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EAT > Pebble Beach, Qualia Hamilton Island QLD (18/20)

Set right on the sand at the northern tip of Hamilton Island, Pebble Beach is qualia’s beachfront dining room, and it remains the most relaxed serious meal in the Whitsundays. In our opinion, Pebble Beach is the best lunch (and probably the best meal) on Hamilton Island, full stop. There’s a specific pleasure in…

ByCrispinJuly 25, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MELBOURNE EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Vue de Monde, Melbourne (19/20)

Twenty-five years On and 55 floors above the CBD, Vue de Monde remains the benchmark by which Melbourne fine dining measures itself: theatrical, meticulous, unapologetically expensive, and still capable of genuine surprise. In our opinion Vue de Monde is the most complete fine-dining experience in Melbourne, and arguably in the country. There is…

ByCrispinJuly 19, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MELBOURNE EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Marmelo, Melbourne (18/20)

Marmelo is a suave, wood‑fired love letter to Portugal that feels purpose‑built for Melbourne: ambitious but relaxed, visually dramatic yet quietly comforting, and already one of the CBD’s most compelling hotel dining rooms. In our opinion Marmelo is the best Portuguese restaurant (in Australia) There is something about Portugal that I find incredibly appealing,…

ByCrispinJune 14, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > GC EAT > NOOSA EAT > SA EAT > SOUTHERN VALES WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Victory Hotel, Sellicks Hill (16/20)

There are pubs that age badly, and there are pubs that age magnificently. The Victory Hotel, perched on the brow of Sellicks Hill with a panorama stretching across Aldinga Bay and the Fleurieu coast, belongs emphatically to the latter camp. This is one of Australia's great gastropubs — weathered, warm and quietly formidable, with a…

ByCrispinApril 26, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MELBOURNE EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Blackbird, Melbourne (14/20)

Blackbird Melbourne is a three-level, moodily newcomer on Flinders Lane that feels built for long, steak lunches built around fire, flesh and a little theatre. It’s the Brisbane icon reimagined for Melbourne, with an open kitchen anchored by a Josper grill, a serious cellar and a cocktail bar that leans hard into nostalgia. Blackbird is…

ByCrispinApril 17, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > NSW EAT > SYDNEY WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > CATALINA, Rose Bay Sydney (19/20)

Catalina’s has become a venue for our special events, it is that kind of place. Stunning views, exceptional service, delicious food and a world class wine list. There are few restaurants around the world that have such an abundance of world class assets and as such Catalina remains one of the most in…

ByCrispinApril 7, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MELBOURNE EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Geralds Bar, Carlton (15/20)

Gerald’s Bar 2.0 on Lygon Street feels less like a “new” opening and more like a beloved neighbourhood institution stretching comfortably into a much bigger, grander suit (think Talking Heads) — same irreverent soul, and a lot more room to play. The move of Gerald’s Bar from its old cozy location to a new…

ByCrispinMarch 31, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MELBOURNE EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Scopri, Carlton (18/20)

There are places that stay forever on your most reliable list. It takes a special mix of reliably fine food a warm and comfortable room, good acoustics and genuine service. Scopri remains one of those establishments that remains on our favourite list and is one of Melbourne’s most quietly assured Italian dining rooms: a…

ByCrispinMarch 21, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > VIC ALPINE REGION EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Stallion, Mansfield Victoria (16/20)

Since the closing of Bounty in Bonnie Doon and BOS Taurus in Mansfield, the fine dining offerings in this alpine region have been very limited. Not to say you can’t get a good steak and there are gourmet pizza’s and Thai but nothing you would really say this is definitely worth visiting. But…

ByCrispinMarch 8, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > MORNINGTON PENINSULA EAT > VICTORIA WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Cape, Cape Schank (17/20)

Cape Restaurant at RACV Cape Schanck remains one of the Mornington Peninsula’s most compelling reasons to drive that extra stretch of highway after dark: dinner here still feels like an occasion, but an unusually relaxed and generous one. AMBIENCE > Cape’s room is still that familiar dusk-toned amphitheatre of glass, timber and bottle-light, only now…

ByCrispinMarch 1, 20260Comments