Everyone around us had only ordered a dish each, so it was slightly embarrassing when Boneless Bestie picked up our tray of food and we could barely fit all our dishes on the table.
If you’re not willing to balance precariously on a high stool at the bar or firm up your Thursday night plans six weeks in advance, Tipo 00 is off limits, which is why it made foodie news when the team behind the famed pasta bar opened sister restaurant Osteria Ilaria a few doors away.
The steak frites at Entrecote comes with a “sauce Maison au beurre et aux herbes”, which post-meal sleuthing revealed was a “house sauce with butter and herbs” and what I’m sure was either a heap of garlic or onion or both, judging by how I felt after.
It was with a great sense of dismay that I learnt Bedford Street, which used to serve fried chicken waffles for breakfast, was being revitalised as Terror Twilight – a café specialising in deconstructed bowls and broths.
French Saloon is an airy and light-filled bistro that is perched atop Kirk’s Wine Bar — exemplifying much of the casual chic vibe that you find downstairs but with decidedly more flourish and pomp.
Tucked away in the industrial backstreets of Carlton, Humble Rays is another café that Melbourne doesn’t need but where we had to wait for a table nonetheless.
Visiting wine bars is my new favourite thing (I know – I’m severely behind the times) because regardless of which wine you choose, you’re winning and the food is equivalent to fine dining without the hefty price tag.
