Good Food Guide 2008

The Age has been running a "Good Food Guide" for Melbourne for several years now. This mainly focuses on the featured and best rated restaurants in Melbourne, but not necessarily the cheapest or best value. So you'll typically find modern, contemporary cuisines and a la carte restaurants here.

Occasionally, you will find something affordable here, but I'd personally recommend "Cheap Eats" which comes out in early February for the less fussy. Though why both of them tend to leave out a few of my favourite restaurants, I'm not entirely sure.

The latest edition for 2008 is out now (it has actually been out since late last year) retails for just under $30 and can be purchased at newsagents or via the Age website online.

The Banff Restaurant Review

145 Fitzroy St
St Kilda, VIC 3182
(03) 9525 4113

Food
Mainly known for its pizzas, they have a fabulous selection to choose from. Some very unusual pizzas, all absolutely delicious! Served with rocket lettuce and sour cream. They also serve pastas and they have a separate breakfast menu.
Service
They'll bring your meals out, but it's mostly self serve, order at the bar.
Value
Great value, some really cheap pizzas and pastas.
Decor and Atmosphere
Art deco delight, funky vibe, totally relaxed and warm and yet hip.

Automatic Cafe Review

at crown casino,
Southbank
Phone: 03 9690 8500

Food
Mixed cuisines, a selection of pizzas and all manner of assorted dishes such as indian, pastas, steaks, asian. The tandoori chicken salad was very appealing. The steak is a bit more expensive on the menu, but cooked well. This restaurant/cafe is very much the sister to the Blue Train at Southbank, on the Yarra.
Service
Young hip waiters, friendly and helpful. Patient when we had a toddler with us.
Value
The individual dishes are of reasonable value. There are a range of prices depending on what you choose to order.
Decor and Atmosphere
Funky, modern and relaxed atmosphere situated right on the river with some lovely outdoor seating on a warm evening overlooking the city on the Yarra. Pretty casual.

Afghan Gallery Restaurant Review

327 Brunswick Street,
Fitzroy Vic 3065
Phone: 03 9417 2430

Food
Traditional Afghan Specialties. A good selection of dishes, some interesting entrees with a little spice, mains had mostly mild tomato based sauces with rice. Afghan food also seems to feature beans in a few entrees and dishes. Very sweet desserts. I have to admit though I was just a little disappointed with the food only because the last afghan restaurant I dined at had taste sensations to die for, and this didn't quite live up to that standard.
Service
Mostly pretty good service, a little slow at times as they were busy. Polite and friendly.
Value
They had several good value banquets available to come in under $30 per person budget, or you can pay the extra $5 and have dessert included.
Decor and Atmosphere
I really liked the interior, it had an old style tavern atmosphere with exposed bluestone and wood on the walls, dim lighting. A little tasteful music. Some nice tapestries and pictures.

Jaisalmer Palace Restaurant Review

98 Bourke Street
MELBOURNE 3000

A brand new restaurant at the time of this review. We were unable to obtain a business card from them so do not have the telephone listing as yet. They did not yet have credit card facilities available either, though I believe that is coming soon.
Food
Traditional Indian. Generous servings, but not living up to my expectations of the high standards of indian cuisine in melbourne restaurants. An unusual start with a tomato based soup before entree. A rather dodgy tasting sausage in the entree dish. The sauces in the dishes of the mains didn't have the intoxicating spices and flavours I so treasure in traditional indian curries. A couple of the dishes I just didn't like too much - and indian is usually my favourite of all cuisines!
Service
Some peculiar waiters. Once we were seated they then told us to get up and stand aside while they reset the table. They asked my partner if they should bring dessert out while I was still in the bathroom, then they took away our drinks while we were still drinking them. Very flighty and fidgety serving. They were attentive but bizarre and out of sorts at times.
Value
Good value banquets available. All reasonably priced.
Decor and Atmosphere
The reason I was attracted to this restaurant is that the interior is very impressively set up. Some wonderful decorating, gorgeous carved wooden chairs (and tables upstairs). A delightful interior. No airconditioning which was a bit stifling on a hot summer night.

