One of Essendon's favourite new grocers is turning one, and it's throwing the neighbourhood a party to mark the occasion. And we will be there to celebrate.
The Happy Apple, the independent grocer known for its beautifully curated fresh produce and premium-but-approachable feel, opened its fourth store on Mount Alexander Road in Essendon a year ago. Since then it's become a go-to for locals after fresh produce, artisan bread, flowers, specialty groceries and a decent coffee, all in a space that manages to feel both contemporary and genuinely neighbourhood-y at once.
Now the Essendon store is celebrating its first birthday over the weekend of Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September, with a full program of tastings, giveaways and instant-win prizes for anyone who pops in. And we are excited to celebrate with locals at this fine grocer of note.
If you've spent any time on Melbourne food Instagram over the last two years, you already know the name No.22 Cafe. The tiny Flinders Street focacceria near Federation Square built a cult following on one thing: proper, round, Puglia-style focaccia, baked fresh and sliced to order, with a queue to prove it. Now it's back — renovated, re-equipped and ready to do it all again.
Mr Vincenzo’s, the beloved Italian restaurant and bar on Mornington’s Esplanade, has reopened in a space three times its original size – and having just been back ourselves, we can confirm the wait was worth it. This has long been one of our favourite tables on the Mornington Peninsula, thanks to a location that’s hard to beat overlooking Port Phillip Bay, and the new-look venue only cements its place as a genuine jewel of the region. The renovation is stunning, the food is kicking goals with local produce heralded on every plate, and there’s now a dedicated wine bar to match.
Looking for a special steak experience in Melbourne that also doubles as a top date night selection? The Meat & Wine Co has landed on Collins Street, and it has arrived with more theatre than almost any steakhouse opening Melbourne has seen in years. We enjoyed a long lunch and experienced the standout Butter-Aged Southern Range Rib Eye - an absolute showstopper, plus other highly impressive dishes. Service is impeccable. The brand's 14th Australian venue and first Melbourne "Safari" concept, this 220-seat flagship trades on the drama of its "African Sky" design as much as it does on its famous flame-grilled beef — and after dining there ourselves, we can say the fit-out alone is worth the visit, before a single course even arrives.
Melbourne's design and lifestyle scene had a standout moment when Villeroy & Boch, one of Europe's most iconic tableware and ceramics houses, took over Privé by Reine & La Rue for an exclusive showcase blending luxury tableware design, fine dining and high-end patisserie. Held at the acclaimed Melbourne bar on Queen Street, the evening paired 275 years of European craftsmanship with a custom dessert grazing experience by MasterChef Australia's Kirsten Tibballs — a night that captured everything Melbourne does best: design, food, drinks and style, all on one table. We were invited along to experience the best of design and world-class patisserie, as well as elite canapes and cocktails.
Looking for the best gelato in Melbourne? Melbourne doesn't do things by halves when it comes to gelato. From old-school Italian pozzetti counters on Lygon Street to Japanese-inspired scoop shops wrapping ice cream in mochi, this city has more genuinely excellent gelaterias per capita than almost anywhere outside Italy. And the rest of the country has taken notice — Essendon's own Oh My Gelato! was just crowned Australia's best at the inaugural Australian Gelato Cup, proof that Victoria is where the country's gelato game is at its sharpest.
We've eaten our way through the city's best gelaterias — from the Italian institutions to the boundary-pushing newcomers — to bring you this guide to the best gelato in Melbourne right now.
Victorian business Oh My Gelato! wins title of country's best
Looking for Australia's best gelato? I was in the room for this one, and I can tell you first-hand: Australia's best gelato has officially been named, and it's made right here in Victoria. Announced yesterday, May Quah and Apple Robles of Essendon's Oh My Gelato! took out the coveted title of the country's best with their bespoke competition flavour, "The Melbourne Marvel" — a knockout combination of Australian pistachio, espresso variegato and dark chocolate-coated honeycomb.
There's a particular kind of magic that happens when two food cultures stop being compared and start being combined. That's exactly what unfolded at My 妈妈 & Your Nonna, a one-night-only Chinese x Italian fusion dinner hosted by Da Guido La Pasta in Carlton — and it might be one of the most inventive dining experiences we've had in Melbourne this year.
Da Guido La Pasta has long been a favourite Italian restaurant among Melburnians for its handmade pasta and warm, unpretentious dining room. So when we heard the team was pairing up with chefs Charles and Andrés for a collaborative six-course tasting menu built around childhood memories — his mother's cooking meeting her nonna's — we knew this wasn't going to be a straightforward Italian dinner. It wasn't. It was a full-blown culinary conversation between two of the world's great food traditions, and it landed on every level.
