A selection of our favourite places to celebrate the end of a working week...

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As we draw near to the end of a working week, we thought we should share some of our favourite spots for Friday night celebrations...
Fog Bar and Restaurant

 It's a Friday night and FOG Bar and Restaurant is bustling. While most are toasting to the end of another working week, the work is just beginning for the FOG team...read more
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 Red Spice Road
..It was great being able to wind down with these cocktails after dinner. We ordered one of their latest post-dinner cocktails and were very impressed by how sophisticated it tasted. To our delight, they were also very generous with that volatile substance we love. A good cocktail should always have a decent Alcohol By Volume (ABV) reading and these did not disappoint... read more
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Acland St Cantina

A sexy, gritty space devoted to the worship of Mexican food and drinks, combined with tunes from resident DJ Happy Juan, means Acland Street Cantina (ASC) presents a seductive Friday night proposition...read more
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Dikstein's Corner Bar

...What this bar is perhaps most famous for is its gourmet pizzas. Down to $6 in the evenings, they have a nice mix of pizzas with adventurous toppings and conventional pizzas... read more
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Ayatana

Melbourne is filled with Thai restaurants but Ayatana manages to stand out from the crowd. The decor is modern and relaxed, with grey and white dominating the colour scheme. Pictures of Thailand hang proudly on the walls, as do decorative rows of wine bottles, which is no surprise given Ayatana professes to be a wine bar and restaurant... read more
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Royston Hotel 

Hand pumped, cask conditioned beer. This is how beer used to be (before big corporations started pasteurising and carbonating it) and how beer should be.

After years of mass produced, artificially carbonated beer flooding the market and becoming the new ‘norm’ in Australia, hand pumped beer is beginning its resurgence thanks to breweries like the Holgate Brewhouse in Woodend, and temples of beer worship such as The Royston and the Great Northern Hotel... read more


Maedaya

...This Izakaya-style restaurant authentically resembles the Japanese izakaya experiences J and I have had during our time in Japan...read more

Restaurant Review: 400 Gradi

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Location: 99 Lygon Street, Brunswick East
Phone: 03 9380 2320
Link: http://www.400gradi.com.au/
Cuisine: Italian, Pizza
Overall Impression: 8/10
No stranger to the Melbourne foodie scene, 400 Gradi is one of the best pizzerias in Melbourne.

Owner, Johnny Di Francesco is Victoria’s first member of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association (an international body established to protect the heritage and tradition of the Napoletana pizza). 
toscana (fi) firenze 20 - pizza in bianco, fior di latte, mushrooms, goats cheese, rocket
paesana (cz) catanzaro - san marzano tomato, fior di latte, sausage, broccolini, fresh cherry tomatoes

Every pizza is perfectly made with classic, tried and true flavour combinations that impress any pizza-snob. The dough that forms the base of the pizzas is particularly impressive. The base is made from only 4 ingredients- yeast, flour, salt and water. The base has the perfect “puff” from the oven being run at the perfect temperature - not surprisingly, 400 Gradi (400 degrees). 

400 Gradi continues to be a well-regarded Melbourne culinary institution. If you love pizzas – you’ll love 400 Gradi.

400 Gradi on Urbanspoon

Launch party - The Grain Store

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Location: 517 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9972 6993
Link: http://www.grainstore.com.au/
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch, European, Coffee
With a name that pays homage to the days when many buildings in the area held grain shipments, The Grain Store is a lovely cafe tucked away on Flinders Lane.

Gastrology bloggers were privileged to attend the launch of The Grain Store with two of our favourite people, R and M. 
We were presented with a beautiful assortment of canapés created by head chef Ingo Meissner.
The canapés drew inspiration from Igno's European heritage and were a marriage of French and Mediterranean cooking. Beer, cider, wine and bubbly from local Victorian producers was served alongside the canapes.
The dining room is casual and contemporary, dominated by light wooden furnishings and white surfaces. The exposed roofing and low hanging lightbulbs cultivate a trendy "loft apartment" style ambience.
Chef Ingo's fondness for rustic, traditional European fare with modern techniques was clear, as was the love and attention that had gone into the preparation of the food.
The wait staff were lovely and warm.
As part of the launch, we were given an exciting Master Class by Ingo on how to make a delicious steak tartare.
The Grain Store delights with delicious, honest food, delightful staff and a modern, chic ambience. All four of us truly enjoyed the launch and can't wait to return.

