Recommendations for Melbourne and Tazzie

[99call]

I'm going to be going to Melbourne for a Week and Tazzie for a further 3 in Nov.  Any recommendations?  Me and the Missus are foodies and especially seafood and any good Vineyards to visit? Any cool places to stay? we'll be looking to get out and about and will have a car. Any heads up on awesome places/experienced would be really appreciated.

Cheers, Stefan

[torrenfoot]

Hey bud, if you like food & wine, you're going to love Melbourne, just make sure you pack a coat haha

Obviously the Yarra Valley is a massive vibe, look up a few of your favourite wineries, and hit the cellar doors, make a day of it.

In terms of restaurants, one of our best is Chin Chin, a fantastic modern-asain-fusion type place. You cant book a table, you have to walk up to the door and take a ticket, which will usually mean around a 2 hour wait, but it's worth it. There's a bar downstairs, and heaps on the street surrounding it, so go have a couple of drinks, and they'll call you when they're ready for you.

If you like Gin, hit Gin Palace afterwards, its a really cool speak easy type bar, walking distance from Chin Chin from memory. 

If you want any more recommendations, let me know

NB: Not a heap of Cigar Lounge action as far as i know, Siglo near Parliament is supposed to be good. I think there's a LCDH on Collins St, or Alexanders in Toorak is a nice shop, rather pricey though.

 

Enjoy your trip!!

 

[polarbear]

As Torrenfoot has said, from a cigar point of view, theres not much in Mel and nothing in Tassie

I highly recommend stopping past Alexanders in Toorak. It is pricy but its probably one of the last full blow B&M retailers in Aus and their store is impressive to say the least.
I always make a point of stopping by and picking a little something up while im in town simply to enjoy the novelty of being able to select my cigar from a walk in humidor

If you're a whiskey fan, Tassie has a couple of nice spots and distilleries worth checking out
The Lark cellar door in the city is a nice place to enjoy a dram and their distillery tour was probably the best and most comprehensive of all the tours I did while I was there.

Le Bon Ton in Collingwood (Melbourne) is a great place if youre a fan of American Style BBQ as well, just make sure you pack your eating pants
Siglo Bar is a good spot for a night time smoke but being Nov, you'll want to bring a jacket

[Fuzz]

For Tassie, I highly recommend Launceston!

Plenty to see and do there. Just 5 minutes away from the airport, you will see the highlight of your trip... the Woolworths/SIW Regional Distribution Centre! Completed in 2010, the $84 million RDC replaced 2 other warehouses and is often mistaken for the Launceston airport. The investment in this state-of-the-art facility added to a range of other significant projects Woolworths had planned for its supermarkets, BIG W, Liquor, Dick Smith (sold off, collapsed, then bought piecemeal by Kogan) and the Masters home improvement business (Masters went the way of the Dodo).

[Ken Gargett]

4 minutes ago, Fuzz said:

For Tassie, I highly recommend Launceston!

Plenty to see and do there. Just 5 minutes away from the airport, you will see the highlight of your trip... the Woolworths/SIW Regional Distribution Centre! Completed in 2010, the $84 million RDC replaced 2 other warehouses and is often mistaken for the Launceston airport. The investment in this state-of-the-art facility added to a range of other significant projects Woolworths had planned for its supermarkets, BIG W, Liquor, Dick Smith (sold off, collapsed, then bought piecemeal by Kogan) and the Masters home improvement business (Masters went the way of the Dodo).

yeah, because most people are desperately keen to fly around the world on their hols to see a warehouse. especially a big one and what a bonus, it looks like an airport. the pyramids must be quaking from the competition.

fuzz, life with you is just a never-ending walk on the wildside.

[Ken Gargett]

heaps to do in melbourne. i'm sure lots of troops will have suggestions (mine would not include alexanders, not just because i am a mate of rob's).

you have a lot of time to book if you really want to get into some of the very best. but do so soon. 6

ben shewry at attica has won every award around and everyone raves. vue de monde is a perennial fave. flower drum has some of the best chinese food on the planet. movida is scintillating spanish style food. cumulus is terrific.

head up to the wineries in the yarra. heaps there. and at healesville (one of the great wine lists in australia at the local pub and great food), is the four pillars distillery.

tassie - drop me a note with your email. i'll put you in touch with winsor (whinger) dobbin. writes food, wine and travel. very old mate of mine. what he does not know is not worth knowing. but do not miss MONA, if you have any interest in art. many think of it as the best gallery in the southern hemisphere. all privately funded by a bloke from his gambling. and it is at moorilla estate - also his.

if you have time, drive up the east coast and get to freycinet winery.

so much to see and do. but you will have no time for warehouses.

