Urbanspoon mobile application

Wanderspot LLC, 2010, Urbanspoon mobile downloads, viewed 20 April 2011, <http://www.urbanspoon.com/mobile-downloads>

As one of leading restaurant review websites worldwide, popular Urbanspoon have created a mobile application as a portal to their popular website. A quick setting selection the user is able to narrow their view to their closest major city which will allow the application to narrow the results to your chosen region. Selecting the browse button from the front screen the user is able to select from various set selection criteria with the one feature we are interested in being types of food. From this particular browse list are the names of styles and cuisines along with an indication of how many eateries have been reviewed for that category. Each category, when selected, initially displays the most popular restaurants along with their dollar price bracket as indicated by green dollar signs, the type of cuisine (African, vegetarian, for instance for the listing of Lentil As Anything as viewed under the African listing) and the address of the restaurant. Scrolling down the screen shows a display of all the suburbs where the selected category restaurants are found and, again, the number of restaurants reviewed for the category in that suburb. Just as with the website, the Urbanspoon application gives basic information for each restaurant, these being a percentage rating as given by website and application users who have visited the restaurant, the telephone number and address, price indication, opening hours and types of food carried on the menu and features such as vegetarian, gluten-free, outdoor dining. Links to user reviews, critic reviews, photographs, and restaurant website are all present.

Users of the application are easily able to search for particular restaurants using the search feature, which make it a useful resource to use in conjunction with other resources such as guides and books where pricing may not be indicated or where a printed review may be outdated.  The application is available in formats for use with: iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry.   J.S.

When tapas goes east, Selector Life.Food.Wine Magazine

'When tapas goes east', 2010, Selector Life.Food.Wine, spring, 2010, p.134, Selector Magazine, Newcastle, NSW. T.N.

Selector is an Australian food and wine magazine. This article is a review of the best Japanese Izakaya in Melbourne. An Izakaya is a Japanese cross between a pub and a restaurant that serve many tapas and beverages. The three Izakaya it focuses on are Izakaya Maedaya Sake & Grill in Richmond, Ichi Ni Izakaya in St Kilda and the award winning Izakaya Den. Izakaya Maedaya is reviewed as being the most affordable of the three with most tapas costing between $7 and $10. Izakaya Maedaya also has a fantastic selection of over 55 sakes on offer. Ichi Ni Izakaya is reviewed as a favorite for groups and dishes range from $6.50 to $18. The biggest write up is saved for Izakaya Den, which goes into the history of it's inception, a description of the space and a review of some of the choicest of the menu selections. Having eaten at Izakaya Den I can attest to the deliciousness of the fare, although the menu prices do push the boundaries of our affordable eats focus, with dishes running in price from $12 up to $30. The article's photographs capture some of the ambiance of the Izakaya. To really appreciate an Izakaya, gather some friends and share a selection of dishes and beverages and a good time is guaranteed for all, "kanpai!" (cheers!). T.N.

Very Cheap Eats

AOF 2008, Very Cheap Eats, weblog, viewed 17th May 2011, <http://www.verycheapeats.com/>.

This is a blog that came into existence in 2008 because the bloggers believed that The Age Cheap Eats Guide did not honestly represent it's $30 price guide any more. One of the writers had eaten at a past Cheap eats restaurants of the year, Rumi and paid $80 for a meal! So the Very Cheap Eats blog was formed with reviewers able to contribute reviews of any eateries for meals that cost round about $20 for at least two meals. People can contribute reviews from any where in the world, although the majority appear to be from Melbourne and some from other parts of Australia. There are 38 reviews of different eateries to be found on this blog archived by year, month, restaurant title and contributor. It is disappointing that there is no way to search eateries by countries cuisines. Initially there were 27 reviews in 2008 but since then review numbers have tailed off and it's seems the contributors enthusiasm is not as great as it once was with only 2 reviews for this year. There are reviewing guidelines and the reviews are all well written, informative with information on ambience, service, price, taste and most come illustrated with photographs. It is great to see a collective of blog food reviewers come together to create such a useful resource. T.N.

