Bonnie2

If this place is your local fish and chippery, you're lucky. I wish it were mine.

I was visiting some relatives who live in Sunbury, and they suggested fish and chips for dinner from Melba Ave, which is a stone's throw from where they live.

I wasn't awfully keen, because I've encountered a lot of very ordinary fish and chips in my time. You know the sort of thing: tired, greasy batter, cooked in oil that desperately needs changing. In the old days I often found myself forcing down mediocre fish and chips in situations like this just to be polite, but for health reasons I can't afford to do that any more. And for some reason the really good fish and chip places in the greater Melbourne area seem to be outnumbered by the average or bad ones these days. I have a couple of fish and chip shops not far from home that I rather like, and the rest I tend to avoid.

Go on, said my rellies. The fish and chips here are good. Really good. Yeah, right, I thought.

But it was true. They were delicious. Fresh, crisp, golden, cooked perfectly.

On Christmas Eve I was visiting the relatives again, and they suggested fish and chips again. You betcha, I said, and then thought - hang on, it's Christmas Eve. The shop will probably be packed out. Will they be able to maintain the same high standard under those conditions? This will test them.

It was packed out, as I predicted - queues almost out the door - and we had to wait a long, long time, even though we had phoned ahead, and it was hot, and tempers were fraying. But yes, their food was of the same excellent quality as the first time. A magnificent effort under very trying conditions. I was impressed.

Since I discovered Tasty Rooster several years ago, I've never bothered looking for takeaway chicken anywhere else. Tasty Rooster gets it just right.

Their chicken is rubbed with a herb and spice mixture - exactly what is probably a secret they'll take to their grave, but I think there's oregano in there somewhere - and then cooked over charcoal. The result is a beautifully moist chicken that is heavenly in aroma and taste. Their chips are also of a very high standard.

I've tried their salads, and they are satisfactory, although I rarely buy them these days because it's easy to throw together my own salad. I'm the kind of person who resents paying for what I can easily do myself. The chicken and chips I could do myself, but I couldn't do them to Tasty Rooster's standard, so I don't bother trying.

Equally important is the fact that they are consistent. I've bought takeaway chicken and chips from here perhaps once a month or so for more years than I can remember - probably nearly as long as they have been in business - and their standards have never slipped by even a millimetre. The food is perfect every time. That's something I can say about very few food places. I can't even say it about my favourite fish and chip shop, much as I like them.

Service is quick, friendly and efficient. My only criticism is that they close far too early in the evening. Many times I've thought, "Hmmm. Charcoal chicken for dinner would be good. Oh, damn - it's 7:30pm - they're probably closed already!" Sometimes I've gone over there just in case they're still open, but I've never yet been in luck. I forget exactly what time they close, but it's way too early for the time that I'm normally starting to think about dinner.

You'll find Tasty Rooster at the top of Waterfield St, facing away from the street and towards the car park. If you're having trouble finding it, wind down the car window and follow your nose. Literally. I can smell the wonderful herby charcoal aroma well before I can see the place.

I visited Cafe Italia recently for the first time in several years. It used to be barely OK, not particularly memorable. On my most recent visit I had the most enjoyable meal I've ever had here, so I'd now cautiously give it a thumbs up, and would be happy to return.

I had the capsicum soup with parmesan croutons, from the specials board, and it was excellent. Lovely rich spicy soup, with big chunks of soft capsicum. I also had the calamari fritti on a pear, almond and rocket salad, and it was pretty good. Rocket's not my favourite salad leaf - I would have preferred a mixture of leaves - but the pear and almond worked well with it, and the calamari was tender and delicious.

I didn't have dessert. Desserts at Cafe Italia have always tended towards the cakey side, and cakes for dessert are just not my thing. I have nothing against cakes per se, but I don't consider them desserts, and I'm not at all tempted by dessert menus and display cabinets that contain an array of cake-like objects - gateaux, cheescakes, and suchlike - and not much else. A dessert needs to have considerable WOW! factor before I'll even think about ordering it these days, and cakes don't even make it out of the starting gate. Years ago, I'd occasionally be tempted by something on Cafe Italia's menu that sounded fairly pudding-y, but it always came out looking and tasting like a cake. Things may have changed since then, but nothing on the dessert menu tempted me sufficiently to give it a try.

