EAT > YIAGA, Melbourne (20/20)

Tucked inside the historic Fitzroy Gardens, in a pavilion that has served refreshments to Melburnians since 1908, Yiaga is the long-awaited solo debut of Hugh Allen — the chef who ran Vue de Monde's kitchen and became the first Australian to lead two three-hatted restaurants at once before turning 30. This is fine dining stripped…

ByCrispin3 days ago0Comments

ALMANAK REVIEW > DELMONTE, Carlton 16/20

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EAT > Delmonte, Carlton (16/20)

On the corner of Lygon and Faraday streets, in the ground-floor space that housed the beloved King & Godfree deli for more than a century, Delmonte has arrived: a glamorous Italian wine room built by hospitality entrepreneur Jamie Valmorbida on the bones of his own family's history. There's a particular kind of pressure that comes…

ByCrispinSeptember 15, 20260Comments

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EAT > AEGLI, South Melbourne (16/20)

Behind a modest terrace facade on Coventry Street, in the space that once housed the experimental fine-diner Lume, Aegli has quietly become one of the most convincing Greek tables in Melbourne, a chef’s love letter to the villages and islands of home, plated with genuine restraint. Modern Hellenic cooking, done with real conviction. AMBIENCE >…

ByCrispinSeptember 3, 20260Comments

ALMANAK Restaurant Review - Bommie Restaurant, Hamilton Island QLD

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EAT > BOMMIE, Hamilton Island QLD (17/20)

Perched inside the Hamilton Island Yacht Club with Dent Passage unfurling beneath its floor-to-ceiling glass, Bommie is the Whitsundays' most credentialed fine-diner. A place to see and be seen. Fine dining above Hamilton Island Marina There's a particular kind of restaurant that only works on an island: it has to serve the yacht crowd walking…

ByCrispinAugust 23, 20260Comments

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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

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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

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STAY > QUALIA, Hamilton Island, Queensland (19/20)

Qualia on Hamilton Island remains the benchmark for barefoot Australian luxury, adults-only, 60-pavilion resort on the Great Barrier Reef where privacy, understated design and genuine sense of place outweigh any single showpiece amenity. AMBIENCE > Qualia occupies the secluded northern tip of Hamilton Island, set within roughly 30 acres of tropical gardens above the Coral…

ByCrispinJuly 12, 20260Comments

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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

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STAY > Fairmont Hotel, Tokyo (18/20)

Fairmont Tokyo is a polished new arrival on Tokyo Bay: a vertical, glass‑wrapped refuge that delivers classic Fairmont theatre with a distinctly Japanese sense of restraint and ritual. It is also the brand’s long‑anticipated debut in Japan, perched high above Shibaura with big‑screen views of Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge and the working harbour below. Tokyo…

ByCrispinMay 25, 20260Comments

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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