Urbanspoon website

Wanderspot, LLC 2006, Urbanspoon, viewed 20 April 2011, <http://www.urbanspoon.com/>

Urbanspoon is an American based website with global impact and with local restaurant reviews. The website automatically begins on the Victorian section displaying the latest most popular reviewed restaurants and cafes, a best of fine and casual dining and cheap eats. Also listed are the top reviewed suburbs. Of great use for those wishing to find multicultural foods is a section entitled Top Food Types listing seventy-five categories. Each category has an indication by a number figure of how many restaurants have been reviewed in the category. Clicking upon a category will display that categories page with title, Google map and a list of the best restaurants for that category. Within the list of all restaurants visitors to the site are able to sort the list by name (default), price and popularity. The percentage rating is derived from restaurant visitors using the Urbanspoon website, or mobile application, to click on a 'I like it' or 'Didn't like it' button.  Each restaurant and eatery has an individual listing giving eatery name, phone number, address and website. Included with each listing are a Google map showing location and, where applicable, links to critic reviews from newspapers and magazines, links to food blogger reviews and Urbanspoon user reviews posted to the page. An indication is given for the average cost of main meals. A desire to find food places in a particular suburb in Melbourne is easy using the All Suburbs area from the main page and selecting either a region or a particular suburb within each region. Urbanspoon is one of the largest restaurant review websites in the world with indepth coverage for Victoria, and Melbourne. J.S.

Spatula, Spoon and Saturday blog

Kat 2008, Spatula, spoon and Saturday, weblog, viewed 28 April 2011, <http://www.spatulaspoonandsaturday.com/>


Spatula, Spoon and Saturday


 Spatula, spoon and Saturday is one woman's personal Melbourne-based food diary giving full reviews of each eatery, and at times including recipes, of weekend meals with family and friends. The reviews are clear, well written and insightful from the author's personal eating experience for each eatery visited. High quality photographs adorn each review depicting the food and venue under review. The photographs alone tell a story but can almost overpower the review due to their size and quantity. The reviewer's blog has been included in the popular urbanspoon website and its associated smartphone application. Each review gives details of the eatery, food consumed, price, overall ambience and feel as well as service recieved. The blog is well indexed with seperate indexes for recipes, reviews by eatery category (cafe, restaurant, Melbourne CBD lunches, etc) and most importantly for this project, by cuisine. As a place to gather ideas and inspiration for multicultural eatries to try, on a budget, Spatula, spoon and Saturday would be a great place to start, and to keep coming back to read new reviews and blog entries. J.S.

Lygon St.: stories and recipes of Melbourne's melting pot

Harden, M 2008, Lygon Street: stories from Melbourne's melting pot, Murdoch Books Australia, Millers Point, NSW.

Background reading for foodies giving an insight into a true Melbourne melting pot of the famous Lygon Street in Carlton, Lygon Street is a well-researched, insightful and in-depth historical study of the multicultural history of the street and the businesses and eateries contained there. Lygon Street is both an interesting read from a cultural point of view and a culinary delight with recipes often passed from generation to generation or by an establishment was best known for. The reader is shown a diverse array of businesses as well as individual personal stories interviews from those who grew up in the area. As a reference tool, used more for background reading and insight into the influence of our migrant heritage Lygon Street makes for fascinating reading and leaves the reader with a desire to walk the length of the street, sampling the plethora of foods available. Although no actual reviews are given, prices nor current standing of the businesses this book is a delight for foodies wishing to know the history of the multicultural background in relation to food as is found along famous Lygon Street.  At 359-pages this is quite a sizable book complete with bibliography for further reading and an index at the back referencing all businesses and individuals mentioned through its pages as well as all recipes shown in bolt text. The content lists chapter headings with food related titles as the book flows from the street's earliest history through to current day. Filled with historic photographs, portraits and lush colour pages of food. Found in a library's cookery section (641.5099451 HARD) Lygon Street is more a biography than a cooking book, a biography of a street best known for its multicultural background and with it the eateries contained there to. J.S.

Top 5 the best of Melbourne

Atkinson, F (ed.) 2008, Top 5 the best of Melbourne, Fairfax Books, Pyrmont, NSW.

