Melbourne dining

[chrismch]

We have a week in Melbourne in Sept and need dining ideas. We'd like to keep it casual and reasonably priced. First suggestion would be for places that sell meat pies. We love this for a mid day or afternoon break. Also would like a suggestion for Chinatown that wouldn't overwhelm us for choices, pub fare and local cuisine. Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Aussie Gal]

Melbourne has so many good restaurants that I wouldn't know where to start. As for meat pies, any cake shop or milk bar will sell you a meat pie.

 

We all have our favouritie restaurants but for a starting point, there are numerous good ones along Southbank including a great Chinese Restaurtant - "The Red Emperor".

 

Then of course you have the top echelon of Chinese Restaurants which includes the "The Flowerdrum" and "The Mask of China". Both will set you back quite a few dollars!

Both of these can be found in our China Town which is in the heart of our city.

 

We do have a couple of good publications out which could help you decide where to eat. One is The Age Good Food Guide and the other is the Age Cheap Eats. Both are excellent publications. These can be bought at any newsagent but just clicking on the two links can give you an idea of some of our restaurants.

 

http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne_details.php?id=15765

 

http://yourrestaurants.com.au/lists/the-age-cheap-eats-awards-2008/2371/

 

If you have any questions, ask away. We eat out regularly, at least once or twice a week, and we do have our favourites but most of these are not in the city but in our suburbs.

 

Jennie

[MMDown Under]

We have a week in Melbourne in Sept and need dining ideas. We'd like to keep it casual and reasonably priced. First suggestion would be for places that sell meat pies. We love this for a mid day or afternoon break. Also would like a suggestion for Chinatown that wouldn't overwhelm us for choices, pub fare and local cuisine. Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

You might like to do what we interstaters do. Just walk along all the delightful alleyways in the CBD and look for those restaurants/cafes/holes in the wall, which are packed and join them. We've never been disappointed. I doubt a restaurant would survive in Melbourne, as there are so many excellent choices.

 

We have favourites in Chinatown, South Melbourne and Toorak, but I'm sorry I can't remember their names. I will pay attention next visit. :)

[campingman]

Tramcar Restaurant

 

http://www.tramrestaurant.com.au/default.asp

[chrismch]

Was just reading a Melbourne restaurant review and the poster said they weren't able to take the leftovers with them. Is this the norm for Melbourne restaurants that they won't pack up as takeaway the unfinished meal?

[Aussie Gal]

Yes, that has been the norm now for about 10 years or more now. The reason being is that if you take leftovers home, and don't eat them straight away or don't store them correctly in which case you could become ill and they don't want be held responsible or be a party to any litigation.

 

So when you order, make sure that your eyes are not bigger than your stomach!

 

 

Jennie

[3888T6813]

Aussie Gal,

 

My DH and I will be in Melbourne before and after our cruise in Feb 2010. We are staying at the Westin Melbourne. My DH has simple taste in food - meat and potatoes. He does not like lamb. Would you recommend some restaurants around the Westin? We are not renting a car. We love to walk.

[Aussie Gal]

Aussie Gal,

 

My DH and I will be in Melbourne before and after our cruise in Feb 2010. We are staying at the Westin Melbourne. My DH has simple taste in food - meat and potatoes. He does not like lamb. Would you recommend some restaurants around the Westin? We are not renting a car. We love to walk.

 

The Westin is a lovely hotel situated right in the heart of Melbourne. There are so many good restaurants nearby that you will find it hard to choose. In the hotel itself is a good restaurant where we have eaten. Opposite the hotel and next door to the Athenaeum Theatre is a good French Bistro. A couple of blocks north from the hotel is Chinatown and two blocks south is Southgate where there are loads of restaurants.

 

Also a lovely restaurant close by is Taxi, though it is expensive. In the next main Street, Bourke Street, you have a number of good restaurants in the block bounded by Spring and Exhibition Streets.