[bobbutcher]

I highly recommend the me wah resturant, i have been to the one in hobart a few times and am always very impressed. There is also one in launceston, i havnt been to that one but all reports it is just as impressive. As for wine the tamar valley.  The wall at derwent bridge is def worth a look if u get up that way.

[99call]

4 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

yeah, because most people are desperately keen to fly around the world on their hols to see a warehouse. especially a big one and what a bonus, it looks like an airport. the pyramids must be quaking from the competition.

fuzz, life with you is just a never-ending walk on the wildside.

Ha, yeah, Unless the warehouse is full of vintage cigars, I reckon I may have to give it a body swerve.

[99call]

Starting to get very excited, cheers fellas

[99call]

3 hours ago, bobbutcher said:

I highly recommend the me wah resturant, i have been to the one in hobart a few times and am always very impressed. There is also one in launceston, i havnt been to that one but all reports it is just as impressive. As for wine the tamar valley.  The wall at derwent bridge is def worth a look if u get up that way.

Cheers Mate, Yeah I think were going to stay at the converted pump house near the Derwent bridge.  Looks stunning.

[99call]

7 hours ago, torrenfoot said:

Hey bud, if you like food & wine, you're going to love Melbourne, just make sure you pack a coat haha

Obviously the Yarra Valley is a massive vibe, look up a few of your favourite wineries, and hit the cellar doors, make a day of it.

In terms of restaurants, one of our best is Chin Chin, a fantastic modern-asain-fusion type place. You cant book a table, you have to walk up to the door and take a ticket, which will usually mean around a 2 hour wait, but it's worth it. There's a bar downstairs, and heaps on the street surrounding it, so go have a couple of drinks, and they'll call you when they're ready for you.

If you like Gin, hit Gin Palace afterwards, its a really cool speak easy type bar, walking distance from Chin Chin from memory. 

If you want any more recommendations, let me know

NB: Not a heap of Cigar Lounge action as far as i know, Siglo near Parliament is supposed to be good. I think there's a LCDH on Collins St, or Alexanders in Toorak is a nice shop, rather pricey though.

 

Enjoy your trip!!

 

Cheers mate, Chin Chin sounds good, the missus is a Gin fiend as well so, we'll try and give that a crack to

[99call]

Why so rigid about dress codes for restaurants? seems to be a very conservative policy for such a young country.

Really excited to see how Melbourne has changed since travelling their as a 19yr old.  Some very amusing days working as a chef in the (Now Demolished?) Stork Hotel. For some odd reason the owner assumed that us Brits ate nothing but instestines and gut sinues.  Every day he would come from the butchers with pigs heads and cow tongues, expecting me to wizz up some sort of refined amuse bouche 12 course odyssy.  The walk in fridge looked like the start scene to Saving Private Ryan. It took him a good few week before I could get it through to him "listen mate!!! I cant do anything with all this butchers bin shit, get be a cut of meat that doesn't have a face, or feature an anus, and we might make a bit of progress"   Fun times.

I also remember being cornered by a scary local in and hostel in the Blue Mountains forcedly asking me "whether I drank piss or not?" not knowing at the time this was a euphemism for beer, I though I was going to be dragged into some horrid 'Deliverance' style golden showers scenario.   Glad to have lived to tell the tale

[99call]

On 2017-6-27 at 6:51 AM, Ken Gargett said:

heaps to do in melbourne. i'm sure lots of troops will have suggestions (mine would not include alexanders, not just because i am a mate of rob's).

you have a lot of time to book if you really want to get into some of the very best. but do so soon. 6

ben shewry at attica has won every award around and everyone raves. vue de monde is a perennial fave. flower drum has some of the best chinese food on the planet. movida is scintillating spanish style food. cumulus is terrific.

head up to the wineries in the yarra. heaps there. and at healesville (one of the great wine lists in australia at the local pub and great food), is the four pillars distillery.

tassie - drop me a note with your email. i'll put you in touch with winsor (whinger) dobbin. writes food, wine and travel. very old mate of mine. what he does not know is not worth knowing. but do not miss MONA, if you have any interest in art. many think of it as the best gallery in the southern hemisphere. all privately funded by a bloke from his gambling. and it is at moorilla estate - also his.

if you have time, drive up the east coast and get to freycinet winery.

so much to see and do. but you will have no time for warehouses.

Cheers for all these pointers Ken, I've been checking out all these restaurants on tripadvisor, and its bang on what were looking for. Hats off. Cumulus looks to be a bit like St John or the Wolseley in London .i.e simple things done bloody well. Cant wait