Top 5 the best of Melbourne from the The Age's A2 Top Five column contains, not surprisingly, the top five recommendations in over seventy-five categories ranging from healing foods, breads, hot chocolates, doughnuts, creperies, kid-friendly cafes through to butchers, greengrocers, bookish bites and bookshop cafes. More importantly other top five lists included cover Middle Eastern suger hits, tastes of Africa, Korean specialists, sushi bars, Thai dishes, tapas stops and native Australian bush foods, giving a selection of the multicultural cuisines available in and around Melbourne. The contents pages lists all categories and each category is spread over two pages. Each category contains the reviewer's name, a colour photograph best illustrating the cuisine and a brief review of the top five for that category. Each listing contains the name of the eatery, address and phone number. The reviews are brief and may only refer to one individual dish as ordered by the reviewer. As each category has been compiled by a different reviewer, the feel and style of the reviews vary from category to category but still give an overview of the cuisine and venue being reviewed. It is recommened to use this guide in combination with another source, such as the urbanspoon website or phone applications, to gain greater details such as pricing, variety of menu and service as these are lacking from Top 5 as although the reviews certainly identify quality multicultural cuisines available in Melbourne their overall suitability for being budget friendly is not indicated. The Age's weekend A2 Top 5 column is seen as an authoritive and independent source for food related reviews with contributors to the column including Matt Preston of MasterChef fame, although none of the entries contained in Top 5 the best of Melbourne are by this celebrated reviewer. J.S.

The Serve column, M: Melbourne inside out magazine

Valent, D 2011, 'The Serve: Armadale', M: Melbourne inside out, 1 May, 2011, p. 16, John Fairfax, Newcastle, NSW. 


Each week Dani Valent surveys suburbs around Melbourne for the best food each one has to offer.  In this issue's column, Valent reviews the Coin Laundry, a newly opened cafe in Armadale.  The column has a definite Sunday magazine feel to it: relaxed, affable but also informative.  Aside from the main review, Valent also gives the reader alternative places to visit while in each suburb (perhaps, in case the venue that is the subject of the main review turns out to be packed).  As different locales are chosen each week, this column may not always have specifically 'affordable' venues reviewed (The Serve's column for the following week for example, took the reader to Melbourne's notoriously affluent Bayside suburbs -- not the prime hunting grounds for foodies on a budget).  Nevertheless, this column 'serves' as adequate Sunday reading, if you're looking for inspiration for your next food adventure.  W.V.

Foodspotting mobile App for iOS and Android

Foodspotting 2011, Foodspotting: a visual guide to good food and where to find it, New York, viewed 16 May 2010, <http://www.foodspotting.com/apps>.

While I freely confess to being a tech geek, I have to admit that I only joined the smartphone set late last year when I bought my first iPhone.  It was a momentous occasion, and soon after I decided to explore what I could do with it.  I had a couple of late shifts at the library at the time and often I would venture down the eateries near Lygon St. for dinner.  I often told my friends how good and cheap the food was around that area, being so close to the university, but I've never had the chance to show them.  Until now:  introducing Foodspotting for mobile devices.  Foodspotting is a location-based service for iOS and Android devices which allows users to upload and share interesting food photos along with their reviews and recommendations with other users of the app.  Depending on where you are, Foodspotting can also generate a list of recommended eateries based on these user reviews which can also be narrowed down based on what's close, recent uploads and most recommended places.  For the tech-savvy gourmet and the foodie-on-the-go, this app definitely an app to pick up. W.V.

Foodspotting Lite for Android
Foodspotting for iOS

'Broth of fresh air' featured article, M: Melbourne inside out magazine

Unreich, R 2011, ''Broth of fresh air', M: Melbourne inside out, 1 May, 2011, p. 10, John Fairfax, Newcastle, NSW.

In this featured article, Rachelle Unreich takes us on a veritable tour of Melbourne's multicultural food scene through a seasonal favourite: soup.  With the cold weather well and truly setting in and Melburnians bracing for record lows, an aromatic, hearty bowl of broth can be a panacea for the winter-weary soul.  Unreich's list includes familiar favourites such as Pelligrini's and the Station Hotel, but also other welcome additions for the more adventurous. This list may not be comprehensive; certainly, there are other (deserving) restaurants, but it does provide soup enthusiasts of every persuasion a starting point to start their adventure. W.V.

Got a secret soup place you want to recommend?  Comment below!

The Australian Veg Food Guide, 2011

Dempster, L (ed.) 2011, The Australian veg food guide 2011, aduki Independent Press, Brunswick, Vic.

