Amazing food, wonderful service and a terrific cosy atmosphere. They have great bands over the…read moreweekend to, which is a real bonus. Can't wait to go back again and again.

Located in a renovated cottage in the heart of The Basin, The Acorn on Forest is a prime example of…read moreThe Basin's growing popularity as a little hill's hideaway. With the suburb reporting recent booms in property value, and the freeway only 10 minutes away, The Basin has grown from a small village on the way to the more touristy area of the hills to a trendy little town of its own . The Acorn of Forest has more of a 'Wine Bar" feel to it than it's neighbouring 'Good old-fashioned pub' the Oak Tree. With a focus on quality dining and weekend breakfasts, you could say it's the 'bouquet' to the Oak Trees 'bucket'. The menu features dishes such as Quail, Veal and Kangaroo and while you can expect to pay a little more for your meal than at other nearby pubs, the Acorn is all about Quality over affordability. Popular with functions and parties, The Acorn also hosts live music on weekends, usually from a rotating roster of local favourites.

so absolutely recommended to locals and visitors…read more.. fantastic atmosphere & friendly staff

PJ O'Brien's Irish Pub was a short walk from our Southbank Hotel in Melbourne and after a long tour…read moreday, we were ready for a nice meal in a convenient location. Another couple had been there a few days before and raved about it, so off we went. Although we were seated relatively quickly, ordering was slow, and delivery from the kitchen even more so. OK, the drinks came quickly, although I was served a Heineken (Lager), when I clearly ordered a Kilkenny (Irish Red Ale). That's kind of embarrassing for an Irish Pub to mix up those 2 very different beers. The wait for our dinner so long that a couple just finishing up at the next table offered to try to find our waitress who had disappeared. We found her later at the bar with a friend, probably just off work, and with a poor handoff. Someone else eventually delivered our meals, which was pretty good, particularly Gayle's Chicken Parma. My issue was that half of my Mussels were "welded shut", despite my messy attempts. After several minutes of trying to find someone, I basically told that flustered person to take the plate away because I was done with this place. To the restaurant's credit, they took the Mussels off the tab with a half- hearted apology at the cash register, not our table. A much need snack at the local 7-11 finished off my evening meal. Let's just call it a bad night from a franchise Irish Pub that failed these customers.

If you're a Brunswick East local (which I am) you should consider yourself lucky (which I do) to…read morelive so close to such an exceptional bar. Mr Wilkinson ticks all the essential boxes. + A warm and welcoming but trendy and hip vibe + A bartender who does The Sunday Age quiz with his patrons every week + Boozy cocktails, wines and local craft beers + A different food truck parked directly outside every night of the week + A charcuterie board so good you will weep No other venue will give you that "I've found something special" vibe, while also making you feel like you're right at home.

This is one of this bars that I discovered simply by walking past, so being the curious person that…read moreI am I decided to step inside and grab a drink. I was immediately impressed, and based on the other reviews I must have a reasonably good taste when it comes to bars. It's a fairly narrow affair, but it actually holds a lot more people than it immediately seems, and there is an outdoor area down the side, and one out the back (though the one out the back is much better than the one down the side). The staff were okay, but it was the atmosphere that really grabbed me. They also had some decent beers available. I wish I had more time to go and visit places like this.

Was super excited to try Susie Wong's and my excitement was definitely valid…read more It was a fairly busy evening and the first thing I noticed was how lovely the staff were. Our waiter was cheeky and lovely and attended to our every need. We decided to go the sharing plate route, wanting to try as many dishes as possible. First up was Ma Hor and excellent start with lots of flavours, Red Curry Lamb Ribs were absolutely amazing with the lamb falling off the bone and so ridiculously tender and with a mouth-watering sauce. I love the no BS wine list very easy to read and a champion at matching your food. Next was the Cheung fun with prawns and the in my opinion blue ribbon winning Oxtail dumplings - YOU MUST TRY THESE! I loved how we had a view of the kitchen and it was certainly a treat to see the very talented Daniel Sullivan at work. The interior has a warm feel and makes you want to be there all night eating, drinking and talking. I don't often do desserts but when I find a place where in my opinion every dish we ate was as stunning as our's, I felt dessert was warranted. We had the Durian Tart with Jasmine Sorbet, yes again delicious and our waiter matched the dessert with L'armangia Moscato d'Asti from Italy and was a perfect way to end our dining experience at Susie Wong's. Next time we go I'll be trying the mains for sure. Loved Susie Wong's and I advise that you arrange a visitation here very soon!

