There is something so completely Melbourne about the Carlton Wine Room. I cannot imagine a bar or restaurant quite like it anywhere else in the world. The combination of wood, light, food, service and wine. A wonderful mix that comes from our cosmopolitan population and the wonderful venues that have…
EAT
Have you ever walked into an unfamiliar bar or restaurant and had that immediate feeling of familiarity? That sense that yep, this is my place. From the moment you pass through the curtains into the small space that is Bar Olo on Nicholson Street, Fitzroy you have a feeling that this is something a…
Jose Avillez is probably the most famous chef in Portugal and in 2023 he was named the best chef in Portugal in the Best Chef Top 100 Award for his incredible contribution to food and helping to make Lisbon a top global destination for fine gastronomy.
His early career was at…
Almanak does not often write about the places we have not been able to visit yet but this is a place we are very excited about and as soon as we get the chance to update with a proper review we will do so. However in the meantime lets get into what we are…
Lollo is a hotel restaurant. There I have said it straight up. And as is the case with many hotel restaurants there are some good and some not so good aspects of that come from being part of a very large hospitality venue and a global hotel chain.
Lollo sits fashionably on Melbourne's Flinders Lane…
An institution of fine dining for the last 15 years Sosta Cucina in Errol Street North Melbourne has changed hands and is now Sosta Ristorante. But its more than just an ownership change the menu while still Italian is more refined, ingredients are premium with a focus on using Australian ingredients to create delicious meals.…
In the beautiful back streets of Gion where the traditional ‘Matcha’ tea houses hide away there are some amazing restaurants hidden behind the sliding doors and ‘Noren’ doorway curtains.
One of these outstanding restaurants is Sushi Masumoto which is a set Omakase course sushi restaurant preparing perfect individual morsels for 12 diners (eight at the…
Ramen. You love it, or you don’t. Hot, spicy, full of flavour. The best ramen is something of a work of art (see the quote below from the incredible 1985 movie Tampopo).
Sugari has something of a following in a classic Matcha house, hidden on a narrow lane off a side street,…
A wander around the neighbourhood and looking into a doorway we discovered Mitsuyama, but they were booked out for dinner so we decided to commit and book for the following evening, a decision that turned out to be outstanding.
It is a small restaurant, our party of five were the only diners this night but…
Osaka is well known for its street food, with 222 listings in the Michelin Guide (3 for 3 star, 9 for 2 star and 80 for 1 star) you know that they are serious about food. But what about wine, well that is a little harder to find, especially if like us on…