Compiled by aduki Independent Press with a stable of food reviews The Australian veg food guide carries 200 reviews and specialises in eateries who are vegan and vegetarian friendly or who are primarily vegetarian. The guide is divided by state and by geographic location within each state and in alphabetic order for each range  Each pages holds a review of one eatery containing the following details: eatery name, address, phone number and where applicable a website listing. Average prices for entree, main and where applicable sweets. Also indicated at the top of each listing are the opening hours of the eatery. An overall rating is given, as well as individual ratings for food, service, ambience and value. Written reviews contain the reviewers impression of their dining experience, recommendations of food to select and more specific information such as whether booking are essential. The bottom of each page contains symbols to easily identify the degree of vegetarian options on the menu, offering vegan and/or gluten free, licenced or BYO and which credit cards are accepted. Most importantly each listing throughout the guide identifies the cuisine such as Asian, Ethopian, Italian, Vietnamese, etc. The size of the guide, measuring 15cm x 10cm makes it easily transportable in a pocket or bag for easy quick reference. J.S.

Sunday Night Dinner column, Sunday Life magazine, The Age

Apelgren, J 2010, 'Sunday Night Dinner: Pizza Religion', Sunday Life magazine, 1 May 2011, p. 40 (Food & Wine section), Fairfax Media, Pyrmont, NSW.

Growing up, I often enjoyed rifling through the weekend newspaper looking for the kids section for the comic strips and puzzles.  I still like comic strips and puzzles today, but more often I find myself looking in the paper for restaurant reviews and recipes.  A couple of weeks ago in The Age's complementary Sunday Life magazine, Janne Apelgren reviewed Pizza Religion, a gourmet pizzeria with a twist on traditional fare located in Melbourne's east suburban heartland of Hawthorn.  Apelgren, who is coincidentally the editor of The Age's Good Food Guide, intrepidly ventures into new food venues around Melbourne and provides wonderfully descriptive accounts of the cuisine on offer in this short but sumptuous weekend column.  Consider it a recommendation for a place to eat after reading the paper. W.V.

Taste (website and newspaper liftout)

Website:
Taste.com.au, News Magazines, Alexandria NSW, viewed 29 April 2011,<http://www.taste.com.au/>

Print version:
Taste liftout, The Herald Sun, Tuesdays

Taste is published every Tuesday in the Herald Sun and gives readers various information on cooking and shopping for the family as well as entertaining friends. It gives the reader insight into the best restaurants, cafes, bars, supermarkets, providores and culinary events.  Taste also gives readers access to expert knowledge from Australia’s most well-known and experienced food writers and editors, including Matt Preston, Stephen Downes and Kate McGhie, plus a great selection of recipes together with wine and restaurant reviews. The resource is well set up and organised into the various sections and is highly readable. There is also an online version of taste, the information being sourced from various Australian food and lifestyle magazines including good taste, delicious, super food ideas just to name a few and contains ideas and recipes to cater for all levels of cooking ability. Taste.com.au has a simple search tool and contains thousands of recipes, food feature articles, industry news and events, forums, a cuisine and how to section and hundreds of restaurant reviews from the last few years making it the country’s leading food website. S.S.

The Age Good Food Guide

Apelgren, J. (ed.) 2010, The Age good food guide 2011, Penguin books, Melbourne.

The Age good food guide contains the best selection of restaurants, cafes, bars and wineries in Victoria and interstate which are organised by location and alphabetical order in each section. There is also a features and awards section, five of the best for six categories, an index and maps. 

Each restaurant listing  is organised in a similar fashion and follows a standard format with a photo of the venue, a brief description, rating and typical prices for entre, main and dessert, opening hours and capacity just to mention a few. There is a small selection of reasonably affordable restaurants but it being a ‘good food’ guide the book seems tends to cater more for the mid to high end diner.

I found it to be an informative and comprehensive book and it seems to cover most of the well- known restaurants in Melbourne and after having a flick through it, I would like to visit some of the places. The book is overall nicely setup and easy to read. S.S.

Flavours of Melbourne: a culinary biography

O’Brien, C 2008, Flavours of Melbourne: a culinary biography, Wakefield Press, South Australia.