After wandering down the street when being told there was a 2 hour wait for Hawker Hall, we…read morediscovered this gem tucked away next to an adult store. Not the best location but it was worth the drop in. No queue, so we got seated immediately. I started with a cocktail, She's so fine, which is an Asian version of a mojito, substituting sake for rum. It was delicious with elderberry and lime leaves, very refreshing! My group decided on the chef's selection for a 6-course meal ($50/pp) as we could not decide since everything on the menu looked tasty. Starting with the spicy pork relish on pineapple, a quick bite, then onto two kinds of dumplings - pork/chive and veggie. All very good. We started wondering if we would get more than just nibbles when the main courses arrived. Chargrilled lamb ribs with tender meat that fell off the bone and a flavourful spice. I especially enjoyed the crispy Cambodian chicken wings with srirachi honey (be careful, it bites back). It was accompanied by the warm mushroom salad with sautéed greens and a side of rice. Then came the Massaman beef curry which was a warm, welcome bowl of goodness. Finally, we ended on a sweet note with two kinds of dessert. The special caramelised ginger flan and the creamy yoghurt with pistachio floss. Amazing! We let none go to waste. To top it off, we received great service. Friendly, attentive manager and well paced dishes. We were even invited to their big 2-year anniversary party. What a treat! If you don't want to wait long for a tasty meal and good service, you can't go wrong with Susie Wong! :)

For the price and quality of food I left the Pig and Whistle Tavern a very happy customer…read more After a walk to Sherbrooke Falls, we were all starving and hadn't booked dinner anywhere but thought we would try our luck at the Tavern as recommended by a colleague. The service was consistent and average HOWEVER the decoration and the food was what made the night great! We ordered the Piggy Platter to share the it was a great mix of bread, olives, pork, cheese...all the goodies (there was 5 of us). For our mains we tried: Vegetarian Pizza - super tasty with thin base. Meat Lovers Pizza Eye fillet steak - medium to perfection, tender and juicy (expect for my sister not liking rocket leaves) Pork Belly - falls apart and juicy. Steak and Guinness Pie - I would have liked the chips to have had more flavour and more guinness in the pie. Everyone enjoyed their meals and we actually had half of each pizza left over so perhaps next time I would look at sharing more dishes instead of ordering a main each.

This is actually a rather charming tavern, located up in the Mount Dandenong Ranges. In a way it's…read morelocation makes it rather charming, but more than that, the building also is quite lovely as well. Basically it is an English style pub, but it has more charm, and more character, than a lot of others that I visit, namely because they don't go out of their way to make themselves appear to be an English tavern. Like, they have some rather nice beers on tap, and the staff are rather friendly as well. Yeah, this is actually a rather lovely place to be honest.

Sure, this place was nice, but the thing that really put me off was the exceeding strong tea that…read morethey served here. Actually, that tea was honestly pretty bad, and not only that, it was quite pricey as well. Though while this place did look nice, and had a nice, quiet, atmosphere about it, the tea really makes me not want to return.

