>Campari
campari.melbourneaustralia.com.au
Right beside the Tasmanian ferryport, Campari has an interesting mix of Mediterranean food on its wide menu. Tapas are fresh and varied, the paella is authentic and rich, the pastas to die for, and the hot plate dishes are a meat-lover’s dream.

The inside is not as atmospheric as the outside tables – a bit café-ish – although they are open for breakfast too (try the churros and chocolate). But sit on the deck and watch the passers-by watch you eat with the beautiful people.

>Gertrude Street Enoteca
www.gertrudestreetenoteca.com
My friend Noela introduced me to this charming, cramped little wine bar on bohemian Gertrude Street. It is owned by Brigitte Hafner (chef and food writer for The Age Epicure). The Italian tapas-style dishes come mainly from the Piedmont region, the server told me.

The wine list is enormous, with a decent number served by the glass. They also have an excellent selection of whiskies and whiskys. I spied such exotic (for Aus) bottles as Barbados’ Mount Gay Extra Old rum and Spain’s Cardenal Mendoza brandy on the shelves too.

I am told the highlight is the real Valrhona Hot Chocolate with rum. I will be back.

Guru da Dhaba, 240 Johnston Street
This local Indian has a friendly feel although the décor is more country house than Indian palace. Good street food is listed alongside the usual menu and a weekly specials list. The chef always comes out to ask if your food was OK. The vegetable vindalho is particularly good. BYO.

Sukho Thai, 234 Johnston Street
Sit in the front of the restaurant, and passers-by will think you are sitting cross-legged on traditional Thai mats at low tables. Actually, your feet are cunningly hidden in holes in the floor, so cramps are unlikely.

The satay has a good bite to it, and the pad thai filling and delicious. Everything else we saw served looked appetising and well presented. BYO.

Mario’s, 303 Brunswick Street
A Melbourne institution, Mario’s was set up twenty years ago by two Marios as the front for their catering business. Their breakfasts are legendary, their wines by the glass well-chosen (try the Black Chook shiraz) and the food traditional Italian for the most part. Sit and watch bohemian Melbourne stroll past, and listen to the jaded but droll waiters rule supreme.

Panama Dining Room, 3/231 Smith Street
Climb about six dimly-lit flights of stairs to reach this airy loft space filled with mis-matched furniture and quirkly light fittings. Shoot some pool or lounge near floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Fitzroy roofscape. The menu is limited, but well-selected and excellent value. Eating well here for under $20 is to be expected, and the wine list is interesting too.

>Red Emperor, Unit 3, 3, Southgate Avenue, Southbank
www.redemperor.com.au
We went here for Mena’s birthday and it was a treat. Red Emperor is known as one of the best places for yum cha (or dim sum as we know it is Europe) in Melbourne. The food is sublime, the river views expansive, the service polite and efficient.

Lee’s rules for eating at the Emperor include:
– Always order the “all you can eat” option
– Never order rice or noodles
– Try not to choose from every trolley going past
– Save some space for the really good stuff at the end
– Don’t bother with dessert unless you like melon or semolina

Miyako, shop UR2, Upper Level, Southbank
www.miyakocuisine.com.au
Beautiful views of the river from the sheltered balcony, waitresses in kimonos and delicious food. What’s not to like?!

E Gusto
www.egusto.com.au
This is so popular with local office people that the company I’m temping for call it “the boardroom”. An easy-going popular place with outside tables right on the river, E Gusto has a good Italian menu and a relaxed feel.

Blue Train
www.bluetrain.com.au
This is a great place to meet with friends as the menu is so wide it pleases everybody. Wood-fired pizzas with original toppings are my favourite, although the Asian fusion dishes are also tempting – try the beef curry. Wine list is short enough but well-chosen with almost everything available by the glass.

Bear Brass
www.bearbrass.com.au
A trendy bar in the Southgate building, it’s a great place to people-watch after work or on an early summer’s evening. Cocktails are good and bar snacks hit the spot.

>Syracuse, 23 Bank Place
(03) 9670 1777
This beautiful old building with high ceilings and marble-top tables reminds me of Prague or Vienna. The focus is totally on the wine at Syracuse. The wine list is dozens of pages long, with prices ranging up to the thousands of dollars. The food is served in smaller tapas-like platters, mostly with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern flavour.

Our garlic prawns were sublime, and the ordinary-looking chicken liver pate was amongst the best I have ever tasted. The waiters are knowledgeable and helped me navigate the encyclopaedic wine selections without taking out a second mortgage.

City Wine Shop, 159 Spring Street
www.citywineshop.net.au
Opposite Parliament and downstairs from the fabulous Melbourne Supper Club, the City Wine Shop feels as if it has been a part of Melbourne for years. Sit on the tiny outside terrace, inside at the bar or in the back room on the high stools surrounding the communal table.

Sample the cheeses of the day and choose from a wall of wine worthy of the famous Cul de Sac wine bar in Rome. The tiny menu is hard to resist too. But the best thing – of course – is the wine. Sample the fruits of unusual varieties such as arneis, viognier, durif and langrein without having to fork out for the whole bottle.

Ezard at Adelphi 187 Flinders Lane
www.ezard.com.au
Teage Ezard is the gastronimical high priest of Australian fee style food, as he calls it. A visit to this restaurant is less of a night out than a pilgrimage. The eight course tasting menu is recommended.

Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, 25 Bennetts Lane
www.bennettslane.com
The Melbourne equivalent of Ronnie Scotts and the home of the Bennetts Lane International Jazz FestivalCookie, 252 Swanston StreetYou will find an obscenely long bar in this place, with a similarly impressive wine and beer list. The balcony is a good place to people-watch.

Victoria Market, 513 Elizabeth Street
www.qvm.com.au
Victoria Market is a historic landmark in Melbourne – it is the largest open-air market in the southern hemisphere. Originally known as a food market, it is now the place to buy anything from organic fruit and veg, authentic Mediterranean food, hardward and of course Aussie souvenirs.

The Night Market takes place on Wednesday nights in summer, Its major focus is on food and entertainment. About 20 food hawkers provide a culturally rich range of food including African, Mexican. Spanish, Malaysian, Indian and Middle Eastern street food – not to mention the wineries who set up stall and sell fantastic wines by the glass or case! A great place to spend a summer’s evening.

Feddish, River Building, Yarra Terrace, Federation Square
In a city like this, sometimes a sunny spot is not what you seek. On one of the hottest days of the year, the outside terrace at Feddish is a shady spot where you can relax and watch Melbourne melt whilst you sip a cold martini. The food is not bad either: modern Australian staples with interesting choices such as peking duck risotto and char-grilled crocodile on rainforest rice. Pretty good wine list, with a decent by-the-glass selection which actually offers non-Aussie wines too.