I really should stop gushing about Entrecote to every single food lover I know lest I can't get a…read moreseat the next time I visit. You can't book here so it's a first in, first served kind of arrangement. My favourite +1 and I paid a visit on the last night of January. The date is significant because I was planning on a "no-booze February" so needed to ensure good food and great wine list for my "last night" on the turps. Anyone would think it was a death row meal the way in which I worked it up in my mind! Let me say that Entrecote would be worthy of a death row meal for most people in this world. It is simple but utterly terrific. The dinner menu eliminates indecisiveness with just a single option for both entree and main. Entree - Oysters. Main - Steak frites. That's it. It's a pretty ballsy move having just two items on your menu, but back it up with great produce and attention to detail and you're going to have people flocking from far and wide to get in on the action. We started with oysters and Champagne (Mumm, very reasonably priced at just under $16 a glass) and started on a fancy pants bottle of Beaujolais while we devoured the baguette with mini packets of Lescure butter. When offered another round of bread we greedily said yes and were thrilled to get yet another portion of butter. It's a small thing, but give people great butter without being stingy and they'll love you for it. Our steaks arrived medium-rare just as we had requested. $39 gets you a large and perfectly cooked steak alongside a mound of excellent fries and a river of the most amazing sauce. A big bowl of leafy salad was also included to make us feel a little better about the artery clogging that was about to ensue. It was all delicious and despite the frites being "endless", we couldn't have fit another in. For a last meal it was a perfect one and I'm now counting down the days of sobriety before I can make my way back for another experience here. March 1. It's a date!

Chicken liver parfait, confit salmon, unlimited freshly baked baguette with delicious French…read morebutter, unlimited French fries, salad, bottles of red wine, toasty fire place and great service. You just can't go wrong on a cold autumn evening. All my companions had the steak frites but I'm trying to cut down my meat intake and opted for the confit salmon and so glad I did. It was delicious melt-in your mouth and not fishy at all I just loved it (especially since I'm not a huge cooked salmon lover) Everyone else thoroughly enjoyed their steaks while we all shared an extra serving of French fries after 3 servings of baguette, oh the delicious crunchy crust with a soft white inside. Just divine! I'm pretty sure I dreamt of it!! I love the simplicity of the main menu, steak, salmon or vegetarian option for an easy $39.95 with fries and salad. For 5 people with 1 entree and 1 dessert and 3 bottles of red came to $440. Will definitely come back!!

Great food and not overly pricey at all. The souvlakis have chips in them which is great and the…read morefeta chips are AMAZING. Love how they have the frozen yogurt bar in the restaurant and it has heaps of strange but delicious choices. Great upbeat vibe and nice area.

Oh Jimmy, give me your steamed dimmys any day of the week! Jimmy Grants being so so close to home…read morehas turned into a very dangerous take away option, it is fresh, it is fast, it is delicious! It also does no good for my waist line or bank account but hey who is judging. The steamed jimmy dimmys are life, they have capers in them the salty goodness wins my heart. The slow cooked lamb literally melts in your mouth and apparently the feta chips are on point. Fun little fact I am no fan of chips so I can't vouch for this but my dining buddy never goes without ordering them, soooo must be good right.

This is a smallish restaurant that I had wandered past a few times and had been meaning to check it…read moreout for a while. I guess that opportunity came up not so recently, and we decided to come here for a meal before going and watching a film. The service wasn't too bad, and the food was nice as well, though there wasn't much to set it apart from many of those other Italian style restaurants that I have been too. However, it certainly does have some charm about it, and is rather nice and cosy as well. I liked it.

A great family restaurant to celebrate a special occasion or for a mid week dinner…read more Staff are always really friendly and attentive and their food is always on point. Italian style food, generous portions and they will give you a take away container so you can save some for later. One of the few places I can go with the family where everyone will enjoy what's offered on their menu. Items include rib eye and porterhouse steak, fisherman's basket, calamari, chicken breast with different sauces (mushroom, avocado etc), pizza and pasta.

Food was high quality--I wish there was more on the plates! Pasta is fresh and handmade, prosciutto…read moreis excellent, ame drinks were tasty. Definitely pricey, but definitely worth it!

