I have some news to announce to all of you. It’s sort of bittersweet, but I can tell you now that I am overall excited about it! At the end of February, I’ll be moving back to Brisbane from Melbourne. Although I love Melbourne, and will miss all the amazing food and wine, my heart is in Brisbane, so I made the decision to move my life back there, and start a new chapter! I’m really excited to be back in Brisbane with my partner, my family, my friends and of course the nice weather, so overall I’m really excited about what the year is going to bring. However, it doesn’t change the fact that I will miss the food!

I don’t leave Melbourne with a heavy heart, because I feel like I’ve had an awesome year and experienced so much while I’ve been here. I feel like it’s taught me a lot about myself, made me more resilient, and given me so many amazing memories. I’m also so excited to move back and be with my family and my partner, as I’ve never felt 100% settled here. I guess some people find home here, and I’ve never quite gotten there. So I felt that it was time that I listened to my heart and thought about what would make me really happy. So as much as I’ll miss this city, I know overall I will be happier.

When I look back on my year and a bit in Melbourne, I’ve had some amazing times. I will always cherish my time in this amazing city, and I have no regrets in coming here and experiencing something new. However, in true Ella style, when I think back on my year and some of my favourite memories, they all seem to revolve around food and wine! You know me, I know this is the part of Melbourne that I’m going to miss the most, although I keep telling myself that Brisbane’s foodie scene is pretty good! Actually, I know it is pretty good, and I’m excited to reacquaint myself with everything it has to offer!

As an ode to my time in Melbourne, I wanted to write a couple of blog posts before I leave as a sort of download of my time here. I’m hoping that it provides you with some entertainment, but overall it’s helping me reminisce about my time here. I know I’ll be back to visit lots too, which means that I’ll need something to look back on when I’m trying to fit in a million restaurants into one weekend!

As a starting point, I thought I might kick off with probably the hardest one. When my parents were down last weekend, I was thinking about what my top foodie experiences were from my time in Melbourne. There are so many little moments, meals and times that are highlights of my time here, but there are a couple that really stand out. I wanted to share them with you as an ode to my experience in Melbourne: the food, the wine, the awesomeness. So here are my top 5, in no particular order:

Red Hill wineries

One of my most memorable experiences from my time in Melbourne was across my couple of trips down to Red Hill to visit the wineries. There’s something about the area here that I just loved so much more than the Yarra Valley. I feel like the wineries there are absolutely amazing, and the people are so passionate about wine. Whether it was our first trip for my birthday, or when we went back for the Winter Wine weekend, this region is uniquely brilliant, and definitely one of my favourite places I visited.

Some of my favourite wineries are in this area, and I really hope I can go back. I loved Port Phillip Estate with its amazing architecture and stunning view (the wines were pretty good too!). Crittenden Estate has the most amazing lake and beautiful wines all round, as did Red Hill Estate. One of my absolute favourites was Foxeys Hangout, especially because we found out the owners used to own the place where we have been living! How small is this world? If you’re looking for boutique wines, Panton estate was also amazing, and certainly one to watch.

Food wise I don’t even know where to begin. There are so many amazing little food places here, and then there is the wineries! My highlights were:

• Paringa Estate – they do an awesome degustation with matched wines that I could not fault. Beautiful food and perfect pairings with delicious wines, plus a lovely view of their winery.
• Foxeys Hangout – With beautiful views over the winery, this is the perfect spot for a delicious winery lunch. They do little share plates of the most amazing food, definitely worth a visit if you can get in!
• Max’s restaurant at Red Hill Estate – This winery restaurant also does an awesome degustation with matched wines. The service was absolutely amazing, and the meals were delicious! It’s a little more expensive, but definitely worth it.
• Cellar & Pantry – This is my favourite spot to go for meals to make at home, and the important supplies such as Cheese, meats and cookies! They also have a nice selection of wines to take home if you don’t make it to the wineries

The other thing worth checking out at Red Hill is the Winter Wine Festival. It costs about $65 to get in, but you get a free Riedel wine glass and free tastings of over 60 producers from the region. It was the perfect way to explore the wines that Red Hill has to offer, and it was interesting speaking to all the wine makers throughout the day. The best part is, you get 2 meal tokens with your ticket, and they give you tastes of some of the best restaurants of the region! You won’t go hungry here. Definitely a highlight of my visits to Red Hill.

I had such great times visiting Red Hill, and I’ll cherish the amazing memories I made here with my partner and my best friend. If you’re after a special experience that isn’t too touristy, I’d highly recommend a trip out to Red Hill.

The things you do for a table on Flinders Lane

I was trying to think of my favourite foodie experiences and I kept coming back to memories of Flinders Lane restaurants. Although I don’t live in the city, some of my favourite restaurant experiences have been in Flinders Lane. There’s a reason these restaurants are so popular, and I know I’ve enjoyed trying each one for different reasons.

