If you’re looking for a change from the usual Thai/Vietnamese/Chinese cuisine, why not Malaysian? We found this small Malaysian restaurant called Little Malaysia tucked away on a side street in Melbourne’s central business district. It’s not fancy, but the food is very good. My favorites are the beef rendang (pictured below) and the tiny dried anchovies with sambal (it reminds me of a similar dish called dilis in the Philippines except we do not eat it with spicy sauces). The satay (grilled meat on a skewer) is excellent; the curries are rich and savoury.

Little Malaysia
26 Liverpool St.
Melbourne, Australia
+61 3 9662 1678

* * * * * *

Check out my favorite restaurants and hotels in Melbourne and in Sydney.

Bopha Devi is a Cambodian restaurant in the Docklands area of Melbourne, a lively district of restaurants and bars at the waterside. It’s a great place to hang out on a warm summer evening.

Bopha Devi has two things going for it: the amazing food and the modern eclectic decor. It seems popular with groups, especially after work, so the sound level can be positively deafening. But don’t let that stop you. The food is extremely good. They serve small bites that you can share with your dining companions – garlic and chive rice cakes, beef skewers in lemongrass marinade, prawn pucks and the like. But you must not miss the soup. I love the spicy-sour flavours of the tamarind soup with celery, turmeric and lime leaves. My favorite main dish is the “amok”, a steamed fish curry wtih coconut cream and lemongrass. To end the meal, make sure you get the black rice crumble topped with grated coconut caramelized with palm sugar. Wonderful!

Bopha Devi
27 Rakaia Way
Docklands
Melbourne, Australia
+61 3 9600 1887
www.bophadevi.com

* * * * * *

Check out my favorite restaurants and hotels in Melbourne and in Sydney.

Azuma Kushiyaki is a cozy Japanese restaurant in the Sydney central business district. It serves “kushiyaki”: meat, seafood and vegetables grilled on skewers. It is the sister restaurant of the more upscale Azuma on Chifley Square.

Azuma Kushiyaki serves not only grilled dishes; they have an extensive menu that includes sushi, sashimi, otsumami (small dishes that accompany sake, beer and shochu), udon or ramen noodles in soup, rice dishes such as onigiri (rice balls with fillings of salmon, pickled plum, salted kelp and more).

My favorite dishes were indeed the kushiyaki, especially the paradise prawn, wild scallops, baby beef tenderloin with soy and butter, and shiitake mushroom stuffed with minced prawn. The agedashi tofu in a Japanese mushroom sauce was exquisite. The service is very Japanese: efficient but not hurried, discreet and proper.

Azuma Kushiyaki
Ground Floor
Regent Place Shopping Centre
501 George Street
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9267 7775
www.azuma.com.au/kushiyaki

* * * * * * *

Check out our favorite restaurants, cafes and hotels in Sydney.

Izakaya Den is one of Melbourne’s coolest places to hang out. It’s almost impossible to find because the sign on Russell Street at Little Collins Street is not obvious and you have to go down two flights of stairs. When you arrive, you are shocked to see a packed, vibrant industrial-chic restaurant with high ceilings and stylish decor.

An “izakaya” is a restaurant serving small dishes paired with sake, beer, plum wine and shochu (distilled liquors). At Izakaya Den, we tried the following dishes:

• grilled spicy chilli peppers, bonito and soy
• marinated octopus
• spicy tuna tataki
• kingfish sashimi
• sesame stir fried Japanese mushrooms
• daikon salad
• chilled tomato

All dishes were very delicious and some, like the chilled tomato, were surprising. The selection of sake (over 50) and beer (yes, they have Ebisu!) is impressive and they are reasonably priced.

This is my favorite place to eat in Melbourne.

Izakaya Den
114 Russell St
Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
+61 (03) 9654 2977
www.izakayaden.com.au

* * * * * * * *

See also my favorite restaurants and hotels in Sydney, Australia.