Having said that, I should add that one of my dining companions tried the pecan tart from the specials board, and pronounced it acceptable.

Service was slow, but friendly enough, and to be fair, the place was very full.

POSTSCRIPT 12 Nov 2011: Went back for lunch yesterday. Had the calamari fritti again. Still superb quality calamari - cuts easily with a fork. The salad was again rocket, pear and almond, with a delicious honey-mustard dressing, although it could have done with a little more of the dressing. This time I decided to have dessert, because the specials board listed vanilla panna cotta with strawberries and almonds. Plenty of WOW! factor in that, I thought, and no way can a panna cotta possibly turn out like a cake and disappoint me. And all was well - in fact, it was very good. Rich vanilla bean flavour, lovely delicate texture, set just right. My only criticism is that in place of the chopped strawberries, or in addition to them, I think a strawberry coulis would have worked better. But that's a minor nitpick; overall, it was a very good dessert.

I've eaten at this Bluebag outlet many times, and also at one of its other outlets, in Little Bourke Street, and I've always been very satisfied. If I'm in Carlton and feel like eating a sandwich or a baguette, I'll go to Red Capsicum, Briscola, or Tre Sette depending on exactly what I feel like. But if I'm in the CBD, I'll head straight for Bluebag.

Bluebag is not the cheapest place to get a sandwich or baguette, but it's not outrageously expensive either compared to other sandwich outlets in the CBD. In any case, I don't mind paying a bit more if the ingredients are fresh and top-quality - which they are here.

All ingredients are listed in full on the wrapper, so you know precisely what you're getting. This is very helpful if you suffer from food allergies or intolerances, or even if there's just an ingredient you don't like - you can't say you weren't warned. I've found their ingredient lists to be accurate, too: if they say there's coriander in the Thai chicken sandwich, then you can be confident it really is coriander, and not flat-leafed parsley in disguise. (The Thai chicken also contains a hefty whack of Vietnamese mint. Be warned - it's hot!)

The menu contains plenty of choice, and is very friendly to vegetarians, vegans, dieters, and those with coeliac disease. Big tick there. The daily menu is listed on Bluebag's website, with appropriate symbols against each item (dairy free, gluten free, and so on). But there's also plenty to satisfy those who don't give a toss about these things and just want something with plenty of meat, carbs and fat. For them, I recommend the club sandwich or the uber beef baguette.

I'm surprised that they offer a falafel salad (from their website: "House-made falafal with labna, lemon and pinenuts on a bed of tabouli and rocket"). House-made it may be, but it's cold. Bleggghhhh. Falafel should be eaten hot, fresh, and crunchy, straight out of the oil. Cold falafel is horrible and stodgy. I'd no more eat cold falafel than I'd eat cold fish and chips. It doesn't do the falafel justice. Over on Urbanspoon, one reviewer gave Bluebag a low rating based solely on his poor opinion of the falafel. I tried to persuade him to go back and try something else from Bluebag; they have so many other good things that he might revise his opinion. But I can see what he's getting at; if you have a horrible meal on your very first visit to an eating place, you're disinclined to go back.

I have a few other criticisms of Bluebag - well perhaps not so much criticisms, as a rather wistful and nostalgic wishlist. They're all to do with what Bluebag no longer offers, rather than what it does. Three items spring to mind:

(1) I really like the baguette with cream cheese and roasted vegetables (capsicum, eggplant, etc), but I hardly ever see it on the menu anymore. The only thing that resembles it is the Veggie Oasis, but it isn't in the same league; I much prefer the one with cream cheese.

(2) Several years ago, they had an incredibly delicious avocado sandwich with spicy pumpkin chutney. Alas, gone forever, it seems.

(3) I also have fond memories of an excellent roasted vegetable salad. Some of the other salads (moroc'n'roll, green machine) are pretty good, but the roasted veggie salad was the best. But along with with the avocado and pumpkin sandwich, I think it's gone forever. I wish they'd bring it back.

Their website also has a list of bagels. I have never, ever seen a bagel in either the Collins St store or the Little Bourke St store - and I've been to both stores countless times, so it can't be simply that they ran out of bagels on that particular day. Where are the bagels? In one of their other stores? If so, which one?

From the outside, the Hotel Lincoln looks like nothing much: one of those old-fashioned pubs found on almost every street corner in inner Melbourne, that hasn't changed in a hundred years or more.

