Monou

Sister restaurant to South Melbourne’s highly popular Japanese restaurant Kuu, Monou is the more fancier sibling of two, offering Japanese cuisine with a modern Australian.

Monou offers the usual Japanese culprits (think edamame, gyoza and miso soup) as well as some more original twists on Japanese favourites - including the Kobore Chirase Sushi.

The sashimi special of the day ($48) was fresh and presented beautifully. So too was the pork katsu ($22) - and while we thought the Katsu could have done more sauce, the staff were only too happy to accommodate when we asked for more.





For desert, it’s hard to go past their matcha ice cream ($8) - with the matcha being sourced from Japan. And if you’re looking for an instagram worthy dish, the plum wine cheesecake ($14) is an excellent choice.

 



While relatively new, the venue already has a mildly outdated vibe, and was eerily quiet for a Summer’s Friday night. However, given the quality of the food, Monou is a tasty choice if you find yourself in South Melbourne in the mood for Japanese.

Service: 3.5/5
Venue: 3/5
Value for money: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Total: 13.5/20
Verdict: like - get around to trying it at some point

 

Shop 225

At first glance, you might think that Shop 225 is your usual token local pizza joint - you know, the one where the pizza isn’t all that great, but it’s close and easy so you’ll settle. But on one bite of Shop 225’s food, you’ll quickly realise that that’s not the case, and that Shop 225 sets itself apart from the rest.

Situated in Pascoe Vale, Shop 225 offers up a range of pizza, pastas, Italian inspired starters and salads in a no frills, casual setting.

If you ever see mussels on their special menu, the dish is definitely worth a try.  For a local pizza joint, the mussels were surprisingly fresh, plump and delicious, and were soaked in a sauce so good we asked for a spoon to finish it off.

Their penne bolognese – which is one of the most flavoursome bolognese’s I’ve had in Melbourne - is another excellent choice. And of course, it’s hard to go past one of their extensive range of woodfire pizzas. 

With such delicious food, it’s no wonder it was packed to the brim on a Wednesday night. Shop 225 is definitely on the recommendation list.

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Venue: 4/5
Value for money: 4/5
Total: 16.5/20

Verdict - Love, get around to trying it soon

The New Fave dined courtesy of Shop 225

Pho Nung

The thing that surprised me the most about Pho Nung was that it was completely empty on a Wednesday night despite serving some of the most delicious Vietnamese in Melbourne CBD.Pho Nung serves up all your usual Vietnamese culprits (think rice paper rolls, pho etc) in a relaxed, highly casual setting.

Ordering one of the pork belly bao’s ($4.80) is a must. Think tender juicy pork topped with mouth-watering crackling, which is then smothered with a generous amount of their homemade chilli mayo and BBQ sauce.

Their Spicy Beef Noodle Soup ($14) is almost a must for anyone that loves a good kick of spice.  The fragrant soup was sweet, spicy and salty, and the beef was fresh and tender. 

 

 Despite its lack of any vibe due to it being completely empty, with its delicious food and great price tag, I’ll definitely be back to Pho Nung.

Venue: 3/5

Value for money: 4.5/5

Service: 4/5

Food: 4.5/5

Total: 16/20

Verdict: Love – get around to trying it soon

 

Marion

Situated next to Cutler & Co on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy, Andrew McConnell’s more relaxed wine bar Marion serves up an exquisite menu with the same exceptional service you’d expect from next door.

Marion’s complimentary warm flat bread will set the scene (and your tastebuds) for the delicious meal you’ll have ahead – you’ll be forgiven if you ask for a further serve.

The prawn and horseradish roll makes Andrew McConnell’s famous lobster roll seem like yesterday’s news, while the tomatoes with seaweed will make you question how a simple dish can manage to contain so many flavours. Both dishes are perfect pre-cursors to the agnolotti with goats cheese which will make even the biggest carnivores on your table drool.

Marion’s desert is worth saving room for, with the strawberries & cream being a textual delight with its sweet strawberries, crunchy meringue and rich cream to tie the dish together.

While the mark up on some of the wines is on the cheeky side, being a wine bar, the wine list is expectantly noteworthy, with the staff being completely across Marion’s offering.

Marion is the epitome of Melbourne’s first class foodie scene – which is what makes it the New Fave.

Food: 5/5

Venue: 4.5/5

Service: 4.5/5

Value for money: 4/5

Total: 18/20

Verdict: The New Fave – get around to trying it soon

Dukkah Restaurant

Between their twist on Kunafa and their fel-fel dip, Middle Eastern inspired restaurant Dukkah is a little slice of the Middle East on the main strip of shops in South Kingsville.

Expect service that is warm, passionate, knowledgeable and welcoming – all of which creates a strong sense of community in the venue. Also expect a wine list that has been carefully curated to only include exclusive wines that aren’t available at your local Dan Murphys. Just as much care has been taken with their menu, with many of the dishes including spices that have come directly from Egypt.

The trio of dips ($17) is a must to start, consisting of lemon turmeric hummus topped with dukkah, caramelised beetroot and yogurt, and fel fel which is a blend of char grilled capsicum, cream cheese, sweet paprika, walnuts and chives.



The Mixed Grill ($28) also can’t be missed, serving up one of the best lamb cutlets I’ve had in Melbourne.



But whatever you do, make sure you save room for Dukkah’s twist on Kunafa ($11). For those of you who aren’t familiar with this dish, the traditional dish is borderline controversial – consisting of melted cheese and pastry doused in incredibly sweet rosewater. However, Dukkah takes all the best parts of the dish creating a desert that consists of fine shredded angel hair pastry, mango, cream, pistachio dust and rose petals.



Delicious food, great service and a great sense of community – Dukkah Restaurant is definitely worth a visit.



Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Venue: 4/5
Value for money: 4/5
Total: 17/20
Verdict: Love – get around to trying it soon


The New Fave dined courtesy of Dukkah Restaurant

Elektra

I have found my new favourite burger in Melbourne. And no, it’s not along the lines of your Betty Burgers, or your Stacks or 8Bits – it’s the cheeseburger with shitake ketchup at George Calombaris’s new restaurant Elektra.

Situated in The Press Club’s old home, Elektra is a more relaxed (and cheaper!) experience than its predecessor, while still offering the same exceptional fine dining service.

As already alluded to above, with its melt-in-the-mouth beef and flavoursome toppings, the cheeseburger with shitake ketchup ($25) is a must, and is almost too good for sharing. 

The vintage beef tartar ($22) is also a good choice, especially if you can get past the distracting thickness of the sourdough and the minimal serving of roast bone marrow. 

 

Unfortunately the Lune butter chicken Vol-au-Vent ($25) wasn’t such a hit, and fell on the “miss” list. It wasn’t by any means bad, but when I heard that a Lune croissant was being combined with butter chicken (two of my favourite things) I headed in with high expectations.  However, while the croissant was cooked to perfection, the butter chicken was borderline bland and the dish came out cold.

Bad butter chicken croissant aside, the burger alone is enough to get me through Elektra’s doors again, and the impeccable service is not to be missed.

Food: 3.5/5

Service: 5/5

Venue: 3.5/5

Value for money: 3/5

Total: 15/20

Verdict: Love – get around to trying it soon