Customer complains .... restauranteur - kills him

As if eating the food isn't a gamble enough at some restaurants.
I guess the moral of the story is think twice before you complain when dining ... may be safer to write an email instead.

A DINER was stabbed to death by a restaurateur after an argument about slow service, a court heard yesterday.
The Supreme Court was told Khanh Vo, 35, fatally stabbed customer Anh Dung Nguyen, 54, after the two men argued about the service in Vo's crowded Abbotsford restaurant, Bon Mua, on April 16, 2006.
The men and their friends fought before Vo ran into the kitchen, grabbed a fruit knife and stabbed Mr Nguyen, the court heard.
Vo, of Ivanhoe, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Mr Nguyen.
The court heard Mr Nguyen had been drinking before he and a group of nine friends arrived at the restaurant about 10.30pm.
Prosecutor Peter Jones said Mr Nguyen became upset after midnight about slow service, banged his hand on a table and exchanged words with Vo's wife, Vy Huynh.
Vo became upset when he heard Mr Nguyen had spoken to his wife and a fight erupted, Mr Jones said.
After grabbing a knife from his kitchen, Vo returned and stabbed Mr Nguyen three times.
Mr Nguyen died later in hospital.
Defence lawyer Ian Hill, QC, told the court Vo's actions had not been planned or premeditated and had "erupted spontaneously".
"At the least, the deceased was rude and aggressive in his demeanour," Mr Hill said.
Running a successful restaurant was important to Vo and "to see a person threatening that . . . may well have caused him to act in the way (in) which he did".
Mr Hill said Vo, now a father of two, had fled Vietnam with his family in 1985 and subsequently spent more than two years in refugee camps in Hong Kong.
Vo had been "frequently frightened and possibly exposed to significant trauma" while in the camps, according to a psychologist.
Mr Hill said his client had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity, saving the state expense and sparing witnesses the trauma of having to give evidence.
"It can be seen . . . not only as a legal but also a moral acknowledgment by the prisoner of his wrongdoing, and should be taken as a sign of his true remorse and contrition for taking a life," Mr Hill said.
"He feels really ashamed about his actions.
"The only emotion that he can recall of the night was one of fear."
Mr Hill said Vo's restaurant was sold in December.
Justice Kevin Bell will sentence Vo on a date to be set.

From the Herald Sun.

Foodie's Guide to Melbourne 2008

The Age has been running a "Foodie's Guide" to Melbourne for several years now. This handy little book contains a huge list of Melbourne restaurants as well as the Foodie's Guide Awards for the best restaurants in Melbourne for the year (2007).

The latest edition for 2008 is out now (it has actually been out since late last year) retails for just under $30 and can be purchased at newsagents or via the Age website online.

Chine on Paramount Restaurant Review

Shop 9 & 10, Paramount Centre
101 Little Bourke Street
MELBOURNE 3000
Ph: 03 9663 6556

Food
Chinese Cuisine. The standard type of chinese fare found in most chinese restaurants in Melbourne. The banquet was quite small compared to most, not entirely fulfilling. The presentation was very meticulous. Live fish and lobsters swimming in tanks to choose from if that's your cup of tea.
Service
A La Carte service, very professional with great attention to detail.
Value
Not great. Most dishes were quite expensive for chinese. The wine prices were out of this world. The banquet wasn't great value.
Decor and Atmosphere
Beige invasion with brown wood panels. Quite simple and plain. Easy listening elevator style background music. Probably more suited to the older folk.

Melbourne Vietnam Noodle House Review

251 Swanston Street
MELBOURNE 3000
Ph: 03 9639 4911

Food
Vietnamese Pho style noodle house. Being so close to Mekong (a couple of doors further down Swanston Street) it draws inevitable comparisons, though not favourable ones. A good selection on the menu, but the food I had didn't overly impress me. Not more than a couple of pieces of meat in my special combination dish. The drink selection was interesting, but my drink was very thick and powdery and had to be eaten with a spoon.
Service
Ok. The man at the counter where you pay was quite grumpy looking :(
Value
The value is good, all very reasonably priced.
Decor and Atmosphere
Clean and neat, nothing exotic.