensed, Bar, Outdoor seating, Accepts bookings, Gluten-free options Prices Moderate (mains $20-$40) Payments eftpos, Cash, Visa, Mastercard…

Heartling review

32 Tom Thumb La Docklands, VIC 3008 View map Opening hours Tue-Sat 6pm-late (lunches by private booking) Features Licensed, Accepts bookings, Degustation Payments eftpos, Visa, Mastercard Phone 0414 329 327 We take it for granted, but having a…

Mandina Kitchen review

Tap-tap-tap. Our waiter is drumming on the base of an upturned saucepan. After a final thrum, he lifts the pot for a suspenseful reveal. My table's oohs and yeahs are lifted into the air on a wave of excitement that's suddenly fragrant with layered…

Wolfe & Molone review

Meet me for rabbit food and legless chicken? We must be going to six-year-old wine bar Wolfe & Molone. A welcoming hangout with sheltered pavement tables and a cosy dining room, this south-eastern suburban star offers interesting (but not freaky)…

A crave-worthy ice-cold soup for hot days and other Persian recipes from Salamati

The first time I met Hamed Allahyari in early 2017, he was cooking for hundreds of workers, volunteers and refugees at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Footscray. There was gentle but abundant joy in his laden platters: saffron-scented rice…

Stokehouse Pasta & Bar review

It's not hard to tempt me with a meal and a sea view, but I'm an especially easy sell on downstairs at Stokehouse. Iconic but easygoing, it's a key Melbourne dining experience. Life feels good and summer feels real while you're sipping on a spritz,…