The Grain Store on Urbanspoon

Friday nights @ Acland Street Cantina

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Location: 2 Acland Street, St Kilda
Phone: (03) 9536 1175
Link: www.aclandstcantina.com.au
Cuisine: Mexican
Overall Impression: 9/10

A sexy, gritty space devoted to the worship of Mexican food and drinks, combined with tunes from resident DJ Happy Juan, means Acland Street Cantina (ASC) presents a seductive Friday night proposition.

It is not surprising that its lofty bar side stools and dining tables are rarely vacant.
Gastrology bloggers returned to ASC to celebrate the end of the working week and test drive their drinks list and selection of "masa delicacies" (tacos, bocoles, empanadas, tamales and quesadillas).
The word "masa" refers to the dough used to make tortillas and tamales, and the "masa delicacies" selection features a variety of constantly evolving and alluringly tasty morsels that are a delight to indulge in over a few relaxing beverages.
The drinks list has a distinctly Mexican focus - from tequilas, cocktails (and of course tequila cocktails) to imported beers and wines, the range is wide ensuring there is something to suit all tastes.
Blue corn tacos with prawn, wild mushrooms and epazote 

The strong herbal perfume of the epazote permeated the fresh prawns and wild mushrooms. The beautiful blue corn tacos added earthiness and texture.

Black bean bocoles with veracruz salsa and seared scallops 

The black bean bocoles were beautifully crispy on the outside and were deliciously savoury and creamy on the inside. The scallops were sweet and fresh. This is one of our favourite dishes from ASC.
Wild mushroom and huitlachoche quesadillas with goat's cheese crema 

Drawing inspiration from a simple Mexican snack food, ASC has transformed this dish into something quite special. The lovely warm tortilla acted as a soft blanket enveloping what was a flavour explosion of wild mushrooms, earthy huitlachoche (Mexican truffle) and creamy goat's cheese crema.
Bohemia braised lamb short rib empanadas with mission fig black mole

One of our all-time favourites! The wonderfully flaky empanadas are filled with melt in your mouth slow cooked lamb and drizzled with sweet mole sauce. Topped with jammy figs, the empanadas are just beautiful.
Spanner crab tamales with adobe sauce (sweetcorn dumplings, spanner crab and smokey chipotle sauce

Served in classic Mesoamerican style, the tamales arrived tucked in corn husks. Generous amounts of sweet spanner crab flesh were dispersed throughout the sweetcorn dough. There is something about the sweetcorn dough used to make the tamales that is simply moreish.
Our savouries ended with our favourite mole - red mole with Tallabrook goat.
Our Friday night ended with a decadent bang.
Triple chocolate and chilli trifle with passionfruit 

Relatively light, the dessert is well-balanced with the perfect hint of tartness (courtesy of the passionfruit) to cut through the creaminess of the chocolate. The chilli provides a nice warmth and rounds off the dessert nicely.
 Spiced chocolate caramel with peanut butter ice cream 

The spiced chocolate caramel paired with the buttery ice cream was a match made in heaven.  
Milk chocolate and peanut sublime, candy bar style 

As the name suggests, this dessert was certainly sublime. The candied nuts provided a lovely textural element and counterbalanced the smooth chocolate "candy bar". Rich and decadent, this was a naughty dessert.
Salted caramel ice cream churros tacos 

The salted caramel ice cream churros taco is ASC's dessert pièce de résistance. Piped into a flat "taco", the churros were puffy and light on the inside and deliciously crisp on the outside. And what other word can you use to describe velvety, decadent salted caramel ice cream apart from yum?
While there are many Mexican restaurants serving caricature, fast food versions of Mexican cuisine, the dishes at ASC display a sophistication, authenticity and attention to detail that makes it unrivalled in Melbourne.
The chefs bring a polish and precision to Mexican cuisine that is rare in Melbourne - every dish we have ordered from our numerous visits has been perfectly seasoned and consistently excellent. ASC is definitely one of this year’s ‘it’ restaurants.
Start your boozy night on the tequila right here. With a wonderful drinks menu and a mouthwatering menu, ASC is brilliant for a Friday/ Saturday night celebration. And to tempt you further, there are weekly cocktail happy hours that run from 9 - 11pm ($10 cocktails, $25 cockjugs). We will keep you up to date about future events and specials from ASC!

Acland St. Cantina on Urbanspoon

Shinssi Hwaro Korean BBQ Restaurant

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Location: 535 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9670 2466
Link: http://www.shinssi.weebly.com/
Cuisine: Korean, Barbecue, Buffet
Overall Impression: 6/10
Shinssi Hwaro offers reasonably priced and authentic Korean Barbeque.
We loved their delicious sauces (which we are told are house-made). Certainly a great place for a casual catch-up while barbecuing away your meal. The service is consistently polite, friendly and helpful.

