Brunswick Mess Hall

Did you know that there is a restaurant in Melbourne that is relaxed and classy, with a fantastic food and beverage menu, stellar service, oh and it allows dinner reservations? Did you? Did you?

It sounds too good to be true, but by golly gosh, Brunswick Mess Hall quite literally has it all.

Having been a regular patron of Murmur, which is owned by the same people, I couldn't miss the opportunity to get my cocktail fix with a side of Asian fare. And boy was it impressive.

While it might not seem visually striking at street level, once you enter this Brunswick gem, you feel a world away from the hustle and bustle of Sydney Road. The animal-centric features are enchanting, as are the staff that greet you.

Balderdash

Sometimes you wake up not knowing exactly what you're going to do with your day, but you're not excepting anything special.

Well today started like that, except that something special did happen. We tried another local cafe and it literally put a spring in our step.

Port Melbourne has a number of cafes, small restaurants and brunch spots. Dan and I certainly haven't visited even half of them, but so far most have gone onto our 'visit again' list and a couple were quickly forgotten.

Balderdash, on Bay St, is now well and truly near the top of my 'must visit again' list. The combination of attentive service, amazing food and relaxed ambiance made it a real winner. There was even water and shade for your furry friends - we had Dan's dog (Maple) with us. 

Still here

Hi! Just thought I'd let you all know that we're still here, well still be blogging. We just had to take a little break because we've been in Japan!

Hopefully we'll get a post up soon about all the tantalising and fascinating foodie experiences we had in the land of the rising sun.

- Dani

Heathcotean Bistro

As mentioned in our Heathcote Winery Tour post, we arranged to have lunch at the Heathcotean Bistro after a visit to Flynn's Winery. Yes, this was back in March... we might have forgotten that this post had not been published (ooops).

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Upon returning to Flynn's Winery, we once again went through the tasting process. It was good to refresh our memories and help up decide what to order with lunch.

As we were shown to our table I couldn't help but notice the display of jams, spreads and other wonderful preserved treats. I don't know what it is, but when I'm in the country I feel a need to buy jarred goods.

Ippudo Singapore

In just over a month, I will make my annual pilgrimage to Singapore (for the Christmas holidays). Never have I seen a city change so much over such a short period of time. Over the past 8 years, Singapore has made some fascinating transformations and my favourite one - more great places to eat.

Over the 2011 Christmas holiday season my sister insisted I join her at Ippudo Singapore (in Mandarin Gallery) for a meal. Knowing very little about Ippudo or Ramen, I agreed. We rocked up at 7.30ish and the line was epic, as in it wound around half the level and practically backed onto the escalator. Too hungry and impatient we decided to take our chances elsewhere.

Take two. This time we drag along our brother and planned to get there early to avoid the wait. We arrived just before 6pm and the line surrounds the 'waiting table' in the restaurant, but doesn't extend throughout the shopping centre - thank goodness! And as each group is seated the Ippudo staff cheer.

It's not long before we're seated at a bench facing the chefs, giving us an opportunity to see all the activity in the kitchen. We order Edamame, Goma Q, Ippudo pork bun, Ippudo shrimp bun, Ippudo organic salad, Akamaru kasaneaji and Ippudo original gyoza.