Go inside, skirt round the bar, and you'll be very surprised. Tucked away inside is a very formal dining room, with an atmosphere that can be a little intimidating if you just dropped in for a parma and pot.

You can choose to eat in one of three areas: (a) in this formal dining room; (b) in the bar area next to Cardigan Street, or (c) in an area between the bar and the dining room. In Area A, you order from the fine-dining menu only; in B, from the blackboard bar menu only; and in C, it seems to depend on which waiters are on duty and how obliging they feel today. On a good day, they'll let you order from either menu, which is my preference.

I've eaten at Hotel Lincoln perhaps four or five times, always at lunchtime, and I've never been served a dish that was less than satisfactory. Some have been exceptionally good. There is clearly a lot of talent in the kitchen; they know how to select good produce, and they cook it with great skill and care.

But I do have a criticism. It can often be difficult to find a dish on the fine-dining menu that I feel like eating. There is a strong emphasis on heavy dishes with powerful, meaty flavours. These are not my favourite foods, especially at lunchtime. I look at the dining room menu, and once I've subtracted dishes such as duck, venison, pork belly, osso bucco, steak, sausages, brains, kidneys, and the like, there's really not much left to choose from. And I at least do eat meat; if you're a vegetarian, your choices from this menu are limited indeed.

I must emphasise that I'm not criticising the execution of these dishes in the least. My (mostly male) dining companions all have carnivorous inclinations and hearty appetites, even at lunchtime, and have been perfectly content with the range of dishes on the fine-dining menu. I have occasionally had a taste of some of their dishes, and I can't fault the execution. This is seriously impressive food - as far as it goes. All I'm asking is for the chef and management to give a bit more thought to the overall composition of the menu. Specifically, I'd like to see some lighter dishes to help balance out the robust ones, and I'd like to see some more vegetarian choices, or at least more dishes where the meat is just one component rather than the centrepiece.

Which is why I much prefer to order from the bar menu. It's substantially cheaper, but that's not the reason why I like it. It simply has many more dishes on it that I feel like eating: light, snacky things; shareable dishes such as fritters, crab cakes, and samosas; Middle Eastern and Asian inspired dishes; and good old plain pub food such as fish and chips.

On balance, I do like the Hotel Lincoln. I always get excited by the prospect of eating there. But if they'd just tweak the fine-dining menu a bit, I'd like it a whole lot more. Look, all the food is coming out of the same kitchen - why not just have a single combined menu that covers all the eating areas? That's all it would take to bump my rating up from four stars to five. I don't see the point of trying to maintain the fine-dining vs bar menu distinction.

One other thing worth mentioning is that the food can occasionally take quite a while to appear on the table. If you're not in a hurry, then that's not necessarily a bad thing; good food does take time. But I'd never choose Hotel Lincoln for lunch if I had an afternoon meeting or appointment. On one occasion my companions and I would have liked to have ordered dessert. But we'd already been there for well over two hours and had only just finished our main courses, so we had to leave.

Basically an unpretentious sandwich bar, with a few hot dishes such as pasta, rice, roast, or casserole-type bakes. The hot dishes I can take or leave, but the sandwiches are very good. They make them to order, although there are a few pre-made sandwiches and wraps if you're in a hurry.

They have a good range of breads, rolls, Lebanese bread, and so on, but what really sets Red Capsicum apart, in my opinion, is its excellent range of ingredients to go in your sandwich. It's a much wider range than you'll find in your average sandwich bar (including its nearest rival, QB's, right next door). The range includes roasted vegetables such as capsicum, pumpkin, eggplant, and zucchini, and several types of roast meats including a lovely, moist chilli chicken. About the only significant ingredient missing is semi-dried tomatoes. They do have sun-dried tomatoes, but they're no substitute for semi-dried, in my opinion.

Everything is fresh, high-quality, and very tasty. Sandwiches are generously filled, prices are more than reasonable (cheaper than a lot of sandwich bars in the CBD), and service comes with a smile. Recommended for good, fresh, tasty takeaway sandwiches at a very reasonable price.

I discovered Yamabuki several years ago when I was on my way to Williamstown Little Theatre and needed somewhere to have a quick meal beforehand. It was an immediate hit, and since then I don't think I've ever made a trip to Williamstown without calling in for a meal. In fact, sometimes I've gone to Williamstown for the sole purpose of eating at Yamabuki.