The Duchess! I have often heard raving reviews of this place but when I went last time, 2 or 3…read moreyears ago I didn't really see the attraction. Perhaps it's the fact that you have to drive to whoop whoop... Perhaps it's the fact that after driving to whoop whoop you still have to wait ages, but the Duchess did not impress me then. Fast forward to today, I had to go to the Scienceworks and it's in Spotswood, so I decided to give The Duchess another go. Now it's obviously a weekday plus it's probably just after lunch hr so it's less busy. They were able to accommodate two prams and was super friendly and efficient about it which is a big tick for me at this point in my life! Food ordering is a bit slow to be honest. We ordered our drinks and waited and waited and no one came to take our order! We finally had to flag someone down and THEN they told us there are specials! Not sure if they just didn't want to overwhelm us and let us settle down but I felt the service need to be a bit more efficient. Anyway so I ordered the special which is the soft shell crab w pork belly on a brioche. It was amazing!! They managed to cut the fattiness of this whole combo with fresh coriander and zesty mayo. I am not a fan of Scienceworks but I will come back for The Duchess!

Three words. Perfect Date Location. Everything you want on…read morea date night is given to you at the Siglo Rooftop. Great music, lots of well dressed people, great selections of tapas style food to share, a lovely view of the top end of Melbourne and delicious cocktails. All you need is a cute man or girl and voila = Perfect Date begins. Ok, I guess you don't technically have to be on a date to enjoy Siglo. I'm sure it'd still deliver all its atmospherical goodness to any person in any social situation. Hell, be daring and go on your own! Meet someone new! Do yourself a massive favour and TRY the croque monsieur! AND the polenta chips! You will not be disappointed. Off you go. Enjoy. See a show afterwards. Drink responsibly. Thank me later.

Beautiful rooftop wine bar, a must-visit in Melbourne. Great wine list. Perched next to the…read morePrincess Theatre, with a brilliant view of Parliament building lit up at night. Lovely, lovely ambiance.

Came back after over fifteen years to savour their Bangers and Mash. Needless to say, I wasn't…read moredisappointed!! As good as I remember it Still great ambience and friendly staff. Great stuff all around. Can't speak highly enough of the place. Come and enjoy!

Another gem smack in the middle of Melbourne business district, Elephant and Wheelbarrow is most…read morelikely spot on what you're looking for. I've posted the menus and the incredible Steak and Guinness Pie I had which was the best I've had outside of England. This is a trad British pub complete with the patrons, the pints are ice cold just about at freezing and the food smells draw you in for two blocks around. The music was upbeat and fun. I'll probably go here every night next week. It's a great spot and the service is friendly and fast.

Love the Sunday roast and the ambiance and the friendly staff. Trivia on Sundays is a winner too…read more Shame the local council decided to stop dogs being allowed upstairs because it was nice being able to have dogs in the beer garden and we miss it!

I came here for a work lunch this past week, and I'm glad for that, or this may not have otherwise…read morebeen somewhere I'd go to. They seated us upstairs in what can be an open air rooftop, or as in our case, a covered rooftop area with a fireplace. It was cozy and warm despite the awful weather outside. You use your phone to scan for the menu, and go up to the bar to order. The guy said the food might take a while since there was 11 orders coming in all at once, but really, it wasn't that long at all. Mine of course was one of the last (seems to be a recurring theme with me) but the guy was really apologetic and it wasn't a big issue. The food was delicious and filling. Generous portions for good prices. Everyone loved what they got, and even though it's a really casual, pub type of place, it was all well presented and everything was clean and made for a good lunch. I'd definitely recommend coming here whether it's in summer or winter as they cater for both, and it's in a good location with reasonably good parking. Really enjoyable.

If you're going on a Tuesday night for the $10 Parma you can't go wrong. It comes out on a wooden…read moreboard with the chicken breast Parma (ham, cheese, tomato) sitting on a good amount of fully cooked chips. A tasty thumbs up for cheap Parma fans. The salad is fresh and not too much dressing (just right) and they don't smother the chips in salt either. If there was one concern, the lighting was very low.

I was told that this pub had a bit of a history, however that is all in the past because it…read morecertainly now has a much more down to Earth Bohemian feel to it, at least the time that I was here. Mind you, all of the pubs along Johnston Street seem to all cater to the hard rock, heavy metal, and punk crowds, but when I went here it was to hear some up and coming activists spriuk their beliefs, though spending time in the beer garden with them afterwards was also pretty cool. Mind you, I haven't really been back since, probably because I have found a lot of other places to visit.