Mesa Verde: Level 6, 252 Swanston Street Melbourne

Mesa Verde has a great relaxed vibe and is a perfect place for groups to meet, particularly given many of the food options work well to share. The restaurant also comes up trumps for their cocktails and imported drinks list.

I went to Mesa Verde with a group of friends. Between us we ordered quesadillas, tacos, scallops, the Mexican charcuterie plate and a couple of the sides. It was difficult to gauge how much to order and the waitress we had wasn’t very helpful in offering guidance. Those who ordered three tacos or a quesadilla plus one other option were content with their portions. The scallops, while apparently very tasty, were not enough to be filling as a main and would require at least a quesadilla or other similar sized option.

I had the large size charcuterie to myself, but without the cheese. It was filling enough for me, even though I wasn’t game to try the terrine looking thing. It reminded me of braun, also known as head cheese. Since I know these things often contain liver I wasn’t willing to go there. My friend finished it off on my behalf and since he kept diving in it couldn’t have been bad…

Mesa Verde would also be a great place just for drinks. It is way better than the rooftop bar upstairs, which feels like a cage.

All in all I’d give it a thumbs up (roughly translated to two ticks). For any group occasions I would recommend it. That being said, we are really spoiled for great Mexican places in the city. Other good ones to try are Touche Hombre and Mamasita, the latter being particularly vegan friendly.

Captain Melville: 34 Franklin Street Melbourne

Fabulous burgers, steak, chips and seemingly random entrees in a beautiful bar with a fabulous outdoor dining space.

Definitely thumbs up for this place. I went with a group of eight friend and not one person was unhappy with their meal. Bonus points, they have a vegan burger and a number of very tasty vegan entrees. I ordered two entrees - miso tofu with seaweed and enoki mushrooms (OMG yum) and a black bean soft taco. If you wanted to order entrees only, I would suggest you order three, as two was not quite enough.

My friends ordered the pork sliders (apparently very good), the vegan burger, with an added egg and therefore no longer vegan (enjoyed by a meat eater and vegetarian alike) and a steak (ordered rare and served evenly pink/red all the way through).

The staff were also really friendly, so overall I would return & recommend it.

Two/three ticks - can't decide ;)

Boney: 68 Little Collins Street Melbourne

Tasty food. Small portions. Too expensive for a weekday lunch, especially since if you order one of the entrees to go with your too small wrap you will be looking at $30 for one person, excluding drinks.

I would say this place would be better for groups, if you are having a drink and a bit of a snack. The food was really nice just not substantial. The drinks menu on the other hand is impressive, with some of my favourite whiskeys and they do have bands most night to add to the atmosphere.

One tick.

Agraba: 63 Errol Street North Melbourne

Having booked to visit this place with a group of friends, I thought I better give it a go first to make sure the $40pp set menu was worth it (it is obligatory for groups of 8 or more). I'm glad I did as the food was really disappointing and I would have been embarrassed to bring my friends here.

The highlight of my meal was the hummus, which was creamy and good. Everything else was bland or just plain bad. The malfouf (spiced minced lamb in cabbage leaves) smelled like feet when they put in on the table and it didn't taste much better either. The lamb skewer from the lunch platter was overcooked, something you will hear me say rarely as I love well done meat. The pickles lacked flavour, I seriously don't know how they managed that, and the falafels did not taste good at all (you would certainly not be willing to die with one of these babies in your hand). Even the char grilled cauliflower was under cooked and flavourless. To top it off, the loubia (green beans in olive oil, coriander and tomato) tasted like nothing. This is one of my favourite Lebanese dishes. If I had of tried it here for the first time I would never have bothered trying it again.

We were the only ones in the restaurant at 2:30pm on a Saturday. I don't know how this place got into the Good Food Guide. Sure, it has a good atmosphere and the drinks are cheap (I can recommend the homemade limonada with a shot of vodka and the Almaza beer) but you go to a restaurant to eat and the food is not even worth finishing. For shame people, for shame. Having grown up with a lot of Lebanese friends I can guarantee you their mums would shake their head or release a tirade about the inadequacy of the place.

