Restaurant Reviews

REVIEW On the top floor of the historic Strand Arcade, this upmarket Italian eatery reads like a glossy boardroom: long tables, suits, ties and handshakes. The food offering is serious business, too. Parmesan is grated at the table by waiters wearing ties, and if you order more than one, ahem, $42 plates of pasta, they’ll […]

REVIEW A Tavola, “to the table”, is the call to eat in Italian homes, and the table in this instance is the marble communal number that dominates the front dining room at this local favourite, basking in the glow of copper lights and the simpatico welcome of the Italian staff. Home-style cooking is the touchstone, […]

REVIEW Calling Smolt a safe pair of hands is underplaying it. Sure, it has savvy staff, a good-looking room and a kitchen that loves a Mediterranean bistro classic, but this all-day diner is more than just a safe bet. Chef Joseph Koops starts with top-notch local produce, on show in an excellent saffron lumache pasta […]

Every cloud has one, so the saying goes, but Andrew McConnell’s latest venture, Cumulus Inc., seems to have more than its fair share. John Lethlean takes a trip to seventh heaven.

REVIEW In an age where line-ups and street cred can too often rule Melbourne’s food scene, The Grand can seem almost retro. All the nostalgic hallmarks of proper dining are there: comfortable chairs, linen-clad tables, carpeted floors and the rare treat of floor staff who really know how to treat a guest. Though the cosy, […]

Hiding in plain sight on Crown Street, the crack team at Marque are turning out some of the country’s finest food. With a minor facelift, the restaurant sparkles anew, says Pat Nourse.

Café Sopra, at Waterloo’s Fratelli Fresh, has quietly but surely become a Sydney dining institution, and the new Potts Point branch, writes Pat Nourse, continues the tradition.

Roberto Scheriani hits the big time with Melbourne’s power dining set in the CBD, reports John Lethlean.

Lotus’s reputation for attracting the young and fun crowd remains intact with rising star chef Dan Hong’s appointment to the Potts Point bar and bistro, writes Pat Nourse.

Guillaume Brahimi and his team have made their mark at Melbourne’s Crown, reports John Lethlean.