The seductive thing is the doorway and a sign. There is no other indication of what lies at the top of the stairs in the Thy Thy (142 Victoria St, Richmond +61 3 9429 1104) Vietnamese restaurant. Perhaps restaurant is too strong a word. This isn’t a place I’d come to eat at night and apparently nor should you. But do drop in for an aromatic and filling bowl of sub $10 Pho and to enjoy Thy Thy’s retro chequerboard […]
Restaurants
Restaurant and bar stories, news and reviews
First glimpse at Andrew McConnell’s Cumulus Inc in Flinders Lane
If there’s one thing I’ve learnt writing about the opening of restaurants is that it rarely goes to plan. As a writer it is easy to be caught out. Openings can be delayed by months or even years. And so it was that on Thursday the 26th I rocked up to Cumulus Inc (45 Flinders Lane +61 3 9650 1445) for supper to find the chef (Andrew McConnell of Three, One , Two and formerly Circa The Prince) and architect, […]
Anada tapas restaurant on Gertrude St
I want crispy rabbit with alioli The English want to watch football. The Spanish bullfighting. They scream and shout at each other. Hair is pulled. Somebody spits in another’s face. The police arrive wearing their funny hats and, worrringly, with machine guns. Such are the memories of some pretty dreadful tapas and raciones in Spain, Benidorm to be precise. Much of the same rubbish has now come to Australia, although thankfully we don’t have to sit through the “Full English […]
Lunch most popular:Movida
Spanish chef Frank Comorra is a laugh. When he sent me a copy of his sell out Movida cookbook he signed it as the CEO of Ikea. He’d read by blogpost where I’d complained Movida didn’t conform to the stereotypical Spanish restaurant and owed more to the Swedish superstore than dark oak, Pablo Picasso or Anton Gaudi.Of course, I’m nothing but inconsistent. Shannon Bennett’s Bistro Vue I complain is a French theme park with its beams, French furniture and a […]
Attica is an absolute stunner
I’m busy so I’m keeping this short and sweet. Attica (74 Glen Eira Rd, Ripponlea +61 9530 0111) is an absolute stunner. When I compare what I ate there on the Tuesday Chef’s Table night to all the meals I’ve eaten this year it is right up there with the best and I should image up for an upgrading in the upcoming Good Food Guide. What they serve on Tuesday is an ever changing degustation. The chef’s table five courses […]
First night at Nobu hits the mark
Sochu, a Japanese spirit, with added fruit to finish. A sort of alcoholic smoothy that got four out of four thumbs up. It is really worth trying with pudding. Does Nobu (+61 3 9696 6566) at Crown Casino live up to the chain
14 ways to tell when a restaurant will close down
Together with news that Port Melbourne’s Ping has closed (via Epicure) comes, via Ruhlman, the news that 60 per cent of restaurants fail, not the popularly quoted figure of 90 per cent. According to Businessweek, banks perpetuate the myth that 90 per cent of restaurants fail, which justifies the fact that they won’t invest in them because they are high risk businesses. The story quotes research from HG Parsa, associate professor in Ohio State University’s Hospitality Management program: “about one […]
Only in Sydney…
Ed, we’re in Syd about to eat at Garfish in Manly. They have a very innovative booking system – reminscent of Dan Murphy’s famous check out process – that I think you should invite opinion on from your readers. You can’t book, but they put you on a list and call you within 30 mins of your desired eating time to confirm your table…only in Sydney…
Wagyu lunch: better late than never
The hands on approach with Wagyu I was invited back to a wagyu lunch at Jamon (3 Murphy St, South Yarra, Vic 3141 +61 3 9804 5710) by the chef and owner Charles a couple of months ago and should have posted this earlier. His point, which I wrote about for The Australian’s Indulgence section, was that wagyu is not some generic meat; it should as with other meats be appreciated by the cut. The Australian’s story says it all. […]