There’s a new event in town called 8th at 8 and I was lucky enough to be invited to attend the very first one that was launched on 8th of September 2019. So the concept was on the 8th of the month at 8PM you will be served a unique 8 course meal prepared by the chef especially for the night with another 7 others to make up 8 diners. The first one was as Rokkbank & Co in South Melbourne and for this occasion, everything was closed to make our dinner more intimate. Entering the beautiful venue, we were greeted with drinkies upon arrival (now who doesn’t like a bit of bubbly) and we explored the venue.
Restaurant Igni, Geelong
I’m a big fan of Regional Victoria’s dining scene with their fresh local produce and great community vibe. When I heard about Restaurant Igni, I knew I had to make a booking a check them out. For an 8 course degustation for $150 per head, it’s still quite affordable compared to those in Melbourne with a price tag of +$200 per head. There’s plenty of parking on the main street so that’s not a problem at all. Moving along, it’s a very discrete restaurant and when you get inside there are only 10 or so tables thats spaced very far apart so you’re not bumping elbows with the next table. The atmosphere is very casual and friendly yet the staff are very professional. They’ll ask for your dietary requirements including what your likes and dislikes are so they can be sure to cater for you. It was already a good start to our lunch!
Miss Kasumi, Kew
Since coming back from my Japan trip, I’ve been loving Japanese food even more so when there’s a new Japanese eatery in town, of course I’d say yes to go and visit. Miss Kasumi, located in Kew away from the main road sits right on the corner of High Street and Derby St and serves contemporary Japanese cuisine. With ample parking in the side streets, parking isn’t an issue. When we stepped inside, we were greeted by oh so friendly staff and went eagerly to our table.
TAS: Aloft, Hobart
A getaway trip can’t be complete if there isn’t dinner plans at a hatted restaurant and of course, trusty Mr D had made a reservation at Aloft for our anniversary dinner and I’m glad he did because it did get quite busy. Stepping inside, it was beautiful. Set in a glassed restaurant that sits over the water, it was totes romantic. The staff gladly showed us to our table by the window and we chose to do the $80 set menu. The good thing about Aloft is there’s set menus for people that eat everything, vegetarian, vegans and pescatarian so there’s something for everyone.
Kisume, Melbourne
Mr D had a whole eating day planned for my on my birthday but unfortunately due to a cold, I could only manage one eatery since I could taste again. I really wanted to try The Table at Kuro Kisume but it wasn’t open until the end of the month so we just tried the Kisume restaurant instead. We were 20 minutes early and had a few drinkies at the bar which was quite lovely and the staff were absolutely professional.
Minamishima, Richmond
After coming back from Japan, I was missing Japanese food oh so much. In the anticipation of missing this fine cuisine, I had booked Minamishima for the week I come back with my two stooges. There wasn’t an online booking process, you just have to call the restaurant directly but they were lovely and accommodating. When we got there, we were greeted by the staff and shown to our table. Since there were 3 of us, we missed out sitting by the bar. Our menu was slightly different to those at the bar where some of our dishes were also from the kitchen.