Very good bento box. Excellent sashimi, tempura, and wafu steak.

My very favourite dish is the gyoza: exactly the right amount of charring on the bottom. Delicious. I agree with reviewer @rosmalas of Punchbowl who said the gyoza sets a benchmark for other Japanese restaurants to aspire to. For years, whenever I've tried the gyoza at another restaurant, the best I've been able to say is, "very good, but not as good as Yamabuki's."

Service is friendly and fast. When you tell the waiter that you will be sharing all dishes, they know to bring out extra plates without being told. (You'd think this would be obvious, but it isn't - the number of places where I have to ask for an extra plate is astonishing.)

I'm a bit of a homebody when it comes to eating. I tend to stick to eating places within a fairly limited geographical range, as you'll notice from my other reviews: they tend to be concentrated in Carlton and the CBD. Yamabuki is slightly out of my usual territory, but worth the drive. It's one of the few places I'd cross town for.

I've visited Namaste twice so far. The first time, I ordered a curry with rice and naan. I can't be certain which curry it was, because my first visit was several months ago now, but it was almost certainly butter chicken, of which I am rather fond. Butter chicken tends to be my benchmark dish for an Indian restaurant: if they can't make a good one, then forget it - I probably won't be back. This curry was very enjoyable, as was the naan that I ordered with it. I also tasted some of the curries ordered by my dining companions. All were good, and I was satisfied.

On my second visit, I ordered a chicken tikka masala dosa, and didn't like it at all. The pancake was unpleasantly bitter, and the filling stodgy and uninteresting. To be fair, this was the first time I had ever tried a dosa, and I am unsure whether the problem is with Namaste's execution of this particular dish, or whether it's just that I don't like dosa. I suspect the latter.

One thing that grabs the attention at Namaste is the rather startling menu - and that's not necessarily a compliment. The restaurant claims to provide "traditional Indian cuisine", yet in the next breath it cheerfully admits to offering many Indo-Chinese and Malaysian dishes. Now, I'm accustomed to eating at Malaysian restaurants (among others) where the menu contains a strong Indian influence. That's to be expected. Settlement by Indians is a part of Malaysian history, and naturally has had a profound and lasting influence on the cuisine. But the other way round? Indo-Chinese dishes at a supposedly traditional Indian restaurant?

The other startling thing about the menu is that it is very, very long. I have just visited Namaste's website, and at the time of writing this review, the online menu consists of 200 items, not counting drinks. That is one helluva menu, and I don't mean that in a good way. In his book "Never Order Chicken on a Monday", former food critic Matthew Evans (he of "Gourmet Farmer" on SBS) warns diners to be wary of long menus, because (with the exception of Chinese restaurants), in his experience menu length tends to be inversely proportional to the WOW! factor of the food. No chef, he says, is good at everything. No one is that talented, nor should we expect them to be. Better to concentrate on a small number of dishes, and do them brilliantly, than try to be all things to all people. Is this rule of thumb true of Indian restaurants, or should they be considered an exception, like Chinese restaurants? Hard to say, on the basis of only two visits so far, but on the face of it, 200 menu items would seem to be stretching the talent thinly enough to make one a bit nervous.

Service was prompt both times I visited, even though the place was packed on both occasions. I do have one quibble with the service, which is common to a few other Indian restaurants in this area such as Balti's, but is particularly irksome at Namaste. The tables are tiny - really tiny - and Indian meals often consist of an array of dishes - the curry, the rice, the bread. Add to that the drinks, and often a separate empty plate for each diner, to pile the food onto. That takes up a lot of room on the table. The waiters make one or two trips from the kitchen, fill the table with plates, and then they carry out yet another lot of dishes and stand there, arms loaded with plates, looking puzzled about how they're going to cram it all into the non-existent vacant space on the tiny table. As they stand there with their arms full, looking at the diners expectantly as though we have the solution, I find myself trying to rearrange things while thinking grumpily: hey, guys, it's not my job to find room on the table! Get bigger tables, or spread the diners out a bit.

None of this has put me off Namaste - not the dosa, not the incredibly long menu, not the tiny tables. I will definitely go back there again; I just won't order the dosa next time. I'll revise my rating upwards if I have a better experience next time.