Shinssi Hwaro Korean BBQ Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Restaurant Review: Chinta Blues

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Location: 6 Acland Street, St Kilda
Phone: 03 9534 9233
Link: http://www.chintablues.com.au/
Cuisine: Malaysian, Asian
Overall Impression: 6.5/10
Chinta Blues is a popular Malaysian restaurant in St Kilda with a band of loyal followers.

The restaurant serves authentic Malaysian hawker food. 
My favourite dish from Chinta Blues is their Sambal Kangkung. It is consistently full of flavour and uses a good dose of belacan. 
Chinta Blues is great for a casual outing with friends especially if you’re on a budget. A lot of their menu items come under the $20 mark and the portions are generous. The service is friendly and the food is of a reasonably good standard. 

Chinta Blues on Urbanspoon

Breakfast @ Cumulus Inc.

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Location: 45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9650 1445
Link: http://cumulusinc.com.au/
Cuisine: Coffee, Wine Bar, International
Overall Impression: 7.5/10 
Lisa, Alice, Mr Alice, Grace and I were due for a catch up. This time around we decided to meet bright and early for breakfast on Saturday morning at Cumulus Inc.

This place has been blogged to death (especially their breakfast menu) so I won't bore you with too many details.
Suffice to say, the brunch at Cumulus Inc ticks all the boxes for a relaxed breakie/brunch.
The breakfast menu is simple but tasty and features items ranging from organic muesli to a full English breakfast (bacon, blood sausage on toast, fried eggs and smoked tomato).
Bircher muesli, grated granny smith apple and almonds 
Grilled Lyonnaise sausage, smoked hock, braised beans and 65/65 egg 
House smoked ocean trout, rye waffle, cucumber & mustard crème fraiche 
strawberry friand
Madeleine filled with lemon curd 
The highlight of my breakfast were these lovely madeleines filled with lemon curd. There is a 15 minute wait for these but they are well worth it! Perfectly shaped with a crisp exterior from being baked in moulded pans, the madeleines were fluffy and light. The lemon curd that oozed out of these had the perfect level of tartness - yum!

Cumulus Inc. on Urbanspoon

Event: Pork and Pinot dinner @ Middle Park Hotel

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Middle Park Hotel is kicking off the Winter Wine Series with a William Downie Pork and Pinot dinner on Tuesday the 14th of May.
Together, Chef Paul Wilson and celebrated winemaker William Downie have developed a menu to bring out the best of the pork on the plate and the pinot in the glass with a 5-course dinner with matched wines. 

Pairings include the 2011 SOS Chardonnay with King prawn saltimbocca with chestnuts and roast chicken juices followed by the 2012 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir matched to apple wood spit roasted Downie Estate Berkshire suckling pig with heritage apple marmalade and fennel salad. 

Pork and Pinot has been a favourite event for many years now at the Middle Park Hotel and has developed some what of a cult following.

Middle Park Hotel on Urbanspoon

Di Bella Coffee Roasting Warehouse

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Location: 19-21 Leveson Street, North Melbourne
Phone: 03 9329 2973
Link: www.dibellacoffee.com.au
Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee, Modern Australian
Overall Impression: 7/10

One of my favourite places for a short macchiato, Di Bella Coffee Roasting Warehouse is an excellent cafe with a wonderful vibe. 

Popular for weekend lunches, the menu features a good range of breakfast delights to suit most. The staff members are also friendly and helpful.

Di Bella Coffee Roasting Warehouse on Urbanspoon

Restaurant Review: Suri Suri

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Location: 601 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9629 9797
Cuisine: Japanese, Korean
Overall Impression: 6/10
Suri Suri is a relatively new Japanese/Korean restaurant located right next door to the very popular Brim CC Cafe.

The menu features a good variety of Japanese and Korean favourites and is well priced (with most dishes around the $10 mark). The service is prompt and friendly.

Suri Suri on Urbanspoon

Event review: 2013 Melbourne International Coffee Expo

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In the midst of the excitement building around the World Barista Championships that will be held in Australia for the first time in history, Gastrology bloggers were invited to a one-of-a-kind presentation last night to witness what makes Matt Perger Australia’s top barista.

