Bar Spontana’s fitout features brick walls,exposed roof trusses and colourful artwork.
14/20

Funk,fire and fantastic cocktails:This secret bar might be the Thai diner of your dreams

Bar Spontana is one of those spots that feels like a secret,and a really juicy secret at that.

  • Besha Rodell
The sushi train,imported from Taiwan,fits the narrow Bourke Street site.
13.5/20

It’s super weird,fun and accessible,but a few things almost send this big-name sushi train off track

The Bossa Nova pitch sounds like a drunken late-night thought bubble. But it’s a welcome measure of weirdness for this great restaurant town.

  • Besha Rodell
Bonito with palm heart and pomelo.
13/20

It has a new hotshot Sydney chef and great service. So why has this St Kilda stalwart lost its hat?

The room,drinks and service are all great. But the umami-forward food leaves our critic feeling baffled.

  • Besha Rodell
Barbacoa estilo Hidalgo (lamb barbacoa tacos with chilli consommé).

‘The best tacos Melbourne has ever seen’:This inexpensive Fitzroy diner is changing the game

The most memorable,soul-quenching single bite of food I’ve had in weeks was at modest shopfront diner El Columpio.

  • Besha Rodell
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
Advertisement
One of Melbourne’s most loved French bistros,Bistro Thierry in Armadale.

Food-obsessed Melbourne deserves gold in this genre,but these gems are overlooked

Our city does this dining experience better than most places in the world,writes Besha Rodell.

  • Besha Rodell
The grass-fed rib-eye with mustard jus.
Good Food hatGood Food hat16/20

‘I was shocked and delighted to discover that it has morphed into a very good restaurant’

It’s not all caviar-topped ice-cream sundaes and luxe seafood. The Chris Lucas-owned eatery has found its groove – and regained a hat in the process.

  • Besha Rodell
Cuttlefish dosai.
14/20

This swish Sri Lankan restaurant serves what our critic calls ‘the perfect snack’

Hopper Joint,with its hands-on curry sets and short eats,is introducing the cuisine to a whole new audience.

  • 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
Lucia’s coffee,bourbon and chocolate dessert.
Good Food hat15.5/20

Rediscover an endangered brand of old-school fine dining at this polished newcomer

Searching for somewhere quiet,spacious and with excellent food? New arrival Lucia ticks all the boxes.

  • Besha Rodell