In her culinary biography book of Melbourne Charmaine O'Brien, a passionate food writer, explores how diverse significant events in the city’s history have influenced the changing eating habits of Melburnians. The author leads the reader through different gastronomic epochs of Melbourne’s past, beginning with a natural diet of indigenous people before white settlement - passing through Gold rush, the Great Depression, two World Wars, Melbourne Olympic games, the changing immigration policy - and finishing with a modern culinary assortment. Each chapter contains relevant recipes of a particular time period. The book includes recommendations on some close to city restaurants and cafes with reviews on their historical connections or as examples of good quality food. V.O.

Always a new tasty offer - IKEA Catalogue 2011

'Always a new tasty offer' 2011, IKEA Catalogue 2011, IKEA, pp.373-375.

These pages in IKEA’s home furnishing catalogue reveal this year’s food special deals at IKEA’s restaurant and bistro. IKEA’s restaurant offers a broad variety of traditional Swedish cuisine, local favourites, and a kid’s menu at low prices. Here you can start your gastronomic day tour with a hearty breakfast, choose the legendary Swedish meatballs for lunch not forgetting about the hot soup and fresh salads, grab a quick coffee and cake for afternoon tea, or a hot dog and ice-cream in a bistro at your departure. V.O.

Top Art and Food: Melbourne : art & eatery guide

De Chesne, B 2005, Top art & food : Melbourne : art & eatery guide, Bois de Chesne Design, Melbourne.

This is a unique title that marries peoples interest in viewing art with that of eating fine food in nearby restaurants. The book is separated into art galleries around Melbourne and corresponding restaurants. There are many beautiful photographs of art. Information about the restaurants is concise and includes contact information and typical dish prices range from $12-30 or so dollars for the selected restaurants. So it may not be suitable for people on a budget of less than $20 or it more realistic for meals to be around $30 or so. There is a usually a picture of a signature dish and also a complimentary recipe that accompanies the write up of the restaurant. This book was published in 2005 so is a little out of date, although all the restaurants that are featured in the book are all still operating. I enjoyed the concept of enjoying art and food alongside each other. The books focus is stronger on the art than the food, so it seems the food is to be complimentary and enjoyed after the main course of the art.

The content of the book was inspiring to me and I am looking forward to taking in some art and afterwards trying out some of the restaurants the book recommends. I think the book it a good touch stone to create awareness of different art galleries and restaurants, although some online research would be necessary to see what is currently featuring at the art galleries and checking if the prices at the restaurants are not too inflated for your price range, since the book was last published over six year ago. T.N.

Melbourne Culinary Journal

PiCi & BC 2010, Melbourne Culinary Journal, weblog, viewed 29 April 2011,
<http://www.melbourneculinaryjournal.com/>

This blog is ranked number four on the urbanspoon Victorian blog leader board and reviews a wide selection of restaurants, bars, cafes and food stores (some are cheap eats) mainly in the Melbourne CBD. A recently created blog, it covers reviews from September 2010 to present and each review includes photos of the venue and dishes reviewed, a rating and at the end there is a selection of further restaurants that may interest the reader. All reviewed restaurants are listed on the left side of the blog as links so they are easy to access. Overall reviews are concise and well written. The blog features an explanation of the rating system for both formal and informal dining, a score out of 5 and 10 respectively. The authors are also willing to provide restaurant recommendations and further information on reviewed restaurants via email. It is well designed and organised blog and easy to navigate. S.S.

Chinta Blues Review

A friend took us to this Malaysian style hawker restaurant, telling us that this makes her favourite fried rice. Chinta Blues is nestled in amongst chic restaurants on Acland Street St Kilda. We went on a friday night after work and it was busy, yet waiters and the kitchen were very fast, friendly and efficient. The blues in the restaurant name refers to the blues music they play in the background, not that I could actually hear any music over the hubbub of the restaurant and the clamour of the kitchen.

We chose a number of dishes from the menu to share. We of course ordered the fried rice, and also Gado Gado, Eggplant beef, Wonton soup, and a date pudding for dessert. I suspect we should have asked what were the restaurants most popular dishes. While we were waiting it was exciting to see the action of the cooking in the kitchen with woks and hot flames. I thought the fried rice was good, but to be honest recently Yoko has made better fried rice at home, and hers does not have any MSG like the one we had! My favourites of the night would have to have been the Eggplant beef and the Wonton soup. The restaurant was not was warm as I would have hoped and I got quite cold as the wait staff kept leaving the front door open! It is a popular restaurant and part of a chain of Chinta restaurants. The wine list is sparse but affordable. Most main dishes are around the $8-12 mark and portions are a good size. We generally enjoyed our time there, but personally I think I will try some where else next time.