Having won coffee competitions at the state and national level, Perger will be representing Australia at the World Barista Championships where he will be competing against over 55 other national champions at the Melbourne International Coffee Expo from 23 -26 May 2013.
For the competition, Perger has to prepare four espressos, four cappuccinos, and four coffee-based “signature drinks” for a panel of six judges – all in just 15 minutes!

We witnessed Perger show off his coffee-making skills at this exclusive media event and were privileged to hear Perger discuss the training it takes to become a Barista Champion, and the stardom that could follow if he takes the world title. With a history of success behind Perger (having placed third at the 2011 World Barista Championships in Colombia) we know he will do Australia proud.
Australia’s reigning Brewers Cup Champion Lachlan Ward was also present and demonstrated what exactly an alternative brewing method is. 

Both Perger and Ward work for St Ali Coffee Roasters.

Images courtesy of BeanScene Magazine

Restaurant Review: Meetbowl

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Location: 95 York Street, South Melbourne
Phone: 03 9696 4412
Cuisine: Indonesian ,
Overall Impression: 6.5/10
It’s Indonesian-style fast food - simple, MSG-laden but delicious. Meetbowl is great for a really (really) casual meal with people you don’t need to impress.


My favourite item on their menu is the curry laksa. It’s like your usual laksa but on steroids – scrumptious! 


Meetbowl on Urbanspoon

Restaurant Review: Shnitz in the CBD

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Link: http://www.schnitz.com.au/
Location: 203 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne
Phone: 03 9606 0388 ,
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Location: Level 2, Dining Hall, Shop K264, 211 La Trobe Street,  Melbourne
Phone: 03 9606 0388

Serving up made-to-order, pan-cooked schnitzels, Schnitz is a great and relatively healthy (if you’re comparing it to other schnitzels) lunch option. We loved the flavour but just wish the portion sizes were bigger.

Schnitz on Urbanspoon Schnitz on Urbanspoon

Event: Claremont Tonic opens its doors to raise funds for Think Pink

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Claremont Tonic will open its doors tomorrow (30th April 2013) to hand out complimentary dishes to raise funds for Melbourne based charity Think Pink and showcase its new lunchtime offering.
From 12:00pm to 2:00pm commuters, local workers, residents and the like will have the chance to check out the fresh new dishes, designed by recently appointed chef Sean Judd, including his roasted pumpkin miso ramen, barramundi green curry and grilled chicken rice bowl. 
Claremont Tonic is handing the power the the people, asking them what they believe the dishes are worth once the meal has been savoured, with their donations based on the level of enjoyment.
All proceeds from the Open Day will go to Melbourne based charity Think Pink.

Claremont Tonic on Urbanspoon

Restaurant Review: Grill'd has a brand new music festival themed restaurant

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Location: Next to V/Line ticket booth at Southern Cross Station, Melbourne
Phone: 9670 4100
Link: http://www.grilld.com.au/
Cuisine: Healthy burgers, salads
Overall Impression: 7/10


One of our favourite purveyors of fine burgers, Grill'd has debuted a brand new music festival themed restaurant in the heart of Melbourne’s bustling transport hub, Southern Cross Station.
The newly imagined and completely unique Southern Cross restaurant brings a little bit of festival fever to the hustle and bustle of city life.
It is clear that a lot of thought has gone into this unique festival interior from white picket fences and picnic tables to the astro turf floor and an eye-catching mural featuring festival-goers from across the world. 
We loved this new Grill’d dining experience! 
Instead of ordering at the counter, in true festival fashion, patrons order from a vintage 1959 Airstream which also forms the centrepiece of the restaurant. This new Grill’d restaurant also pays homage to the best festivals of 2012 and 2013 by lining the walls with iconic festival posters to mark the era the restaurant was established. 
The new Grill’d music festival themed restaurant is a winner. The unique surroundings are a great way for Grill’d fans (e.g. J and I!) to enjoy delicious and healthy burgers.

 Grill'd Southern Cross on Urbanspoon

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Grill’d.

Cafe Review: Freestyle Espresso

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Location: 6 Union Street, South Melbourne
Phone: 03 9696 4396
Link: www.freestyle-espresso.com.au/
Cuisine: Coffee, Breakfast/Brunch, Bakery
Overall Impression: 6/10
Freestyle Espresso is a lovely cafe in South Melbourne.

Tucked away in an alley way (in a very Melbourne sort of way), Freestyle Espresso delivers fresh and delicious lunchtime options in a casual and relaxed ambience. The coffee is lovely and the staff members are friendly. 

Freestyle Espresso on Urbanspoon