 

Here are some links:

 

http://yourrestaurants.com.au/vic/melbourne/city/

http://www.totaltravel.com.au/travel/vic/melbournearea/innermelbourne/directory/restaurants-cafes

http://www.melbourne-dining.com.au/melbourne-city-restaurants.html

http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=268&pa=2248&pg=2263

 

We don't all eat lamb when we dine out in fact usually that is the one meat that I will ignore. On most menus there is always a choice beef, fish, pork, duck and of course lamb. You will find every type of cuisine that you can imagine and if you want Italian, just take the bus up to Lygon Street which is regarded as Little Italy.

 

Jennie

[chrismch]

Thanks for the info on "no leftovers." We find that is easy to do when you don't have an idea of how large a course is. Do restaurants there have any problems with sharing/spliting a main?

 

Started looking through those links and found 2 restaurants that sound interesting and wondering if you have any feedback...Lamore Docklands and Sugar Cane?

 

As we are staying in Southbank does the local buses/trams/trains run into the evening or will we need a taxi to take us around? Any suggestions for jazz clubs?

[Aussie Gal]

Our main courses are not huge like in the States and normally we don't share a meal though I don't think anyone would mind if you did decide to do that. Often, I will have two entrees (starters) instead of a main course if I am not that hungary or if the entrees appeal to me more than the main course. I haven't heard about either Lamore Docklands or Sugar Cane. To get to Docklands you need to take a tram. Here is a link:

http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/Placestogo/Docklands/Pages/GettingtoDocklands.aspx

 

Our trams and trains run until midnight and then taxis are easy to come by though unfortunately at night, a lot of the drivers have no idea where you want to go and sometimes you end up telling them how to get from A to B.

 

Here is a link to some of our Jazz Clubs. Apparently Bennetts Lane is very good.

 

http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.00094B77-D74F-1A67-88CD80C476A90318/

 

http://www.clubvibes.com/listings/Melbourne/Clubs-and-Bars/s/Live-Jazz.html

 

Hope this helps a little with your planning.

 

Jennie

[3888T6813]

The Westin is a lovely hotel situated right in the heart of Melbourne. There are so many good restaurants nearby that you will find it hard to choose. In the hotel itself is a good restaurant where we have eaten. Opposite the hotel and next door to the Athenaeum Theatre is a good French Bistro. A couple of blocks north from the hotel is Chinatown and two blocks south is Southgate where there are loads of restaurants.

 

Also a lovely restaurant close by is Taxi, though it is expensive. In the next main Street, Bourke Street, you have a number of good restaurants in the block bounded by Spring and Exhibition Streets.

 

Here are some links:

 

http://yourrestaurants.com.au/vic/melbourne/city/

http://www.totaltravel.com.au/travel/vic/melbournearea/innermelbourne/directory/restaurants-cafes

http://www.melbourne-dining.com.au/melbourne-city-restaurants.html

http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=268&pa=2248&pg=2263

 

We don't all eat lamb when we dine out in fact usually that is the one meat that I will ignore. On most menus there is always a choice beef, fish, pork, duck and of course lamb. You will find every type of cuisine that you can imagine and if you want Italian, just take the bus up to Lygon Street which is regarded as Little Italy.

 

Jennie

 

 

Jennie,

 

Thanks so much for the restaurant information! I got hungry reading the menus. We are looking forward to visiting Melbourne! Sounds like our hotel is in a good location. In another post, I read that meat pies are available at milk bars. What meat pies do you recommend? Do you have a particular restaurant you like for breakfast?

 

When we traveled to Great Britain, there were some areas that had pay toilets. Does Melbourne have pay toilets? If so, what coins do we need to keep handy?

 

Where is the best place or places to exchange money? Are travelers checks or Visa money cards the best to use to exchange money?

 

Judi

[Aussie Gal]

First of all our toilets are free. I don't normally use the public toilets in the city, instead I go to one of our two Department Stores in Bourke Street - Myer or David Jones or you can just walk into any of our hotels around the city and use their toilets.

 

The most popular brand of meat pies are Four N' Twenty which are sold at any milk bar. Of course in the city there aren't many of these shops though David Jones Food Store downstairs in their Bourke Street Store have pies but of course they are more Gourmet Pies and probably will cost a lot more than one normally pays. If you catch a tram to anywhere just for a ride say Mont Albert and get off at the end, you will normally find a shopping centre where there will be a Milk Bar.

