Lunch @ Bistro Flor

The last time we visited it used to be called Flor and was known for its excellent single malt whisky collection. It's now gained a Bistro in the name and although the interior hasn't really changed I think that whisky collection is gone.

There's an interesting wine list offering selections from Australia, France, Spain, Germany, Austria and Italy.

Food wise we're offered a Brunch menu - there's your usual breakfast offerings, some share dishes and a 2 course weekend lunch special.

We've selected a couple of the share dishes and two entrees - all of which begins with piping hot bread straight from the oven

Dinner @ Matteo's

Ding dong the witches are dead or at least sulking in the corner - We're off to celebrate some very good news for Elle and that means degustation at Matteo's.

Once again the menu is a little different from normal and there will be six individual courses beginning with this

Dinner @ Cafe Vue at Heide

It's a lovely night and we're off for dinner at the latest Café Vue at Heide. Heide is home to the Museum of Questionable Modern Art and one of the features of this outpost is that the cafe will be using produce from Heide's original kitchen garden.

For dinner, the Heide Garden Menu du Jour is available, in either two or three course options.

Lunch @ Caffe e Cucina

We continue our Australia Day feasting with something Italian and a visit to Caffe e Cucina. It's sad to say that we've never been here before - many reasons, either it was too full or no parking or there's somewhere else to go.

The space has a nice feel - that Italian feel, cramped and dark and somewhat cluttered, an eclectic mix of decoration but somehow when you put it all together it feels like home.

For starters:

Breakfast @ Cafe Vue at 401

It's a beautiful Australia Day and while for many it seems the day they, in no particular order, feel the need to bag the flag, bag the queen and generally bag the country, we on the other hand celebrate the fact that we are fortunate enough to live in a country that doesn't punish such spoilt, self-centered and self-absorbed ingrates and allows them the opportunity to show us all that they are truly wankers.

Perhaps as they sip on their single origin soy pour over with their head wistfully tilted up their own arse, they might one day realise the fortunate position they are in to live in this country and be able to afford their organic, bio-dynamic, free-range, grass fed, gm-free, R.S.O.L.E way of life.

With that said, it's time for Breakfast.

Lunch @ Home Dining Room

Back for a revisit and this time we're doing lunch. It's a warm day and I'm feeling in the mood for something different so I begin with a drink that's had me intrigued for a while - the Ginger Ninja.

Breakfast @ Barkers

As I mentioned in my last posting, Barkers is now open for weekend breakfast so we've popped in after an early morning shop at Victoria Gardens.

The menu is concise but there should be something to suit most appetites and tastes.

Lunch @ Rococo Hawthorn

There's always a problem this time of the year finding places that are actually open. After many false starts we finally find success at Rococo.

The last time we wrote about this place we found it in the middle of its conversion from Isa Brown to Rococo. Beside changes to the menu, changes to the decor have also taken place - the back wall now has banquette seating.

For starters:

Dinner @ Church St Enoteca

We don't normally go to restaurants on their first opening day of the year and especially so when there's a new chef on board but then we had the hot spell that by the time Tuesday rolled around, cooking at home was the last thing I wanted to do.

So we ended up where we normally go in these situations - Church Street Enoteca. There's certainly a new menu and it is a good sign when you have difficulty in ordering because there's just so many things you want to try.

After much negotiation we settled on the following to begin:

Dinner @ Matteo's Restaurant

It's Al's birthday so we've gathered the crew and headed off to Matteo's. I suppose we are getting predictable when the table is already set out for degustation but there is a change to the degustation structure - rather than groupings the dishes will be coming out individually.

We begin with one of our favourites:

Lunch @ Bistro Thierry

Perhaps it is a bit of dining overkill but come Monday it's back to work so we're celebrating our last day of freedom at Bistro Thierry. I can't believe that it has almost been a year since we were here but what you get at Bistro Thierry is the feeling that no time has passed at all.

Lunch @ Barkers Wine Bar

We're back from our new year's sojourn to an empty fridge and since it's never a good idea to go shopping on an empty stomach, we decided to skip out for a quick lunch and one of the few places that we found actually open is the Beehive Barkers.

Supper @ Sotano

To end the first day of the new food year, we head down to Sotano for a late supper

High Tea @ Hotel Windsor

It's the first day of a new year and our fearless team of eat-ors are doing something a little different - we're off for High Tea. When you think High Tea, you think of silver tiered trays in elegant surrounds and the best place we think fits that description is the Hotel Windsor.

The offering today is a little different to normal - apart from the usual high tea components, a dessert buffet is on offer and we've got three hours to indulge.

It begins with a round of Rosé Champagne