Once upon a time in the mid-noughties, there was only one place that came to mind when one was after some Korean fried chicken in Melbourne, and that was Gami Chicken & Beer. Fast forward 17 years, and this very much remains the case, even despite all the other eateries that have since opened up. Gami Chicken & Beer have also been busy on this front, and the brand has now expanded from its humble Little Lonsdale roots to a whopping 37 locations across Australia. The menu has also grown significantly over the years with exciting additions that either celebrate or serve as perfect accom ..read more

The rise of Japanese brunch cafes in Melbourne continues, with one of the latest and hottest openings being Chiaki in Collingwood. Like other cafes, there is the option of dining ‘teishoku’ style, where mains are accompanied by a generous assortment of side dishes - seasonal ceviche, karaage chicken with genmaicha salt, spinach and shiitake ohitashi, an onsen egg, daikon with tuna mayo and tsukemono (pickles). Unlike other cafes, however, Chiaki’s mains deviate. Here, the star of the show is ochazuke; rice served with a signature broth made from prosciutto, roasted sardine, chicken dashi brot ..read more

I have my go-to patisseries and bakeries on this side of town, including one that boasts having the world’s best croissant, but it turns out I was missing out on a slice of pastry heaven that is AM Bakehouse located in Melbourne’s east. Upon looking up the directions to the bakery, I was impressed to see a Google rating of 4.9. Deservedly so, I discovered just as soon as I took one bite of their triple chocolate croissant, a chocolate-on-chocolate take of a pain au chocolat. Picture this: a delicate and buttery pastry, filled with a silky chocolate custard, and topped with the thinnest and cr ..read more

Despite having only been open for ~7 months, Armadale Korean cafe Ondo has made splash after splash in Melbourne’s brunch scene AND have already opened a second location in the CBD. Talk about being an overachiever in the brunch-sphere. I had been wanting to visit the Armadale location after the continuous deluge of posts on my feed, but never got around to lining up my ducks. Luckily for me and my misaligned ducks, the city location is much easier to visit, and I was able to do so within the first week of their doors opening. One of Ondo’s biggest drawcards is the serving of their savoury it ..read more

There are plenty of cafes on Fitzroy’s Brunswick St but if you’re after something veering off the beaten brunch track, look no further than Elektra Himalayan Alchemy House which ticks all the boxes when it comes to vibes, flavours and chai. Decked out in vibrant colours, eclectic ornaments and eye-catching artwork, the interior is cute, cosy and charming. The food is equally as colourful, a feast for our eyes before we even dig in! Many of the menu’s breakfast and brunch offerings are centred around Nepalese flavours/elements, and our selections of the chicken momos and Everest benedict paire ..read more

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Cheese and wine. Cheese and cured meats. Cheese and compote. Cheese and coffee. Wait, pause and re-read. Yeps, you read correctly, cheese AND coffee. It turns out opposites DO attract, especially when you have a cheese connoisseur and coffee expert teaming up to curate the pairings. When it comes to a well matched pairing, both the texture and flavour of cheese plays into formula, and in all instances worked beautifully with the acidity profile of the coffee ..read more

It’s music to my ears given how much I enjoy Japanese dining, but there is a new-ish kid on the block offering an elevated Japanese dining experience. Meet Kuma Japanese Restaurant, located at Central Point in the CBD (corner Elizabeth St/Little Lonsdale) in some freshly renovated digs channeling 1930s Shanghai. Their menu covers a lot of ground when it comes to the must-orders/Japanese classics, which meant we stared at the menu for quite a while before we were able to decide on what to order. Granted there were some dishes we had to bypass, but that just means a return visit is in order. So ..read more

What better way to while away a Sunday afternoon than lounging by a pool with bottomless canapés, some fruity cocktails, live tunes spun by a DJ, and not a single care in the world. An easy breezy, relaxing afternoon to take your mind off the fact that the count down to another dreary work week is well and truly on. Enter W Melbourne’s Wet Sessions. Priced at $45, guests will be able to enjoy W Melbourne’s beautiful indoor pool from 2pm-6pm on Sundays, with roaming canapés alongside a welcome drink included in the price. For those of you really not wanting to waste any time outside the pool ..read more

If you were in Melbourne during one of the many lockdowns in 2020/2021 and frequently searched for tasty takeaway options to keep yourself and taste buds sane (raises hand), then chances are you will have come across the beautifully boxed sushi and sashimi sets from Uminono. While I never got around to sorting out a delivery from them, I did make it a mission to pay them a visit when dining resumed post lockdown. Lockdowns. As it turned out, lunch bookings often flew out the door given the intimate seating sessions, but we did manage to tee up a visit earlier this year back in March. Limited ..read more