Urbanspoon has some photographs of the resturant and some dishes if you are interested. T.N.

NileGuide

NileGuide FOR TRAVELERS, BY LOCALS 2008,The Nile Project, San Francisco, Viewed 8 May 2011 <http://www.nileguide.com/destination/melbourne>

NileGuide is an online travel directory where you can organise accommodation, hotels, restaurants, attractions and so on. It sources information from travel guides such as Frommers, Yahoo! Travel and also utilises travel advice from locals (although it seems only 21 locals from Melbourne have answered questions). It is possible to research your travel and compare accommodation and restaurants through reviews and price. NileGuide lets you create an itinerary with maps and information about your trip which you can print or send to friends and family or collaborate with them on. There is also an Iphone application that you can synchronise with the website.

The Restaurants tab lets you access their top picks which are a number of top 10 themed lists such as the top 10 cheap restaurants or the top 10 Italian resturants. Each restaurant is rated by a 5 star rating system, and some restaurant reviews also have more reviews sourced from trip advisor. I prefer the restaurants search tab in which you can specify a number of categories such as nationality of cuisine, cost, distance, neighbourhood, and other such matters as wether the resturant is romantic or kid friendly. It is possible to choose the restaurants you like and make a list of them and a map. The site is quite straight forward to navigate and very it is very easy to find restaurants in the cuisine and price range that you would like. T.N.

Epicure

The Age (Epicure) Tuesdays

Epicure is a popular and longest running weekly food and wine guide in the Age newspaper for both readers and those in the hospitality industry. It is published every Tuesday and appeals to 'foodies' or food lovers who like to cook, drink wine, dine out, entertain and also those looking for information about wines to try, food products and fresh produce.

Epicure contains features industry news, restaurant, bar and wine reviews, recipes, vacant positions section for hospitality jobs and various food related feature articles. There is also the epicure directory page and under the dining spotlight there is a write up to promote a restaurant every week. Contributors to the guide include prominent food and wine writers, columnists and editors. The guide is arranged by topics or heading and each page features an article relating to the topic. S.S.

Australian Dining Out Reviews (ADOR)

Australian dining out reviews 2008, Ador, Melbourne, viewed 28 April 2011, <http://www.ador.com.au/default.aspx?c=1>

Ador is a community orientated site designed to help people find information about dining out activities/restaurants via recommendations from friends and other food lovers with the aim to find the best food in and around Melbourne. People in the community can share dining experiences, submit ratings, write reviews, upload and view photos, add a listing and create an online profile. A feature of the site is real time online bookings where you can check table availability for any given day, so it is indispensible tool for those who like to plan or book in advance. The sheer numbers of links maybe a bit overwhelming for the user but once you make sense of it quite easy to navigate. SS

True Local

True local 2010, News Limited, Sydney, viewed 1 May 2011, <http://www.truelocal.com.au/>

True local is an online directory for Australian businesses where you are able to search for any type of business in your local area. The basic search allows you to enter a name or type of business and a location. In terms of searching for restaurants it is as simple as entering a type of restaurant and location and the search results appear with a phone number, a link to directions and in some cases a review if it is available. The site also allows members to write a review, obtain quotes and prices from a range of local businesses and you are also able to post a project for free so businesses can then offer you competitive quotes. Other features include browsing for businesses by location, name and category, getting directions and your business centre where users can login or list their business.  The website is arranged in an orderly way with row of horizontal links to the above information. S.S.

Dine out: Melburnian's own restaurant and winery guide 12th edition

Maloney, A (ed.) 2003, Dine out : Melburnians' own restaurant and winery guide, 12th edn, Dine Out Melbourne, Port Melbourne.

While this guide has not seen yearly updates like the more popular The Age Good Food guide, it still presents itself as a reliable and relevant guide to eating out in Melbourne.  While the first half of its contents is dedicated to descriptions of eateries in Melbourne, organised by cuisine, the second half delves into the wealth of country Victoria's wine producing regions.  The descriptions of establishments reviewed in this book while concise, are very informative, indicating the price range of meals, contact information as well as suitability for large group gatherings.  

