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Melbourne

France-Soir in South Yarra.
14/20

This Melbourne icon divides food snobs – but our critic keeps going back

It may not be Melbourne’s best French restaurant. But it might be the city’s best-loved bistro.

  • Besha Rodell
The steak-like lion’s mane mushroom dish.

Meet the meaty main that’s so convincing, vegans have sent it back to the kitchen

Restaurant-bar Ballard’s, and its plant-based food, is anything but bland.

  • Dani Valent
Go-to dish: The oyster selection is fun to slurp your way around the Australian coast.
14/20

There isn’t a house wine here, but there are ‘house oysters’ (and they don’t get better)

Let yourself be steered off-road and try a different pairing at oyster and wine bar The Walrus.

  • Dani Valent
The “fried sausage roll” (centre) is wrapped in milk bread rolled in panko crumbs.

This self-serve bakery’s sweet-savoury ‘sausage roll’ snack pushes every button

Pick up a tray and try Korean baked goods at this humble but bustling family-run bakery in the ’burbs.

  • Dani Valent
Peek inside Bistra to find white-clothed tables and whitewashed walls.
14.5/20

Not too fancy, not too casual, this bistro finds the Goldilocks zone (and brings the ’90s back)

Nostalgic for those elegant bistros of the not-too-distant past? Even if you weren’t there, you’ll recognise the appeal of this Carlton newcomer.

  • Besha Rodell
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Gemini is a cafe by day, and wine bar by night.
13.5/20

‘Tough economic climates are temporary, but community is forever’: Why Gemini is a gem

This crowd-funded cafe, bar, restaurant and pantry has changed Coburg for the better. If you’re local, you’re lucky.

  • Dani Valent
Patacon, a shareable platter of crisp-fried plantain slices layered with skirt steak, salad, cheese and salsas.

This humble Footscray market eatery serves the South American version of a halal snack pack

I was full about five seconds after starting but kept diving back in, writes Dani Valent.

  • Dani Valent
King prawn dumplings with tapioca “caviar”.

These ‘genius’ dumplings are not what you might expect at a typical suburban Thai

Charlong is clever, creative, run by women and could only be in Melbourne.

  • Dani Valent
The apricot walls set the pattern at Brunswick East’s Suntop Plaza.

This retro cafe is all about ’90s vibes and honest food with 101 per cent heart

Affordable sandwiches, sunset-coloured walls and sweet bakes are the order of the day at Suntop Plaza in Brunswick East.

  • Dani Valent
Sushi platter.
Good Food hat15/20

A little Japanese, a little French but a lot to love at this Armadale passion project

Don’t be deterred by the words “fusion food”. At this High Street newcomer, two cuisines meld with sensitivity and purpose.

  • Dani Valent