Cecconis Cantina is a sublime hatted (The Age Good Food Guide) Italian restaurant/cantina that I…read morewant to keep coming back to! You'll find loads of Italian charm and classic appeal in this trendy Flinders Lane establishment. Surely one of the best Italian restaurants in Melbourne (if notAustralia)! And Melbourne does Italian well... Love walking along trendy Flinders Lane then down the stairs to the vibrant Cessoni's basement below. There I met up with two legendary friends from Adelaide (I was blessed with lunch - you know who you are) and we had such an epic time! The atmosphere is great for a catch up. Love the wine and olive oil bottles along the wall! Love the parquetry floor! (Have one at home and cost me a fortune to restore). The place really buzzes at lunchtimes and you need to book. We were greeted warmly by the cheeky waiters, who are a big part of the whole experience! I love the banter and humour of these guys! They will playfully recommend menu options, and explain the daily specials with flair and fun! I love how the website captures the philosophy of Cecconi's, "Combining contemporary and glamorous elegance with an intimate and chic, club-like ambience, Cecconi's Cantina offers a classic Italian menu with modern influences, and outstanding service." The inspiration of the Bortolotto family who have excited Melbourne with their restaurants for over 30 years. There is a compelling balance between elegance and theatre - with the chefs performing their maestro kitchen moves in an open kitchen! I love the private terrace to enjoy a special lunch on a sunny Melbourne day... I love the ambience of the cantina with its classic furniture, long bar and mood lighting! I love the concept of the cantina on one side and the formal dining room adjacent. It caters for options, moods, tastes and above all, is fun! The menu options are exciting for breakfast, lunch or dinner. As for lunch, myself and Marty ordered the Braised Beef Cheek on creamy mash potato, parsley and horseradish gremolta. Wow! This dish was stellar! The beef cheek was cooked to absolute perfection and came apart easily. So tender! And perfectly marinated. The creamy mash was so creamy and such a great accompaniment. We both raved about how good it was! With a glass of wine, it went down a treat! The other options looked great such as the chicken, duck, fish, risotto and pasta of the day. But so glad I went the beef cheek! My friend Tony ordered the Minute Sirloin Steak with watercress and red onion salad. This too was brilliant and the steak looked a little bigger than usual for a minute steak. (Possibly a 2 or 3 minute steak?) Tony was happy with his steak although he was drooling over our beef cheek. For dessert I ordered the Tiramisu - kahlua, strega, coffee with mascarpone cheese. Another wow dish! Cecconi's have a reputation for incredible desserts and this was no exception. Each layer of the tiramisu was magnificent! Perfect biscuit layer! Perfect soaking of sponge layer in coffee and the kahlua! Rich airy mascarpone cheese texture. Perfect Italian trifle.

I love tapas bars, and Carino's is about as good as it gets. It's the unique quality of this…read moreSpanish cuisine that makes Carino's stand out. If you're a little unsure of what 'tapas' actually means, it's a Spanish word, and indeed tradition that translates to a 'wide variety of appetisers' in English. If you make Carino's your first foray into tapas, you'll make a very wise decision. The Popitos, (spiced pork medallions with wood roasted peppers) and traditional Spanish dish Paella al la Escorza are to die for. Individual tapas plates start from just $6.50, or do what I do and get a combo for around $25. Tapas is meant to be shared to be enjoyed, so take a date and share between the two of you - how romantic!

There is no option for zero stars ! Food ordered at approx 7:37 - tapas started to come at…read moreapprox 8am - large table and function happening in back room. 2 of 5 mains came out 20 mins apart - prompted them for other mains 30 mins later - one came out - but probably from Function ( pork sliders) ! Our final dish of Paella was still not served 45 mins later . Head waitress ( probably owners daughter or other) did not apologise or come to table . Instead returned to advise order was only placed at 8:47pm. Really ! How can than happen when we placed order all together . No admission of error. Head waitress - arrogant and rude - not hospitable at all . She was aggressive and in my friends face while my friend held her baby. Owner sitting in corner did not seem to care much . Then things got loud , waitress then started yelling - don't drink so much . Mind you - we all had only one drink . Being a very proud Melbournian in terms of our restaurants and service, also having eaten out thousands of times - I can honestly say that this was the worst display of customer service I have every encountered across Australia and Asia Pacific for that matter . Dear owner , all although the food is important , there is more to it than serving up plates - your team has to ensure that the customer has an experience or or they will not come back . Also - another indicator for you to consider - a very good indicator was that you and your two personal guests sat down 1 hours after us and you received your courses and desserts before we received mains ?? How does that work? Apologies that we were only a party of 5 with a baby and not a party of 10 that seemed to get your head waitress attention or the function in the back room Simply appalled at the lack of ability to perform service recovery from an error. But to lie about the time ordered and place the issue back on the customer is simply ludicrous ! #nevercoming back