 

The best place to change money is in Swanston Street which your hotel is on the corner. There a so many Money Changers in the two blocks between Flinders and Bourke that you will have your pick for the best rate. Otherwise, a Bank will change money but why wait in a queue and get the same rate when you can use the Money Changer. After writing that, I now read that you could have Travellers cheques or a Visa Debit card. In that case either use your hotel for the Travellers Cheques or go into a Bank for the Debit Card. There are so many Banks around your hotel especially in Collins Street just over Swanston Street.

 

There are so many places that offer breakfast around Melbourne and one of them in Southgate is good. It is called E Gusto and it is on the ground floor right opposite the river. It is only two blocks from your hotel. Turn left from the hotel, walk along Swanston Street, cross over Flinders Street, cross Princes Bridge and turn right along the river. Very easy. Also, I didn't mention the restaurants in our Federation Square which are good as well.

 

If you have any more questions ask away.

 

Jennie

[kenish]

MEL is very walkable and you will miss experiencing the city if you do *not* walk around! My only regret is we didn't explore the arcardes; we aren't shopaholics but the cafes and crowds would have been fun. Like any place there was simply not enough time.

 

If you want to try Australian "bush tucker", consider Tjanabi in Federation Square. They have kangaroo, wallaby, emu, croc, etc. on the menu. The locals are probably snickering at the "gullable tourist" as they read this, but it was an interesting food experience. I'm not a bleeding-heart animal rights person but when I saw an actual wallaby I had pangs of regret. (Oh man, they are so cool and I ate one of them!) A local can override my Tjanabi suggestion if necessary.

 

Definitely have a Four and Twenty pie with sauce. "Sauce" is in small packets like ketchup, but sweeter. The best place for this is while watching an AFL game at MCG or Etihad Stadium.

 

Some other advice for fellow Americans visting MEL:

 

- The least expensive way to get cash is your ATM card. Machines are easy to find, and you will get the current exchange rate. Your bank will probably charge a 1% fee which is cheap compared to Bureau du Change booths or a cash advance on your CC which can be 4-6%. Check with your bank.

 

- Credit cards are not as widely accepted in Oz. Amex is not widely accepted due to their high merchant fees, and Discover is not well-known. Visa/MC is fine, though many smaller merchants are cash-only and most stores have a minimum CC charge amount of $10-20.

 

- An "entree" on an Aussie menu is a US appetizer or starter. Portions in Oz are reasonable and not the caloric disasters that US restaurants dish out. The bill will include tax already; tip is purely optional for exceptional service and never expected.

 

- Be sure to try the amazing variety of Aussie wines and beers, most you will never have heard of. Aussie whites are much more dry than California whites. I thought it was strange that a riesling was on the dinner menu until it was explained to me. Aussie riesling is similar in sweetness to a California chard.

 

If you are a "foodie" or shopaholic you will go nuts in MEL! One of the most European cities I've visited outside of Europe!

[Aussie Gal]

Also, try some of our wonderful Pinot's which come from both the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula. Our Pinot Noir's are the best in the country.

 

If you love wine then you are in paradise as we have so many on offer. I love our Reisling but I am not so keen on Chardoney as I don't like a wooded wine. I adore New Zealand's Savignon Blanc as against the Savignon's that are made here.

 

We also have wonderful Shiraz's and Cabernet's. Australia has so many wineries in so many different areas that the whole spectrum is covered.

 

Kenish is correct in that our Arcades and Lanes are amazing. Melbourne is not only a Shoppers Paradise but is the Food Capital and Cultural Capital of Australia.

 

I have eaten kangaroo, crocodile, emu but not wallaby. We can buy kangaroo meat in our supermarkets though I never buy it. I have just recently tasted both emu and crocodile and that was a couple of weeks ago when we were in Uluru in Central Australia. Emu sausages were very tasty and crocodile tastes a little like fish or chicken

 

 

Here is a photo of a Rock Wallaby.

 

Jennie

[kenish]

Aussie Gal- We were in Uluru July 4-6, it would be a small world but too bad if we were "ships passing in the night".