Thumbs down, don't do it to yourself.

Jimmy Grants: Melbourne Emporium Lonsdale Street

Jimmy Grants brings you souvlakis from George Calombrais of Master Chef fame. The souvlaki at Melbourne Emporium is way way way above the general quality of a food court venue (although I'm biased on this issue, I'm not a fan of food court 'food'). The meat is slow cooked, well seasoned and tasty. The wrap is finished off in the wood fire, giving it that extra dash of goodness. The only thing is, I want salad instead of chips. Salad adds freshness and balances out meat, making you enjoy it all that much more. But, for $12, it's still a reasonably good deal. Having been to George's restaurant Gazi I can tell you the quality is the same. You are just miss out on the dining experience.

Still... I'd actually prefer the souvaki at King Jon's near Melbourne Central (185 King St Melbourne) or at the Real Greek Souvlaki Bar in Fitzroy (315 Brunswick St Fitzroy).

One tick, done dusted, thank you very much.

Kinfolk: 673 Bourke Street Melbourne

Kinfolk is a cafe that is run the way I think the world should be - it serves seasonal, local and organic produce and is staffed mostly by volunteers (there are some paid staff) with profits donated to local charities.

All of this means a happy and eclectic place to enjoy breakfast or lunch that benefits the community.

The food is good, the drinks are even better and the atmosphere is wonderful.

For lunch, there are a range of salads, soups, curries, risottos and sandwiches. Senor Gringo and I both ordered a sandwich. For Senor Gringo the meat toastie (with ham, salami, purple sauerkraut, homemade mustard and bechamel sauce). His sandwich looked so good, I really wanted it. Why does cheese have to make everything better when I can't have it? Sad face. For me - the BBQ pork neck ban mi. It was a little too sweet for me but that was likely because I removed the jalapeno mayo (damn egg intolerance). You could taste the quality though.

We followed up our sambos with a navel orange and passion fruit homemade soda (I'm picturing a soda stream out back, a couple of scoops of fresh passion fruit and a squeeze of orange juice). Bless their hearts, it was divine.

I recommend you support this fantastic local cafe. They even have sugar free chocolate and a range of pastries and muffins to snack on.

Laksa King: 6-12 Pin Oak Crescent Flemington

I still remember my first laksa. I was 15 years old and my mother took me to the Malaysian Hut in the basement of the Queen Victoria building in Sydney. Having been raised in a meat and three veg household I was always desperate to try new things, especially anything with spice. Knowing this, my mother told me we were going to have an Asian chicken noodle soup that I would just love. I thought to myself - A chicken noodle soup? Seriously? How is that going to fulfil my need for flavour? Especially as at that stage the only Asian food I had been exposed to was the most basic of Chinese cuisine.

Oh how I was wrong. That chicken noodle soup was the most delicious soup I had ever tried. Spicy, sour and creamy all at once, with lots of noodley goodness. And those puffy bread like things on top, I wanted more of those. I went again and again and eventually discovered those delightful puffy bread like things were fried tofu, another game changer for my diet.

The experience opened up a whole new world of flavour for me. I felt as though my taste buds were being born again.

Sadly, 19 years later I have not had another laksa that has brought me the same amount of bliss, and the Malaysian Hut has since closed down, but the Laksa King laksa did very much hit the spot and is way better than many out there. It had a decent level of spice and a good amount of veggies. It was a bit too much on the creamy side for my taste, I would have preferred more of that slick chilli oil on top and the tofu to be spongier, but overall I was still very satisfied. Particularly as it tasted very fresh.

Maybe one day I will try a laksa that can eclipse the first, but maybe it is like a first love and nothing is ever going to beat that experience. That aside, I would certainly recommend this place. I'm giving it two ticks. I've been back to try a few others dishes and everything else was always good, no complaints. The menu might have made me drool just a little bit, the smells were very enticing and everything that was plated up looked delectable. I recommend you go see for yourself.

