A food crawl in Melbourne
Taste the best of St Kilda, Melbourne's bayside playground.
St Kilda is regarded as Melbourne’s bayside playground and there are many reasons for this. By day the St Kilda pier and the promenade is a popular spot for walking, cycling and enjoying city and water views. The waters of Port Phillip Bay are popular for swimming and all manner of water sports.
When the sun goes down St Kilda is a great destination for spending time enjoying live music or at the multitude of pubs, cafes and restaurants for eating and drinking. And all of this just 6 kms from the heart of the city and easily accessed by a multitude of tram lines.Â
Nowadays I live in St Kilda so I thought I’d share nine of my favourite destinations from my own neighbourhood. There’s Mexican, Japanese and Chinese food, cake shops, bakeries, breakfast spots, speciality cheese plus a whole lot more. Enjoy!
St Kilda, Melbourne's bayside playground.
Mexican food in Australia is rarely done well, and I say this from someone who has had the opportunity to taste amazing Mexican food in the US. Where it is incredibly good. Well I can also say Mexican food is also very, very good at Radio Mexico in St Kilda.Â
Love the beer battered fish, pico de gallo and slaw tacos, also very partial to the slow cooked pork belly served in its own broth with red onion and jalapeños pickles. Beer choices cover local and imports, plus margaritas that will likely just appear on your table just by thinking you ‘might’ like one. Trust me you will, or even two!
This Japanese restaurant room is a popular dining destination with St Kilda residents and visitors. And with good reason. It is set on the St Kilda esplanade so there are bay views and the fit out is like a glam izakaya with lots of booths.Â
Must haves? Well there’s quite a few. One signature dish at Ichi Ni are the inside out lobster rolls, avocado and cucumber topped with flamed salmon. I’m also a fan of their beef tataki and I really can’t pass up the lotus root chips. The deep fried marinated chicken with sriracha mayo is a crowd pleaser too, as is the agedashi tofu with mountain vegetables.
Mya Tiger restaurant is situated on the first floor of the Esplanade Hotel with awesome views over Port Phillip Bay. The menu is Cantonese inclined and packed with hits.Â
Beautiful fresh kingfish is served in a sweet combo of ginger, soy and yuzu. Salt and pepper Flinders Island scallops were a standout. Ditto for the pork wontons which came with a deeply rich chilli sauce and are pretty sensational. Their impressive duck fried rice makes an excellent accompaniment.Â
A great drinks list and floor staff with very good food and wine knowledge make dining here very enjoyable indeed. And the fortune cookies add a bit of fun too!
I’ve been a fan of Frankies since day one with their great coffee (and properly made chai), excellent breakfast menu and lots of take home meal choices. My brunch favourites here include their Moroccan cauliflower fritters on harissa hummus, potato roesti with smoked salmon and the Mexican sweetcorn fritters. I will admit to a certain bias as Frankie’s is owned by my cookbook co-author Michele Curtis! Try Frankie’s for indoor and outdoor dining and plenty of St Kilda hospitality.
St Kilda residents are lucky to have a number of excellent bakeries, including Rye and Dough. There’s a leaning towards French and Italian baking here with sweet treats like bombolone, especially the vanilla bean custard plus the bombolone with raspberry jam. There chocolate brioche, escargot and croissants are also excellent.Â
Bread is also a feature here, especially their pagnotta sourdough (a top loaf to serve with cheese) and their olive loaf is a winner also. Welcoming service tops off the deal here.Â
Dining at Little Prince is like settling into your favourite, intimate wine shop for dinner. The choices of wine by the glass are always interesting and top quality. If you prefer a bottle there are literally hundreds to choose from.Â
The minute steak always hits the mark for me and desserts are definitely worth ordering, in particular the excellent lemon tart. There are also excellent options for charcuterie and cheese selections.
There are some mighty fine sweet and savoury treats to be enjoyed at Black Star Pastry. They are Insta famous for strawberry watermelon cake. Layers of almond meringue, rose scented cream and watermelon, with a top of strawberries, pistachios and dried rose petals. The custard flan is my favourite. Imagine buttery puff pastry, filled with vanilla custard that had a caramelising top. Inspired by a Portuguese egg tart no doubt and very good indeed!
What a destination this is for outstanding cheese, to enjoy in-house and also as take away. The menu is centred around cheese and wine combinations, with classic European cheeses offered alongside Australian classics.Â
Order a cheese board and wines to match will come too. Staff are very well versed in explaining each cheese and wine. I also utilise Milk The Cow as a cheese shop and they never let me down.
A few more foodie suggestions for St Kilda
The top floor of the Esplanade Hotel is a great St Kilda location to enjoy top quality cocktails in a unique setting. Cocktail Bar is styled as if Albert Felton, an original resident, was still living here. Beautiful old furniture and fittings are set over a number of rooms in which to enjoy excellent cocktails.Â
If Irish pubs are your thing, then The Fifth Province is made for you. Packed with expats and serving up beer, food and the craic in equal measure.Â
Babu Ji’s delivers friendly service, very good Indian street food and they even have their own beer. What more could you want!
A charming bakery with a loyal St Kilda fan base. There’s excellent loaves including spelt, baguettes, bagels and light rye. Their fruit danish are particularly good, as are the date scones.Â
A reliable spot for great coffee and affordable, tasty breakfasts. Jaffles are a house specialty, so why not settle in with the newspaper and watch all that Fitzroy Street has to offer.
The Espy is part of the fabric of St Kilda and offers places to drink, eat and gather for live music. Don’t miss this.Â
This long running gelato store always offers a colourful, top quality display. That makes it so hard to choose. Luckily tastings are available to pin down a favourite. My money is on the hazelnut every time.
~ Allan Campion