Eating out in Melbourne

[Deleted User]

This is a bit late but just been too busy working to actually have a good look myself, so hence I am asking all experts around here

I'm looking for a place to take Mrs Shintaro in Melbourne tomorrow for Lunch / Dinner. It's time I made her feel special and for putting up for me working all the bl##dy time.

whats a lively place these days, but not too tossy... We are staying in the city, Also for a nice casual lunch spot Monday too.

I do know some places but generally I just hang around cafe & pubs, would like to do something better than that for the hardworking misses...

 

[KLN]

upstairs at Young and Jacksons.

 

[KLN]

or monday lunch (if it's open) downstairs behind
Fed Square, on the walkway between the building and stairs and the river. a couple of nice lunch eateries there.

 

[Deleted User]

or monday lunch (if it's open) downstairs behind
Fed Square, on the walkway between the building and stairs and the river. a couple of nice lunch eateries there.

Was wondering about here, like southbank but quieter I guess...

 

[TonyHancock]

I don't get into the city often and I'm not overly adventurous, but when I have to say I have enjoyed both dinners and lunch in the Southbank complex.

We took five visitors from China to The Conservatory this week and whilst it is a buffet restaurant the food was excellent (particularly the seafood) and the views over the Yarra and city were just about perfect.

Bar 888 has a reasonable menu and excellent wine selection.

I'm always a little nervous of making any restaurant recommendations because it is such an emotive subject.

I have enjoyed both Silks and The Waterfront Grill but both were closed this week and I'm not sure if they have reopened....(someone had mentioned to me that the latter has moved to docklands.)

 

[Deleted User]

I'm always a little nervous of making any restaurant recommendations because it is such an emotive subject

Im sure any recommendation from here is better than me just walking up and taking pot luck, if somebody has been somewhere and liked it, its good to know and I'm not really fussy, just looking for somewhere nice.

Really appreciate your and other peoples comments, like I said before, its better than walking in somewhere blind...

 

[Nigelinoz]

Try the cafe at the Portland Hotel,Cnr Russell St and Little Collins Street,good food at fairly reasonable prices and a good beer selection including a micro brewery.
Portland hotel
Cheers
N'oz

 

[djfuzz]

Walter's Wine Bar on Southbank might be worth a try - can get a decent view and food at the same time - not sure about access from St Kilda Rd these days since Hamer Hall has been closed up, but you should definitely be able to get there by going up the escalators in the Southgate complex. As TonyHancock mentioned, a lot of nice places at Crown - my preference is Rockpool (despite the NP branding), as I find the food and ambience mix well. But plenty of other options.

Casual weekday lunch spot greatly depends on what sort of food and where you're staying ('tossy' answer, I know!). Benito's on Little Collins is always nice, for example, but you'd want to be close by or else you might be passing a gaggle of other options.

 

[tuapekastar]

I had dinner with some AFFers a while back at Nuevo 37 at Hilton South Wharf. Midrange price and a very good evening was had.

 

[cove]

We really enjoyed The Italian at 101 Flinders Lane,the Langham smorgasbord and Cutlers.
These are all recent dining experiences of out of towners.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I had dinner with some AFFers a while back at Nuevo 37 at Hilton South Wharf. Midrange price and a very good evening was had.

Service for me at Nuevo has always been iffy.......

 

[Sprucegoose]

Try Taxi at Fed Sq first class Asian fusion, Melbas at the Langham for the best buffet in town.

 

[simongr]

Just went to coughulus Inc on flinders lane - sort of tapas place - great food and decent wines. No bookings though.

 

[drmikki]

Melbas at the Langham for the best buffet in town.

I would wholeheartedly agree with this - we went whilst in melbourne over new years and it was fab - although the fact it has naan made while-you-wait may have been why my naan-loving sister chose it... whoever thought it a good idea to make a chocolate flake and M&M dessert naan is a genius! A great range of other things too, including pasta, loads of seafood, chinese, curries, roast and japanese. Although the sushi/sashimi chef was inexplicably rude, the rest of the staff were exceptional.

My advice: try not to get there at the same time as the American tourists... they were really struggling with comprehension about the idea of naan; the poor Indian chap manning the station must have explained it about 25 times while mine was being cooked...

 

[tuapekastar]

Service for me at Nuevo has always been iffy.......

We must have been lucky (and it's the only Nuevo experience I've had, though am planning to go back, will be interesting to see how it goes second time around) - we had a very good (IMHO, someone else who was there may recall differently) waiter that night. Attentive and knew his stuff. Had an American (or Canadian) accent - maybe there is something in that.

 

[simonpenny408]

Cutler + Co - glam night and food, Hairy Canary on Lt Collins - great food and wine, MoVida for Spanish/tapas

HTH

 

[simonpenny408]

Oh - and then there's the European and also Punch Lane wine bar and the Flower Drum for Chinese. Fairly hard to go wrong if you know where

 

[Sprucegoose]

Oh - and then there's the European and also Punch Lane wine bar and the Flower Drum for Chinese. Fairly hard to go wrong if you know where

I have walked off the street for Flowerdrum, but this is quite rare. In it's 'heyday' a three month wait would not be uncommon, when Simon owned it.

 

[Deleted User]

I would wholeheartedly agree with this - we went whilst in melbourne over new years and it was fab - although the fact it has naan made while-you-wait may have been why my naan-loving sister chose it... whoever thought it a good idea to make a chocolate flake and M&M dessert naan is a genius! A great range of other things too, including pasta, loads of seafood, chinese, curries, roast and japanese. Although the sushi/sashimi chef was inexplicably rude, the rest of the staff were exceptional.

My advice: try not to get there at the same time as the American tourists... they were really struggling with comprehension about the idea of naan; the poor Indian chap manning the station must have explained it about 25 times while mine was being cooked...

We decided on the buffet at Melba's, great food and atmosphere, now to find somewhere for lunch today...!!!

Thanks to the many reply's from everybody

 

[Princess Fiona]

Shrek and I had a few excellent meals and service at Caffe e Cucina on Chapel Street. Also agree with Langham suggestion. Madame Sousou in Fitzroy is also fantastic with a great wine list.
As an infrequent visitor to Melbourne these are my favourites