It seems Australia has a lot of good Greek places to eat. The food here is great and I tried the…read moreskepasto which is similar to a wrapped gyro but like a sandwich between two pita breads and I think it also had cheese in it. Despite living in Greece for 15 years, I hadn't tried this before it was quite good.. we also had the selection of dips and a salad. The dips have a selection of all the dips they offer and they are all quite nice and they have a lot of pita bread to try them, but it works better if there are 3 of 4 people in your party. Otherwise it might be too much for two. The tzatziki was good but a bit watery compared to a home made one where you drain the cucumbers longer so the tzatziki comes out creamier. Also the kalimera sauce is just mayo with paprika so it's not that special or a Greek dip really. What I would like to point out is that it's sort of self service because you have to get your own water and go inside to order as well which I'm not a fan of and not something I like to see at a sit down restaurant. That's something reserved for fast food restaurants. That's why I think of it as a 4 star place otherwise it would have been 5 stars for me. I would have also like if they had more outdoor seating because outdoor seating is limited and not something you can do outside if you have a party bigger than 4 people. Something to keep in mind.

everything about this place gets 5 stars. the staff are so sweet, the food is amazing and the…read moreprices are super affordable. I work at a near by business and I come here on my lunch break and it always makes my day 10 times better

This place is tiny, and maybe better suited for Lygon Street, but watch out, it's a contender!…read more The menu is simple, and brief; a couple salads, entrees, pastas and mains. I can't speak for the pizzas, but the pasta is excellent. It isn't swimming in sauce, it is instead light and rich with the flavors of the ingredients. All of this with a quite moderately priced wine list, with some great Italians on it, and some SUPER AMAZING pannacotta, makes for a great, sleepy little Italian café!

I was sitting here a few months back, trying to remember whether I knew the name Scarpetta from…read moresomething. Turns out I didn't (I was thinking of Serpico) but I certainly do know. I'm a dead-broke bogan most of the time, so even though Scarpetta's not crazy expensive it's still a little out of what I'd consider my normal price range. It's a shame, really, because it's actually quite good. Me and my brother had pizza, his fiancee had pasta, and it was all really tasty. Not over the top, just really good ingredients. They didn't even overcook the prosciutto, which makes them practically unique in the pizza world. Definitely worth a try

On a Wednesday night, we found ourselves in Oakleigh to celebrate my roommate's birthday…read more Fashionably, dinner is always in order. Walking along the wide alleyway of restaurants, the omega symbol implanted inside the "AROMA" sign drew us in. (I wonder why they chose that specific symbol?) A quick glance of the menu whetted our appetites of the appealing food items that were available. Entertained by the chitter-chatter of local passersby and other diners, we decided to sit outside. We were enlivened by the social atmosphere uncommonly present on a week night. Although filled with excitement to celebrate the night's festivities, we found ourselves mesmerized by the graceful placement of dishes on top our table- an odd thing to be captivated by. The staff member set up our table so eloquently that it was nearly hypnotic. His service and delivery was on point! Our water was continuously refilled. There was not a beat to be missed. The food arrived altogether in a timely manner, with the exception of the beer that my other room mate had ordered. Food was cooked nicely, and tasted good. The birthday celebrant ordered the spanakopita as it was one of his favorite Greek items. It surprised me to see how big it was- like a giant pretzel! My roommate enjoyed it although I caught him saying that he wished there was more parmesan cheese inside. By the time my other room mate and I were halfway done with our shared gyros plate, he decidedly asked the waitress about his beer order. Having realized her mistake, she quickly ran (literally) back inside to retrieve his Victoria Bitter Ale. And then, all was well.

I will start by saying service was VERY attentive. Perhaps borderline annoying at times but George,…read morewho I believe is the owner, was friendly and offered good advice on lunch specials. My two dining partners raved about their food. They shared a seafood paella which did look pretty good. The kitchen only served a single serve instead of 'for two' as requested but turns out that was plenty for them so they cancelled the second dish. Now i don't know if I was being picky but I found everything a bit too oily. We shared a starter of eggplant chips that were soggy and i could see the oil pooling on the plate - yuck. Can't beat Hairy Canary in the city or Cafe Paradiso in Camberwell for those I think, but once again, my dining partners thought they were great. My main of the calamari plate was a huge serve and I didn't even come close to finishing the chips. Once again I just found the whole thing a bit 'meh'. Calamari was cooked okay, chips okay and the side salad just looked plain and tired. We finished with the Bougatsa which was the stand out dish. It was kind of pushed on us by George but was the definite highlight of the meal for me. If I head back, I might stick to the more traditional meat plates...