Ragusa: 139 Nelson Place Williamstown

One night I worked really late and Senor Gringo was tasked with finding somewhere from the GFG for us to start the weekend. No parameters. When he got in the car he told me we were going to have Croatian. My first thought, Croatian? What am I going to eat? Sausages and potatoes? Sounds kind of bland.

The restaurant has that posh minimalist feel to it, with very attentive staff. These places tend to make me feel awkward. I like to be anonymous, ignored when I am not being served food or drinks and surrounded by lots of noise and lots of people. Only, here the staff are so down to earth it does not matter, you just feel at home.

I ordered a cocktail, no idea what it was called but it was so damn delicious. I asked the staff what the alcohol was (something I couldn't pronounce) and the host brought the bottle over for me to try it straight, just to make sure I like it if/when I go buy the bottle myself. That was really nice of her & yes I definitely do like it straight. Mm mm good.

I did in fact order sausages, they came with a cabbage salad that was light and tangy, not heavy at all and homemade ajvar, which is possibly my favourite condiment. Really, if the food gods made sausages and brought them down from heaven (that fictional place in the sky), then they delivered them right to Ragusa's door step.

Senor Gringo ordered twice roasted duck with mlinci and sour cherry sauce (don't ask me what that is because I don't know) and we shared a bowl of kipfler potatoes. I couldn't finish all my meal. I was super stuffed. The food was divine. It was well balanced and flavoursome, nothing stodgy or bland about it. Senor Gringo joked that he wanted to be like the Romans and purge just to be able to eat it all again.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few things on the menu I could eat and I told the staff I can't eat eggs or dairy (they asked! bonus points for them) and they said they could modify quite a few more things just for me. Aw, nice. They have a spit roast on Thursday nights (bookings required) and I will definitely be back to try it. Also, a lot of their produce is locally sourced. This restaurant well and truly deserves its place in the GFG.

Three ticks. A bit pricey, save it for a special occasion or a time of need.

Otsumami: 257 High Street Melbourne

The slogan in the GFG is 'small dishes to be eaten with beer.' Exchange beer for sake and we're all set.

We went on a Saturday night that was super busy. After ten minutes they managed to squeeze us into a table at the back, which was nice. We had a show to go to in an hour so we only ordered a few dishes as it was clear they were struggling with quite a few large groups, birthdays included, and we didn't want to be waiting for food that couldn't be prepared in time.

We ordered Abu-Age Ponzu (tofu in ponzu sauce with salted plum and daikon), gyu kushi for Senor Gringo (eye fillet with garlic, yuzu pepper and butter), miso soup, rice and a green bean salad with ginger. Plus the obligatory sake.

The flavours were lovely and it was really good quality produce but my tofu was chewy, the beef was cold and it was clearly an issue with the kitchen and wait staff being overburdened. It is a small place and I think it was slightly over capacity, judging by the staff practically running between tables. My dining pleasure was also dampened by the fact that I got my food within minutes and Senor Gringo got his 40 minutes later.

I'm not going to write this place off, I would just recommend going on a night that isn't so busy - perhaps Sunday or a weekday? They clearly know what they are doing but had too much going on.

One tick for now, perhaps two ticks if we're ever in the area and there is nothing else that interests our bellies. Also, this is in the GFG>$30 and you would struggle to be full for that price as the portions are small.

Common Galaxia: 130 Victoria Street Seddon

Massive food fail.

Look at the menu online. The food looks fantastic. I wanted to try it. Only, naturally, being breakfast pretty much everything had eggs or dairy or both.