It might be a sign of the times, but a savvy foodie these days would prefer to get information on the best places to eat out on the internet.  But even then, Dine Out would still earn a place on our bookshelf, if only for its nostalgic and historic value.  W.V.

A guiding light

Rousseau, N 2011, ‘A guiding light’, The Age, 22 February 2011, p.1 (Epicure section), viewed 24 April 2011, <Factiva database>.

In this article Rousseau, a Cheap Eats guide's editor, presents the listing of eleven winners across various categories in 2011’s The Age Cheap Eats book. The article reviews the cuisine features of splendid Melbourne’s dining venues at sensible prices. Also several former Cheap Eats editors explore the changing trends and fads of Melbournians’ eating preferences over the past decade. The article refers readers to The Age Cheap Eats 2011 book. V.O.

MEL: HOT OR NOT blog

Live Sideways Pty Ltd 2011, MEL: HOT OR NOT, viewed 8th May 2011
http://www.melhotornot.com/

This blog's decisive mission is to rate what is Hot or Not in Melbourne. This blog is ranked as number 6 on Urbanspoon's blog rankings and has been viewed 91366 times and has 181 posts. Right from the get go I love all the navigation tags on the side bar, it made it very straight forward to organise restaurant and cafe reviews by price, type or suburb. Searching by the under $20 price range brings up over 25 pages of reviews! There are also tags for Japanese and French eateries. The blog post restaurant and cafe reviews are written well and follow what Joyce has eaten and show photographs of the ambience of the eating place and some of the food she ate. A large majority of the blog posts are rated hot rather than not, as the author usually researches what she reviews before she visits and she usually does not waste her time if she has a feeling some thing will be sub standard. There is also a great Google heat map that she has mapped hot places to visit. There is a also a great pages of links to other websites called Mel: HOT reads. It is a very busy and informative blog which I have been excited to find as I am sure I will find some great eating places to try out. T.N.

yourRestaurants website

yourRestaurants 2011, HWW Pty Limited, Sydney, viewed 29 April 2011, <http://yourrestaurants.com.au/>.

yourRestaurants is the most comprehensive online restaurant guide covering thousands of dining venues and their reviews in Melbourne, Sydney, and other major cities in Australia. The guide allows searching or browsing the collection by State, Region, Cuisine type, Open hours, and Features options. yourRestaurants also gives an opportunity to the client to create their own personalised list of favourite restaurants or to use already pre-organised selection of lists. The guide provides the information on various food Events and News and offers Recipes finder option. The mobile phone version of yourRestaurants guide is also available. V.O.

Sweet And Sour Fork blog

Ming 2011, Sweet And Sour Fork, weblog, viewed 29 April 2011, <http://sweetandsourfork.blogspot.com/>.

Ming, a university student, is a food blogger and gastronomic adventurer who only began the Sweet And Sour Fork in February this year and already attracted 2415 pageviewers to her blog. Ming’s blog includes reviews of Melbourne's CBD restaurants, cafes, multicultural cuisine venues, and cheap eateries. Ming’s true passion for food is evident from her postings, which reflect her social life of eating out with friends. V.O.

Lentil as Anything

'Lentil as Anything' 2011, Wikipedia, wiki article, viewed 29 April 2011, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentil_as_Anything>.

This article in Wikipedia reviews a group of Melbourne based organic, vegetarian restaurants, Lentil as Anything, with an extensive variety of ethnic cuisine, ranging from African to Asian cooking. The article reveals that restaurants are part of a multicultural non-profit organisation, which provides support and training to people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. The authors observe that despite applying a unique operational concept based on a 'pay-as-you-feel' philosophy, the restaurants still depend upon the generosity of their patrons and suppliers. Numerous volunteers not only contribute their time and skills towards the restaurants’ functionality, but also participate in live music performances or artworks donations. From my own visitation to one of the restaurants at the Abbotsford Convent, the combination of peaceful surroundings of the beautiful gardens and a great food on a budget leaves an unforgettable impression of unity of a local community spirit. V.O.

Taste of Georgia

Georgia is a country located in South-Western Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia.

