The more time I spend in the world of food, the more I’ve come to realise how much I value the people behind the plates. A point of view, purpose and generosity infuse their dining experiences with meaning, so you walk away with more than just having had a solid meal. To that end, here are four destinations I’d go back to again and again. Two are close to home in Melbourne, and the others require a picturesque sojourn through regional Victoria.
And while there’s something to be said for arriving in style, how you get there can be half the fun, and the fluid transition a Lexus NX Plug-in Hybrid gives the journey means you’re off to a smooth start, whether the journey is near, or far.
Melbourne restaurant favourites
Ho Jiak
Junda Khoo likes to make it clear he is not a chef. This proud Malaysian-born cook draws from the recipes of his family and culture, spiked with something completely extra that sets what he does apart from restaurants of a similar ilk. Lotus root chips are lacquered in rich, salted duck yolk and festooned with crispy-fried curry leaves make an addictive opening gambit perfect with a hard-earned cold beer. Then, it takes a certain kind of brain to imagine laksa as a dumpling. Condensing the cacophony of spices that make laksa so famously intense into one super concentrated flavour bomb is a madman’s endeavour, but satisfyingly explosive for the diner. There’s delicacy too, in the form of kingfish crudo, crowned with assam laksa granita, its bombastic layers of flavour offset by the brightness of pineapple salsa.
But it’s Junda’s take on Penang char kway teow that has my heart for life. Anchored in tradition, imbued with the breath of the wok, this Malaysian street food icon is adorned with generous lobes of sweet Northern Territory mud crab and punctuated with salty pops of salmon roe, elevating it from the streets to the penthouse.Â
Harriot
Up the street, Harriot is the French bistro sister of owners Luke Skidmore and Andreas Papadakis, of Tipo 00, Osteria Ilaria and Figlia fame. Yes Mel, they’re all over Italian, but how’s their French? The answer is ‘c’est génial’. Here, the humble heroes of true French bistro cooking are given their flowers; a simple plate of lamb sweetbreads arrive unadorned and, in my opinion, glorious. Bouncy bites, bound in aromatic sage, brown butter and spiked with just the right amount of preserved lemony acidity. The wine list is impeccable, thanks to Skidmore’s passion for vinous delights, making this cosy corner of Melbourne the perfect place for a long lunch with people you like a lot.
Destination Daylesford
Lake House
If you want to know the secret to longevity, just ask Alla Wolf-Tasker. The Lake House brought Daylesford to life 42 years ago and remains in my estimation as one of Australia’s proudest moments in cuisine. Salads sing with life, rife with contrast and interest, from nutty seed tuilles and soft clouds of goat’s curd. Local duck blushes pink and tender, glossy with rich jus and whatever’s come out of the ground that day to seal the deal.
The premise hasn’t changed; hyper-local, hyper-seasonal produce, approached with unapologetic intelligence and integrity. Sourcing much produce from her own Dairy Flat Farm, it’s a dining experience shaped by the romance and the hardship of agriculture under Alla’s watchful eye.
Bar Merenda
If you dream of travelling around Europe searching for bistros with walls covered in the patina of decades and framed art, you just might be looking too far afield. Complete with spiral wrought iron staircase, bentwood chairs and walls clad in frames and tiny tables to hold hands at, Merenda is a slice of old-world charm you want to take a bite out of.Â
Restaurateur Andy Ainsworth’s big city know-how at venues like 10 William Street in Sydney translates to country living in style, with a neat menu of compelling wine bar-friendly bites, many of which are infused with woodfire and handled with a deft touch. Today it’s herb-stuffed zucchini flowers, tomorrow it’ll be whatever local producers bring in, treated just as simply and respectfully. The only real constant here is a cracking wine list, a golden-hued atmosphere, and something delicious wafting out of the kitchen.
Whether you’re city-bound or feel like a purpose-led drive, this common thread that weaves these venues together is quiet confidence, artistry and a sense of generosity that you just feel. Effortlessness that speaks softly, but clearly in a loud and increasingly homogenised world.
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