 

Unfortunately we didn't experience the dining/shopping arcardes in MEL. I think if we had seen one we would have explored it out of curiosity. Although we walked all over the city we never entered an arcarde. I realized we missed all that when I was reviewing the "do" list after we got home. Oh well, in 4 days we saw the GOR, Phillip Island, AFL, and much of the touristy city sights so can't complain. A good excuse to make another trip!

[Aussie Gal]

Kenish,

 

You certainly saw a lot in the few days you spent in our city. I hope you enjoyed the GOR, as it is one of my most favourite drives in the whole world.

 

We missed you by a week. We flew up to Alice Springs on the 11th July and drove out to Uluru next day. We spent 3 nights there and then drove to Kings Canyon for a further night before returning to Alice and spending another 2 nights there. We did 2000kms in the week. The scenery is magnificent and we are planning to return, next time flying to Darwin and exploring up there before driving back to Alice again.

 

 

Our wonderful rock at sunset.

 

Jennie

[kenish]

Your photo looks like you got better weather at Uluru than we had. There were scattered or overcast clouds the 3 days we were there. Our astronomy tour was cancelled both nights. We hiked around the Olgas and the base of Uluru which were both great! Also we took a Cave Hill tour run by Desert Tracks. Cave Hill contains a collection of Aboriginal cave art going from thousands of years ago to present day. Amazing way to see and experience the Outback. I recommend them on your next trip, a couple on our tour was a photographer and a travel author from Darwin. It sounds like a place to definitely visit.

 

GOR was great, similar to the Big Sur coastline here in California. Of course there were many differences too. A Californian on another website with limited time asked if they should choose GOR or Phillip Island. I made the comment they are both amazing, but GOR is like Big Sur...on the other hand I haven't seen wild penguins in LA ! :)

[Aussie Gal]

We did have brilliant weather especially the night we did the "Sounds of Silence" dinner. I have never seen so many stars in all my life and the milky way was incredible.

 

Of course going in winter makes it so much nicer, no flies to speak of at all. So glad you enjoyed our country and got to see so much of it in a short time.

 

Jennie

[cands]

Cathedral Arcade

 

Royal Arcade

 

[Aussie Gal]

cands,

 

Great photos of our lovely Royal Arcade. Did you have any of the Block? When is your next cruise?

 

Jennie

[cands]

cands,

 

Great photos of our lovely Royal Arcade. Did you have any of the Block? When is your next cruise?

 

Jennie

 

Hi Jennie,

Sounds like you had a great time in the Red Centre. Isn't King's Canyon amazing?

 

The only photos we have of the Block are details of friezes (Chris is in to Deco).

 

Next cruise is Hong Kong to Singapore on Seabourn Pride in Jan/Feb. Then we hope to do Regent Navigator from Vancouver to Beijing next September. (Isn't life tough:)).

 

Take care.

Steve (and Chris)

[OHCruisinDad]

A couple of our favorites in Melbourne are the Carlton District and the new Docklands area. We've frequented Il Cantuccui at 209 Lygon Street on several of our trips. Its one of several family run Italian restaurants in the Carlton District just a few blocks north of the CBD. Phone is (03) 9347 9959 We've enjoyed several of the new restaurants at the Docklands as DW's parents moved there a couple of years ago from Strathmore and we now rent a holiday apartment for our time in the city. One of the local spots there is Medici Docklands Bar & Ristorante located at 36 Newquay Promenade, Docklands. Phone (03) 9600 4160. Another nearby spot is Renzo's Bar & Restaurat.

 

As already said several times, you can't go wrong in Melbourne or many of the neighborhood communities. Enjoy your stay and enjoy all of the wonderful dining options that the city has to offer.

[chrismch]

Too bad Il Cantuccio doesn't have a website to give me a better idea of what they serve. I do like the idea that it is a family run Italian restaurants. Read the menu for Medici and that didn't grab my interest, whereas Renzo's Bar did.

 

Any suggestions for Mediterranean, Turkish or Greek restaurants? I would love to have a good moussaka again like I had in Greece in June! Read about a jazz place that has Sunday night BBQ - Alumbria - ever tried that?