If you want just drinks (wine, beer) and small plates (pizza, tapas, nibbles), there are 3 places I like in Sydney:

(1) Glass Bar at the Hilton Hotel (downtown Sydney)

The Glass Bar is part of the Glass Brasserie, a stunning restaurant in the Hilton Hotel located in Sydney’s CBD. Airy and filled with natural light, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, with an impressive view of the Queen Victoria Building across the street, the Glass Bar is the perfect place to meet for drinks and small snacks.

If you decide you are hungry after all, the Glass Brasserie is ideal. Unlike many bars and brasseries in the city, you can actually carry on a conversation and hear one another. The wine list is long and varied, so if you feel like a French or Italian red, there are enough choices for you. The scene is very downtown, after-work, and it’s one of the few places in Sydney where you’d feel strange to be wearing flip flops.

Glass Brasserie and Glass Bar
Hilton Hotel (Level 2)
488 George St.
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9265 6068
www.glassbrasserie.com.au

(2) Gazebo Wine Garden (Elizabeth Bay)

Gazebo has a completely different vibe from the Glass Bar. It’s a relaxed neighborhood hangout where flip flops are almost mandatory. The inside-outside seating arrangement demands that you hang around in the early evenings slowly sipping a bottle of fine Australian and New Zealand wine.

Gazebo has pizzas, salads, shared plates such as stuffed roasted mushrooms and crispy calamari. But if you are hungry for a main course, you can order steak and fries, mussels, fish, burgers, tarts and more. Gazebo is close to Kings Cross station.

Gazebo Wine Garden
2 Elizabeth Bay Road
Elizabeth Bay
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9357 5333
http://thegazebos.com.au/gazebo/index.html

(3) Hugo’s Bar Pizza

The main reason I would go back to Hugo’s is the pizza: delicious thin-crust creations topped with fresh ingredients. For a place that is best known for its bar scene, the pizzas are very good indeed.

We went to the Potts Point location which is close to the Kings Cross station and other restaurants and bars in the Potts Point / Kings Cross area. The vibe is neighborhood chic, but it’s still relaxed and fun. They have happy hour with half-price drinks and pizza on Sunday before 6:00 p.m.

Hugo’s Bar Pizza
33 Bayswater Rd
Potts Point
Sydney, Australia
+61 2 9332 1227
www.hugos.com.au

* * * * * * * *

Check out reviews of my favorite hotels, restaurants and cafes in Sydney. View my Sydney favorites on a Google map below.

View Mapplr Sydney Favorites in a larger map

Brekkie – that’s what locals call breakfast and I find Sydney’s breakfasts to be among the best in the world because of the freshness of local ingredients (especially the fruit). Here are my favorites

(1) Bill’s: I reviewed it yesterday. Bill Granger has outposts on Surry Hills and Woollahra. Read my review of Bills. No Wi-Fi.

(2) Tigerbakers: this cozy, lively cafe on Victoria Street is packed every morning. The ricotta hotcakes, with marscapone, golden syrup and seasonal berries are very delicions as is the porridge with berries. They also have egg dishes, muesli, salmon benedict. For lunch they have sandwiches. No Wi-Fi.

(3) Cafe Bondi: this cafe is located on a hill at the base of a tall apartment building on Kings Cross Road. Good views onto the park below, large outdoor seating, excellent breakfasts including shakshuka, my favorite Israeli breakfast dish (baked tomatoes and red peppers in a rich tomato sauce, topped with eggs). Fast, free Wi-Fi. Cafe Bondi has outposts on Bondi Beach and Rose Bay. The Bondi Beach location also has Israeli salads.

Bill’s
433 Liverpool Street
Darlinghurst
Sydney, Australia
+ 61 2 9360 9631
www.bills.com.au

Tigerbakers
292 Victoria St
Darlinghurst
Sydney, Australia
www.tigerbakers.com

Cafe Bondi
3 Kings Cross Road
Kings Cross
Sydney, Australia
www.cafebondi.com

* * * * * * *

Check out reviews of my favorite hotels, restaurants and cafes in Sydney. View my Sydney favorites on a Google map below.

View Mapplr Sydney Favorites in a larger map