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…

ByCrispy3 days ago0Comments

STAY > CALABRIA STAY > ITALY WHERE TO STAY >

STAY > Il Casato, Scilla Italy (15/20)

Il Casato Deluxe Rooms is a polished little waterfront hideaway in Chianalea di Scilla, pairing modern, simple rooms with a spectacular over‑water restaurant that makes the most of the Costa Viola light. AMBIENCE > Chianalea is the most evocative corner of Scilla, a tight weave of alleys, stone houses and fishing boats nosing up to…

ByCrispyMarch 17, 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…

ByCrispyMarch 8, 20260Comments

EAT > ITALY EAT > ORTIGIA EAT > SICILY WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Ristorante Regina Lucia, Ortigia, Syracusa Italy (18/20)

Nestled in the heart of Ortigia’s iconic Piazza Duomo, Regina Lucia delivers refined Sicilian cuisine with contemporary flair in a historic baroque palace setting. This MICHELIN Guide-recommended spot earns consistent praise for its inventive dishes and polished service.Summary Intro goes here. As you wander the Piazza Duomo with its buskers, tourists and the occasional wedding…

ByCrispyMarch 7, 20260Comments

EAT > ITALY EAT > ORTIGIA EAT > SICILY WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Cortile Spirito Santo, Siracusa, Ortigia Italy (18/20)

Nestled in the historic heart of Ortigia, Syracuse's enchanting island, Cortile Spirito Santo delivers Michelin-starred Sicilian refinement in a 17th-century palazzo. This gem, part of Palazzo Salomone Luxury Suites, blends Baroque elegance with contemporary flair, earning its star in 2023 for chef Giuseppe Torrisi's masterful dishes. AMBIENCE > Elegant and serene, the restaurant unfolds in…

ByCrispyMarch 7, 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…

ByCrispyMarch 1, 20260Comments

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

EAT > Ten Minutes by Tractor, Main Ridge (19/20)

Ten Minutes by Tractor has always felt like the Mornington Peninsula restaurant that most confidently blurs the line between winery dining room and serious destination restaurant; under new head chef Craig Lunn and an evolved wine program led by head sommelier Noah Rozenfeld, it now reads as a sharper, more self-assured version of itself. AMBIENCE…

ByCrispyMarch 1, 20260Comments

EAT > SPAIN SAN SEBASTIAN WHERE TO EAT >

EAT > Geralds Bar, San Sebastian Spain (17/20)

Walk a few blocks back from La Zurriola beach and you’ll find Geralds Bar, a warmly lit corner of Gros that feels part Basque neighbourhood dining room, part Melbourne wine bar reunion. It’s the kind of room where vinyl spins on the turntable, glasses of txakoli and nebbiolo clink across the bar and plates of…

BySebFebruary 22, 20260Comments

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

EAT > Saint Peter, Paddington Sydney (20/20) – 2026

Saint Peter in Sydney is one of Australia’s (possibly the world’s) most compelling places to eat seafood right now, a restaurant that turns whole fish into high drama without ever losing sight of comfort, generosity, and genuine hospitality. Relocated to The Grand National Hotel in Paddington, it feels like both a neighbourhood dining room and…

ByCrispyFebruary 21, 20260Comments

EAT > AUSTRALIA EAT > GC EAT > QLD WHERE TO EAT >

STAY > Ovolo Sydney, Woolloomooloo (16/20)

Ovolo Sydney, Woolloomooloo is the hotel that turns a heritage finger wharf into a neon‑lit playground: all‑in perks, bold design and a quietly serious sleep, right on the harbour’s edge. Set between the Royal Botanic Garden and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, it feels as much like an adults‑friendly clubhouse as a classic…

ByCrispyFebruary 15, 20260Comments

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