Inside the Barragunda dining room.
Good Food hatGood Food hat17/20

The Mornington Peninsula’s newest two-hatted fine-diner is very fancy – but still a bargain

Barragunda gives critic Besha Rodell hope for the future of dining in Victoria.

  • Besha Rodell
Barragunda’s dining room.

Barragunda Dining

One of Australia’s most ambitious farm-to-table experiences.

  • Besha Rodell andEmma Breheny
Billy Van Creamy

Billy Van Creamy

All-natural scoops near the beach.

  • Dani Valent
Homely and warming at Earth Walker&Co.

Cosy up with flame-licked food at this candlelit cafe and restaurant

Lush and dramatic dishes made from seasonal produce over an open fire are at the heart of Coledale’s cosy coastal cafe-restaurant Earth Walker& Co.

  • Lenny Ann Low
Pancakes with poached rhubarb,baked apple,coffee caramel and mascarpone.

‘Best in the country’:Why this pancake topping is worth a stop on your next road trip

The secret to earthly delight is in pairing local fare with passion at Moonacres Kitchen in the Southern Highlands.

  • Lenny Ann Low
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Saazaa’s spacious interior,including a new eight-seat espresso bar.

This surprising factory space is one of Melbourne’s most interesting coffee spots

The caffeination options are many at Saazaa Coffee,from a macchiato made with Kenyan and El Salvadorean beans to drip coffee made with Burundi single origin.

  • Dani Valent
Potato churros with fermented capsicum puree.
Good Food hatGood Food hat16/20

This newly two-hatted Torquay restaurant delivers zero-waste and maximum enjoyment

Chef Graham Jefferies’ compelling,startlingly creative waste-not cooking sees his rejigged Samesyn restaurant gain a second chefs’ hat.

  • Dani Valent
The go-to dish:Chilli oil parfait is a riot of bold flavours.
Good Food hat15/20

Lygon Street favourite gets a new chef,and a hot new ‘mind-bending’ chilli oil dessert

Always a place that showcases Melbourne dining,Etta has been reinvigorated by a new chef bringing Asian-influenced flavours to the fore.

  • Besha Rodell
Beneath a nutty granola-like topping of nuts and seeds is a silky artichoke custard.
Good Food hat15/20

‘I’m still marvelling’:The Geelong restaurant dish our critic can’t stop thinking about

Eleven-year-old Tulip looks casual,even unremarkable. But passionate new owners are helping it blossom.

  • Besha Rodell
Zoe Birch in the tiny dining room at Greasy Zoes in Hurstbridge.
Good Food hatGood Food hat16.5/20

This restaurant is smaller than some families’ dining rooms. Exclusive,yes. Elitist,no.

You won’t find the baller beef and gold leaf of other tiny fine-diners here. Greasy Zoes trades in a different kind of indulgence:the preciousness of time.

  • Emma Breheny