I asked to alter the menu, as you do. Denied. I was told I can’t do that. I said, well than can I build my own breakfast? The waitress said yes. Great, can I please have ham on sourdough with salsa verde and rocket? No, that is not on the approved extras list. Did I hear that right, an approved extras list? Yes, you heard that right. I was a little taken aback, I shouldn’t be, I have been through this before. I said but you have ham, salsa verde, rocket and sourdough, can’t they just be added together? It wouldn't even require cooking, just combining. No, apparently not. Being too hungry to go somewhere else, I just ordered dry toast with extra crispy bacon. I couldn’t even have the mushrooms as they have butter in it and of course they wouldn’t substitute butter for oil.

The bacon came out practically raw. I was hangry so I asked the waitress to please ask the chef to cook it longer. She took it away and came back barely a minute later with no change to the bacon. She practically rushed off before I could say anything so I assume the chef was the issue and she didn’t want to have to deal with it, or me for that matter, I don’t blame her. I was so annoyed. Massive cross. Will not ever go back again. This place does not deserve to be in the GFG.

Senor Gringo has worked in restaurants before and his opinion is that good chefs like making changes to food, no matter how busy the place is. They don’t want to do everything by rote, same thing day in day out. Other restaurants can cope with changes. Why couldn’t this place? I left peeved. And, since I'm annoyed I will mention I overheard three tables talking about how they were trying this place as Chicco’s was closed. Yup, they were benefiting from the proximity of a far superior cafe that does things better. Plus, the table next to me was annoyed they weren't able to alter the menu either. Stupid cafe.

Shimbashi Soba and Sake Bar: 17 Liverpool Street Melbourne

OMG this place is amazing. I love love love it. They grind their own buckwheat and make their own noodles from scratch every day on the premises. You can see the mill in the corner when you walk in. Apparently something happens to buckwheat, and flour in general, after 24 hours (oxidises maybe?) and eating it when it is freshly ground is better for your digestion and health. I won’t argue with that.

I have been a couple of times at lunch and the only thing that stops me from going back more regularly is that the restaurant is small and I don’t want to eat in a packed place by myself when they are so busy (plus I don’t think it is fair). I could take a friend but sometimes you need alone time when you are surrounded by people all day.

I have the seasonal vegetable soup that is loaded with veggies and herbs. Thank you Shimbashi! I don’t know why but so many places seem to be afraid to add many vegetables and just load you up with noodles or rice - they give you more meat for goodness sake so it can't be about cost. The soup has a niboshi dashi broth (don’t google it, you don’t want to know) with so many layers I just can’t describe.

It seems there are dozens of Japanese restaurants these days but Shimbashi is a stand out winner for me. Go there. It will do you good, I promise.

Three ticks – I wish all food tasted this good.

ShanDong Mama: Mid City Arcade - 200 Bourke Street Melbourne

This place is damn hard to find. I didn’t know where the Mid City Arcade was and my GPS kept sending me to other places. It was worth the trip though.

Sadly I could not eat the pork dumplings as they put egg in the mixture (why???) but I did have the tasty tasty vegan zucchini and black fungus dumplings. They were good, real good and thank you for making a vegan option with something other than boring cabbage and bean sprouts.

Since I’ve discovered the superior pan fried pork dumplings at Shanghai Street I haven’t been back but one day when I get a hankering for veggie dumplings this place will be friend I’m sure. The only way they could get better is to either make the dumpling wrapper from scratch – it has that store bought texture to it, or improve it if they do make it themselves. I'm also going to try their hand made potato noodles, which I've heard good things about. The other mains are hit and miss.

Shanghai Street Dumpling: 342 Little Bourke Street Melbourne

These are the best dumplings I’ve had in Melbourne. OMG yum.

The pan fried pork dumplings are small and manageable. When you bite into them you get that satisfying crunch at the same time as that soft, moist burst of flavour. I’ve now been here a few times and one day I assure you I’m going to try something else on the menu.

The place is always packed and the staff a little overwhelmed so I am sure other things will be just as good. Especially given the fact that the dumplings are so evidently home made from scratch. Good work folks, you get three ticks.