The Georgian cuisine is diverse and quite distinctive, including elements of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and European cookery traditions.
Taste of Georgia is one and only Georgian cafe/restaurant in Melbourne. You will find here dishes with various combinations of lamb, pork, eggplant, onion, garlic, tomato, coriander, walnuts and pomegranate prepared in grills, stews or as part of fresh salads.
Khachapuri is traditional Georgian cheese stuffed bread and is very delicious.

Chebureki is grilled minced meat sprinkled with sumac and onion slices, wrapped in a thin lavash like bread.

Khinkali is beautifully twisted knobs of dough, usually stuffed with meat and spices (served boiled or steamed). The traditional khinkali includes meat, but can be also filled with mushrooms and cheese/curd.

Badrijan Nigzit is roasted eggplant strips, served flat and topped with walnut paste, garlic, herbs. Sweet and savoury, it’s one of my favourites.

Shashlyk, probably the most famous Georgian meat dish, is fire roasted chunks of pork, lamb  or chicken marinated in authentic sauce adding irresistible flavour to it.

Tabaka is crisp chicken served with a thinned pkhali paste made from spinach, walnut, garlic and herbs. Another unique Georgian sauce is tkemali. Taken in small doses alongside cheese, khachapuri, or meat, this sour plum sauce is considered to be a cleanser.

Bon Appetite!
V.O.

Eatability website

eatability 2010, eatability Melbourne, Australia, viewed 3 May 2011, <http://www.eatability.com.au/au/melbourne/>.

Eatability started life a typical local food guide, but has since gone on to expand its scope to businesses other than restaurants and cafes in late 2010.  However, eatability's appeal still lies with what it does best: providing a comprehensive, finely tuned search engine for places to eat in and around Melbourne.  The site's homepage is packed with a lot of information which may be daunting for first time visitors, but the wealth of resources here is well worth tackling the steep learning curve.  While its basic search function is great for discovering new places, users can narrow their search results by cuisine, locality and price range.  Furthermore, not only  can registered users can share their experiences at a particular venue, but they can also place orders for delivery or take-away as well as book their next outing for selected establishments.  For the foodlover who likes to plan ahead, eatability is a good place to start. W.V.

Rice Bar (But Not Only Rice)

This bustling corner cafe has had several short-lived incarnations in the past at its current location but it has really hit its stride in the last few years being known as Rice Bar (But Not Only Rice).  There's not a lot to distinguish Rice Bar from other similar Asian cafes around Melbourne : the ever-present flasks of Chinese tea, the extensive laminated menus and the utilitarian design of the dining room. But perhaps the thing that makes Rice Bar stands out is how it lets its dishes speak for itself.

Being in close proximity to the University of Melbourne, Rice Bar has a regular stream of international students through its doors despite the appearance of competitors in recent years.  Their menu, which has changed very little over the years boasts the familiar standard dishes (Singapore noodles, Beef in black bean sauce, etc.) but refreshingly Rice Bar also offers something different for the more adventurous, among them pan mee, a noodle soup served with mushrooms and anchovies or bak kut teh, a popular Chinese dish of pork ribs, slow cooked in a spice-infused tea broth.

Only after several visits to Rice Bar can you gain appreciation of another of its virtues: consistency.  It's easy to pick out favourites from their extensive menu of Malaysian, Indonesian, Hakka, and Cantonese dishes.  Regular patrons of Rice Bar know that such favourites will rarely ever drop in quality.  Most main dishes are priced at around the $10-12 dollars and portions are generous.  

All in all, Rice Bar's variety in their offerings and consistent quality keep the regulars (such as myself) coming back.  The service is almost always fast, friendly and accommodating, regardless of the time of day or how busy they get.  You'd be hard-pressed to find a place you'd be willing to frequent... except maybe, another Rice Bar.  W.V.

Eat and be merry, for tomorrow we die(t) blog

Eat and be merry, for tomorrow we die(t) 2010, viewed 30th April 2011, <http://eatandbemerryfortomorrowwediet.blogspot.com/>

This blog is currently number 1 on Urbanspoon's blog rankings, boasting over 125,520 page views and 176 blog entries, each giving a detailed review of eateries in and around Melbourne.  Although this blog only started publishing restaurant and cafe reviews in February 2010, it has quickly attracted a large following with its attentive and even treatment of each of the establishments visited.   Each post includes photos of the venues and the dishes reviewed, and is punctuated with a concise rating summary.  Any Melbourne foodie would do well to have this blog bookmarked. W.V.