I've been going to Shakahari for more than 25 years, since the days when it was around the corner in Lygon St (where Brown's is now). I've seen some changes over that time, not all for the better, and, conversely, perhaps not quite enough changes.

The current site in Faraday St is certainly more spacious than Lygon St, but also noisier. Too many hard surfaces for the sound to bounce off. If you're after a quiet dinner, go early, and avoid Fridays and Saturdays.

The menu is a little larger than it used to be, but it also seems to change less often. The satay (a good choice for committed carnivores dragged here reluctantly) is firmly ensconced on the menu, as it deserves to be, and it has been joined by the Avocado Magic entree. That's my favourite dish at Shakahari, and one of my favourite dishes anywhere; the conception and execution are just spot on. It has a beautiful texture and just sings with flavour. Their Salad Shakahari is another long-time favourite; the apple and peanut dressing is delicious.

Their other dishes just don't excite me as much as they used to, although to be fair, I've never eaten a bad meal here. They just seem to suffer from a "sameness" across visits. For instance, there's always a croquette dish on the menu. The description may be different from what it was last time, but the dish always seems to taste pretty much the same as it did last time. There's always a curry on the menu. Again, the listed ingredients may be different from last time, but when it's put in front of me, and I taste it, I find myself thinking: didn't I have this last time?

Shakahari used to be the place I'd go when I wanted something really different, and I'd like to see them break out of their structure of "one croquette dish, one curry dish, one noodle dish, one tagine..." The avocado entree is an example of what they're capable of when they really try.

The portion sizes are smaller than you'd expect for the price. While I never leave hungry (in fact, I find the portion sizes in other restaurants usually too large), I do find myself wondering whether Shakahari is charging a fair price for the portion size, especially given that vegetables and grains are usually cheaper ingredients than meat and seafood.

I've found service to be generally good; waiting time has never been unreasonably long. But there's a waiter who has been there for years who is never impolite, but really doesn't look like she enjoys her job much. She has the same expression I have when I've got a bad headache. It makes me feel unwelcome, and I find myself hoping I don't have to ask her for anything other than ordering my meal. I wish she'd smile occasionally.

This is coming across as an overly negative review, and I don't mean it to be. I do like Shakahari - really I do. I'm always pleased when my friends suggest we go there. I guess I'm nitpicking a bit because I can see (in dishes such as the Avocado Magic) the talent that is in the kitchen here, and it frustrates me that they seem to be becoming a bit complacent. I'd like to see them raise the bar a little higher. They could easily become not just Melbourne's but Australia's very best vegetarian restaurant, if they'd just try a little harder.

Despite my criticisms, Shakahari is definitely a place I'd recommend to anyone who is a vegetarian, or anyone who doesn't think that a meal must contain meat in order to be complete, or even someone who does think that, but is willing to have their assumptions challenged. I think anyone discovering Shakahari for the first time may well be surprised and delighted by it.

Sea Salt is a fish and chip shop that also does sushi. I've been buying both from them for several years now, and have never had a dud meal.

Their sashimi is fairly pricey, but excellent quality - a case of you get what you pay for. These people know how to select the best-quality fish, and they know how to slice it. I'd like to see a bit more variety in their sushi packs, but I can't fault the quality of what is in them. I used to work nearby, and I'd regularly take a sashimi pack back to my desk for lunch.

The fish and chips are also very good - the best I've found anywhere in the inner north. Beautifully crisp and golden - clearly, they change their oil a lot. The fish is perfectly cooked, the chips are excellent, and the calamari nicely tender.

Service is brisk and efficient, and the premises are bright and spotlessly clean.

Ambience leaves a bit to be desired. The shop is tiny and crowded, and made even more so by the presence of three or so little tables and stools. Eating inside is an uncomfortable experience - there's barely enough room to move. There are more tables outside, and it's pleasant enough there in warm weather, but the tables are often full, and in midwinter even the heaters can't compete against the Antarctic chill. I live in hope that one day Sea Salt will buy the premises next door and double in size so one can eat in comfort.

Overall, Sea Salt's not a place I particularly recommend if you're looking for somewhere to dine in, although you may decide that the food's good enough that you're prepared to put up with a bit of discomfort. However, if you live nearby and can take your dinner home, or to your nearby workplace, or even if it's a lovely day and you can find a nearby park to eat in, it's unbeatable quality.