I think the one that’s caused the funniest and best memories for me has been Chin Chin. Each time I’ve been, my partner has questioned why everyone lines up and waits for 2 to 2 and a half hours to get a table. The first time we went we spent the first hour of our wait time trying to find a different restaurant to no avail. It just seems crazy that one restaurant that has been open for quite some time could consistently attract such huge crowds. Honestly, I would love to own Chin Chin, they would be raking it in! But the thing about it is that once you finally get your table, you get one of the best meals that I think I’ve ever eaten. The food is always so amazing, and always worth the long wait times. My favourite is the sticky pork, which I still have dreams about sometimes.

Because you can’t make bookings at most of the restaurants, you often find yourself waiting for at least an hour to get a table. It’s in this time that I find I have had some of the most memorable foodie experiences of Melbourne. It gives you an excuse to try some of the awesome bars that Flinders Lane has to offer, which are upstairs, down alley ways, underground. Honestly, there is something for everyone, we even found a tiki bar once! It’s all part of the experience of this great city, and I feel like it makes eating at Flinders Lane that much better, because not only do you get an awesome meal, you also get this amazing experience of trying out new bars, walking up and down the lane ways and alleys, and experiencing the wonderful foodie scene all in one place.

Some of my highlights of Flinders Lane:

• Chin Chin – obviously a no brainer, you have to try this amazing Melbourne institution if you come to Flinders Lane. If you don’t want to wait, try going for a late lunch! The best thing about Chin Chin is that they will text you once your table is ready, so you can head off to grab a drink or two in the meantime!
• Eue De Vie – This whisky bar is a great experience, and I’ve had some of the best cocktails of my life here! It’s down an alleyway with only a lantern to let you know its location, and a big brass door. On the inside you’ll find a wonderful prohibition themed bar that is cosy and perfect for winter. Try the signature espresso martini for a cocktail and a show!
• Supernormal – This Japanese restaurant is absolutely awesome! Such good food and a really fun atmosphere. My favourite dish was the duck bao which you made yourself.
• Meatball and Wine bar – perfect for a drink and a snack while you’re waiting for food, it doesn’t usually have a line so you don’t need to wait for a table as long.
• Tonka – Coda can be hard to get into, but Tonka is owned by the same people. The food is awesome, but my favourite part about it was the fit out – absolutely spectacular with beautiful views of the river!
• Lee Ho Fook – This Asian fusion restaurant may not look like much when you walk in, but has absolutely amazing food! The best part is that you can book! But if you don’t, you can sit in the downstairs bar area. The menu is different, but still has delicious food! Also, they have a white spritz with dill and lemon, it’s out of this world!
• Lucy Liu – I finally got to Lucy Liu recently and the food was awesome! It has a bit of everything, but all the dishes worked perfectly together. I loved the kingfish sashimi with coconut cream and lime!
• Om Nom Dessert Bar – If you leave room for dessert, I’d highly recommend Om Nom Dessert Bar. They have out of this world desserts, and things you won’t find anywhere else. They also have amazing cocktails to accompany the desserts. I had a smore’s martini which came out under a cloche filled with campfire smoke that brought me back to camping as a kid. Bonus with this place is that you can get really great dessert degustation menus, as well as a pretty cost effective package of 2 desserts and 2 cocktails.

Being able to walk to a smorgasbord of restaurants

I’ve been very lucky where I live in South Yarra that I haven’t needed a car to get to everything one could ever need. Just a 5 minute walk away is Chapel street which has some of the best dining the city has to offer. It’s great because we are near the Prahran side of South Yarra meaning that we get the best of all Chapel street dining. From the more expensive, institutional food of South Yarra to the amazing fusion restaurants of Windsor, Chapel st has it all, with bucket loads of personality to go with it. The only problem is that there is so much choice, whether you are going out for breakfast, lunch, a snack, a drink, or dinner.

What I’ve loved about living in Melbourne is that I can walk everywhere, and so it’s really easy to try new restaurants. Everything is so close, it’s difficult to convince yourself to stay home and cook when you have all this amazing food at your doorstep! I’ve tried so many of the restaurants around my area, and I love that the different suburbs of Chapel street offer different dining options and give a completely different vibe. I only wish that I had tried out more, because I ended up finding my favourites and going back again and again. That’s the problem though, I feel like I could never get through every single option I have available to me, I am truly spoilt for choice!

It’s hard to give you my favourites, because I have so many! But some of the highlights have been:

• Café e Cucina – this is where my roomie and I go for special dinners. The service is absolutely impeccable, and the food is out of this world! Although it’s not cheap, it is worth it for the amazing food and experience that you get at this Melbourne institution. We’ve had so many great times here together, and we always leave with a serious food baby.
• Charlie Dumpling – although Charlie Dumpling is on High street, I include it because we stumbled upon it when we were trying to find a table on a Saturday night (no easy task). The food here is absolutely amazing, and the dumplings are not your average dumplings! My favourite is the chicken laksa dumplings which come out in a full laksa soup! I’ve had some really great times here, but I’ll never forget stumbling upon it with my mum and dad and having such a great meal!
• Hawker Hall – I tried to get into Hawker Hall many times before I finally went for a late lunch one Sunday afternoon. This sister restaurant to Chin Chin has long wait times on the weekend, which I was surprised by, but it’s because it is so good! The food is a mixed bag of Asian fusion from different cultures, and so no matter what you are in the mood for, you can get something that hits the spot. The food here is awesome, the cocktails are great, and the food comes out really quickly! My favourite would have to be the wok tossed chicken bits which are covered in the most amazing sticky sauce.
• Tokyo Tina – Tokyo Tina is a great Japanese fusion restaurant with an awesome vibe. The service is great, and the food here is amazing. The last time I went we got the feed me option and everything that came out was perfect. I couldn’t tell you what my favourite was, as everything was so good! But I’d highly recommend giving their chicken karaage a go, it’s covered in a spice mix which takes it to the next level!
• Joylati – If you are after a sweet treat for dessert, I’d highly recommend Joylati! It’s run by an Italian couple and the flavours are absolutely amazing! We’ve had many late night trips to Joylati on route home, as it’s the perfect end to the evening. They also have a lot of options for vegans and food intolerances, which is good when you want ice cream but need to cater for this. My favourite flavour would have to be their 80% dark chocolate which is so deliciously bitter.
• White Oaks Saloon – A short walk from Chapel Street on Greville street, you’ll find White Oaks Saloon, which has a special spot in my heart as it’s one of the first places I ate at when we moved into the area. The food here is awesome, especially the chilli mac and cheese! For American food it’s surprisingly not that heavy, as they have a lot of fresh, delicious tacos and salads. Best of all they have amazing cocktails which are absolutely delicious!

Honestly, I could go on forever – the food here is so good! I will definitely miss living around so many options, although I think my wallet will be a lot fuller!

The weekly market

The other benefit of living in my area is that I am about 3 minutes’ walk away from Prahran market. Before I moved to Melbourne, I wouldn’t have known that this existed! You tend to really only know about Queen Victoria Market when you are from out of town, and I’d been to South Melbourne Markets once before. But when I moved to South Yarra, I found the amazingness that is Prahran Market, and I’ve been going ever since generally on a weekly basis!

There is so much that this market offers. The cheese and deli shops are out of this world and have great deals which are a lifesaver when you’re having people over. My favourite spot is probably Cleo’s because they have awesome dips and a great, well priced cheese selection. Plus the people who work there are lovely and very friendly!

If you are a cheese lover though, you have to try Maker and Monger. Here you can get the perfect cure for a hangover in their huge selection of cheese! Their toasted sandwiches are out of this world, and the raclette is a really special treat of glorious melted cheese and potatoes – what more could you want on a Saturday morning?

My other favourite thing to get from Prahran market is the mushroom burgers. Only available on a Saturday, $10 will get you the best mushroom burger of your life. They grill a portabello mushroom with pesto, and place it on a toasted roll with parmesan, chilli aioli and onions. I didn’t understand the hype until I tried these, and now I’m concerned I’m going to go through withdrawals without them in my life.

My parent’s favourite store is the Turkish Delight store, where not only can you get a variety of flavours I didn’t even know existed, but all of these amazing special Turkish delights. I’m going to miss being able to pick up delicious treats like Turkish delight covered in barberries.

This only scratches the surface of the awesome food places you can find at the market. If you are in the area, seriously go and check it out.

Lune Croissanterie

I saved this for last because I recently experienced the amazingness of Lune. Since I’ve moved I’ve wanted to try a Lune croissant. They have become famous with their press about being the best croissants in the world last year, and so I’ve had this on my foodie to do list for ages.

The only problem is that, like most amazing food experiences in Melbourne, everyone wants to have the same experience. So the lines are huge and they often sell out. So I needed to time my trip perfectly in order to secure my croissant!

I finally went on the weekend and got there for 10 minutes before opening. There was already a line around the building, but when it opened the line went very quickly. I only had to wait 20 minutes and then proceeded to spend a little too much on croissants because I wanted to try too many. I ended up having an almond croissant, and ordering a coffee to sit and enjoy the fruits of my getting up early and driving to Fitzroy.

I had this moment while I was sitting in this huge warehouse turned croissant laboratory. The croissant was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten in Melbourne, maybe my life. Big call I know. But it was something about the experience of getting this croissant, sitting down with a coffee in this huge warehouse, and enjoying a simply delicious pastry. I can’t even describe how good it was, it was out of this world. You can see why there is the hype, and why when I left the line was around the block. Something as simple as a croissant brought me so much joy that I needed to give it its own spot on my top list. There was just something in that moment when I’d been waiting so long to go, and finally went, and it was everything I wanted it to be and more.

So there you have my foodie experience list. I hope that you get some of the joy that I had experiencing Melbourne’s foodie scene out of reading this. It’s been an amazing year and a bit of eating, and I’m so glad to have had such an awesome foodie experience down here. If I had more time, I feel like I’d probably keep going back to the same places, because I’ve had so many good meals that I wish I could have again. But unfortunately all good things must come to an end.

I’m so glad to have had this time to try out so much amazing food, and create so many great memories around food. I feel like that’s what makes it, those little moments. I’m going to enjoy getting to know the Brisbane foodie scene once more, and making new amazing memories!

Until next time, happy eating!

Ella xx