From cool laneway cheap eats to fine-dining treats, when it comes to eating out in Melbourne, MasterChef judge Sofia Levin knows all the culinary hotspots.
The 36-year-old Melburnian food critic has spent decades discovering the city’s hidden gems and was keen to share all her insider tips with Woman’s Day.
What makes Melbourne’s food scene so exceptional?
It’s impossible to give a straightforward answer.
We have a huge breadth of dining options – from affordable through to fine dining, it’s an exceptionally diverse cultural landscape, which means we can eat the kind of dishes many have to travel to other countries for.
Our chefs are some of the most creative and talented in the world, and we have access to unmatchable produce to cook it all with.
What’s your favourite place to get a cheap eat?
I can’t go past Victoria Street in Richmond/Abbotsford.
It’s close to the city and offers so many wonderful Vietnamese restaurants.
My favourites are Thanh Ha 2 for banh xeo [savoury pancakes] and bun bo hue [spicy noodle soup], and Co Thu Quan for lesser-known regional specialties.
Where do you shop for the best produce?
I mix up my shopping so it varies depending on what’s convenient.
I love the atmosphere and ritual of going to a farmers’ market, but real finds are in the suburban Asian and Middle Eastern grocers – the ones without websites where the turnover is high and the produce is fresh and interesting.
Which new venue or chef excites you?
Tom Sarafian’s Zareh in Collingwood is winning all the awards for a reason.
I haven’t been this excited about a new offering for a long time.
Eating his spin on Middle Eastern food in that warm space with a fabulous, worldly playlist is next level.
I’m also always excited to see what Rosheen Kaul is up to.
Currently, it’s a pop-up in Fitzroy serving French-inspired Asian dishes.
What’s your favourite place to get a coffee and breakfast?
Home! I recently renovated my kitchen and it’s been a delight sitting in a sunny little nook with coffee, a book and some pastry or eggs.
I can do the eggs-on-toast thing at home easily, so when I go out for breakfast I prefer eating something that doesn’t come so naturally to me in the kitchen.
For example, Papirica in Collingwood is a tiny Japanese cafe at the forgotten end of Smith Street where you can start your day with a whopping okonomi-yaki that’s almost impossible to finish.
Which restaurant do you return to again and again?
Embla and Soi 38.
There are very few places I visit on repeat, but the service, vibe and consistency of food and drink is hard to beat at Embla, and the atmosphere in Soi 38 makes me feel like I’m in Bangkok.
Plus, both are smack bang in the middle of the CBD – so convenient before or after another activity, like seeing a show or a gig.
Favourite date-night spot?
I don’t have one in particular, but I always recommend Bar Olo in Carlton.
Essentially, anywhere you can sit beside someone up at a bar and still watch the action of the kitchen or drinks being poured.
The old Geralds in Carlton North was another favourite because the space is so cosy, but it’s recently been replaced by Bar Carnation, which is at the top of my hit list.
Which countries are on your foodie bucket list?
South Korea is right up the top. As well as exploring modern Seoul.
I want to taste Korean temple food driven by seasonality and spirituality and visit the legendary Haenyeo [female free-divers who gather shellfish by deep diving without masks] from Jeju Island.
Georgia is not far behind, either.
I desperately want to sit at a supra feast, where the table is heaving with plates and toasts go on for hours.
What’s your go-to easy weeknight recipe to cook?
I cook based on what’s in the fridge, but if I spot a bunch of nice tarragon in my travels it’s almost impossible for me not to pick up a chook and do a crispy-skinned roast.
Favourite late night snack spot?
Nana Thai in the CBD, for legit street food and mookata hotpot.
For more of Sofia’s food insights visit seasonedtraveller.com
