Melbourne restaurants recommendations?

[LadyC]

Any more recent updates on this? Looking for a Friday lunch venue to celebrate. Fine dining preferred but not a must. Staying at the Sofitel, so walking/nearby (happy to walk a few kms or hope on a tram) preferred.

Currently considering:
Il Bacaro
Saké Restaurant & Bar - Award-Winning Contemporary Japanese Cuisine

Both of those are quite nice. Other places worth considering include Bomba (Spanish tapas restaurant), Philippe (French) and Pastuso (Peruvian). There are also some good restaurants down at the Casino but the higher rental results in higher prices.

 

[Daver6]

Both of those are quite nice. Other places worth considering include Bomba (Spanish tapas restaurant), Philippe (French) and Pastuso (Peruvian). There are also some good restaurants down at the Casino but the higher rental results in higher prices.

I've been to Spice Temple at the Casino and loved it. Rockpool we have in Perth. Dinner by Heston not open for lunch on a Friday. Any others you might recommend in that area that you think would be better than the other options so far?

 

[GSP]

A few hundred meters west over in South Wharf there is a plethora of good restaurants. Bang Pop and Meat Market are very good and somewhat fine in their dining. Plenty of other options and vibrant scene with outdoor seating less than 10 meters from the river.

 

[cove]

We like Rosetta as it is just across the road at Crown. Drinks can make it hexy.

 

[amaroo]

Currently considering:
Il Bacaro

Gets my vote

 

[Daver6]

We like Rosetta as it is just across the road at Crown. Drinks can make it hexy.

Menu looks good as does the wine list. But there is some serious piss taking there with the mark up on some of the wines. Triple RRP is not uncommon on that list and I've spotted as much as 4x RRP.

 

[Bindibuys]

Dinner by Heston not open for lunch on a Friday.

Had dinner there last Sunday night.... Don't order the Vegemite Chocolate for desert, unless you eat your vegemite 3mm thick on your toast. It's very strong.
All that drizzle is vegemite, over and around the ice cream.
Ice cream with VEGEMITE®
Group Executive Chef Ashley Palmer-Watts pays homage to Australian food history with a delicious ice cream dessert featuring Australia’s favourite spread accompanied with a biscuit base, yeast salted caramel, barley chocolate Gânache and verjuice curd.

Make a booking today and try the ice cream with VEGEMITE® dessert for an unforgettable dining experience..

 

[travelislife]

Navi is a new one the fine dining scene. In Yarraville 15 minutes Uber or train from the CBD. Brilliant food and atmosphere when we went a couple of months back.

 

[Daver6]

... Dinner by Heston not open for lunch on a Friday.

Had dinner there last Sunday night.... Don't order the Vegemite Chocolate for desert, unless you eat your vegemite 3mm thick on your toast. It's very strong.
All that drizzle is vegemite, over and around the ice cream.
Ice cream with VEGEMITE®
Group Executive Chef Ashley Palmer-Watts pays homage to Australian food history with a delicious ice cream dessert featuring Australia’s favourite spread accompanied with a biscuit base, yeast salted caramel, barley chocolate Gânache and verjuice curd.

Make a booking today and try the ice cream with VEGEMITE® dessert for an unforgettable dining experience..

View attachment 158091

Would have been a strong contender if not for the fast it isn't open for lunch on a Friday. Be interested in your thoughts apart from the dessert though.

Navi is a new one the fine dining scene. In Yarraville 15 minutes Uber or train from the CBD. Brilliant food and atmosphere when we went a couple of months back.

Does look good. Must be good cough solidly booked out....and also not open for lunch on a Friday.

 

[cove]

Yes Daver6 we tend to pre-load if we are going with friends to Rosetta and then drink water when we are there. The same applies with Aria in Sydney as the drink prices are quite high.
A couple of glasses of champagne or equivalent before you get there works ok.

 

[Daver6]

Yes Daver6 we tend to pre-load if we are going with friends to Rosetta and then drink water when we are there. The same applies with Aria in Sydney as the drink prices are quite high.
A couple of glasses of champagne or equivalent before you get there works ok.

That makes sense. However, part of the enjoyment for me is having a good wine with good food. There's plenty of ok'ish options (ie, not triple RRP for a current or near current vintage) at Rosetta. It is a solid list of Italian wines though...

 

[cove]

We went to O’Connells in Coventry Street South Melbourne for my older brother’s birthday bash and the cost of the better wines doubled the meal cost and three were skippers to get us home. Always ok if you appreciate better pub fare. It was his pick of location.
Cruiser Elite has groups go to The Olive Tree in Park Street South Melbourne for a really good steak dinner and you can take your own stash of fine wines. If penegal is in your crowd along with Cruiser Elite and boomy the empties are often photographed as that seems to be a Melbourne thing especially after the footy.

 

[LadyC]

I've been to Spice Temple at the Casino and loved it. Rockpool we have in Perth. Dinner by Heston not open for lunch on a Friday. Any others you might recommend in that area that you think would be better than the other options so far?

Nothing else specifically at the Casino. Tonka (Indian) in the CBD is also a good one. Maha (Lebanese) is another.

 

[pauly7]

We like Rosetta as it is just across the road at Crown. Drinks can make it hexy.

Rosetta is a bit of a tourist trap....

Here is something more locally acclaimed and highly rated just a 10 min Uber from Southbank:

Etta – Restaurant in Brunswick Melbourne

 

[cove]

The final bills at both Dinner by Heston and Atlantic were higher than I expected. The meals were good but were overpriced compared with say Cutler, Flower Drum, France Soir and similar places.

 

[Bindibuys]

Our bill was $1,700.00 for 6 of us. No wine, but 6 non-alcoholic coughtails, 3 other pax had cognac. Think it was about $145.00 per person for 3 courses, then the extras like $60.00 extra for the steak.

 

[Ausbt]

I had a really good steak at Meatworks in South Melbourne recently, nice atmosphere in an old mechanics workshop I think. Circa $40.

 

[LadyC]

France Soir is definitely my favourite French bistro in Melbourne. Located in South Yarra so outside the CBD but easy to get a taxi/uber. You can also catch a train to South Yarra station but the tram is not an option with the Metro Tunnel road works at the moment.

 

[Bindibuys]

@Daver6, could not fault the service, very attentive & personable, the menu is avaible on line.
I had the Kedgeree (abalone) & black Angus ribeye with triple cooked chips, & the vegemite desert.
I felt that there was no substance left in the chips (and I LOVE chips) just seemed to have a shell with no potato left inside.
Would I go again..... no. Not my style (restaurant was not my choice) but can now say I have been there.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Dinner by Heston so grossly overrated and simply a stick up job

I am becoming more and more anti full licensed restaurants - wine pricing is becoming a joke - waterfront restaurants on Southbank Veuve ~$160 bott - give me a break

With a cellar full of quality wine bought at cheap prices sees us seeking basically BYO only - I am way past having my pants taken off by pretentious would bes if they could bes

Of course each to their own - and visitors to MEL need advice I understand but TBH over last few years I have not many exps to add