New cafes/restaurants to try in Melbourne this weekend

CAN’t decide where to eat this weekend? Here are eight of Melbourne’s best recently opened eateries, as rated by our reviewers.

Shooting from the mouth at Bang Bang at The Rifle Club in Elsternwick.

MELBOURNE isn’t the foodie capital of the country for nothing. Our culinary landscape is not only rapidly evolving, but also increasingly creative (see: delicious). Let’s face it, if you live in Melbourne, you’re pretty much born into a food and football obsessed cult. #wearetheluckyones.

There is so much happening, in fact, that it can be hard to keep up with the endless list of cool new places to check out. So if you’re looking for some destination dining inspo for this weekend, here are eight of Melbourne’s best recent openings, as rated by our reviewers.

Frank's cafe, Cheltenham

FRANK’S

97 Cavanagh St, Cheltenham. Ph: 9584 2620

Reviewer Megan Miller says: Head chef Eli Faye was most recently in the kitchen at Golden Child cafe in Glen Iris before time as head pastry chef at catering companies Tommy Collins and The Big Group. Gorgeous tomatoes get the French treatment in the tarte tatin ($18), a vibrant savoury take on the traditional pastry dish. You’ll get stacked discs of flaky pastry and frittata heaped with smooshed cherry tomatoes, buttered onions and goat’s cheese, all given an intense douse of good balsamic. Bold and beautiful. Being in the family belt, a great little kids’ menu is also offered. franksmelbourne.com.au

Abacus Bar & Kitchen. Picture Rebecca Michael.

ABACUS

383 Chapel St, South Yarra. Ph: 9824 1026

Reviewer Megan Miller says: The day menu from Chris Connolly (ex-Top Paddock) looks supremely interesting. And it’s impressive to know the bread and pastries are cooked on site each morning in the pizza oven. Will be back for the wood-fired cauliflower ($18) with fried egg and horseradish and the buckwheat and chia crepes ($22) with saffron pear, berries and a Tim Tam crush. abacusbar.com.au

Green eggs and hamvocado at Hawthorn’s Shanklin Cafe. Picture Rebecca Michael.

SHANKLIN CAFE

500 Tooronga Rd, Hawthorn East. Ph: 9882 7549

Reviewer Simon Plant says: Chef Jimmy Wong keeps things Middle Eastern with baked eggs shakshuka ($20). Two poached eggs — well done — are lodged deep in a heavy black skillet, all but submerged in a bubbling brew of red pepper, tomato and chorizo. Our hot-to-touch serve was scattered with snow white goat’s cheese and freshly torn herbs. A triumph. Bizarre-sounding Nutella stuffed pancakes ($19) — bulging with strawberries, grilled banana and Oreo crumble — keep things sweet. shanklincafe.com.au

Bang Bang at The Rifle Club, Elsternwick

BANG BANG

294 Glen Huntly Rd, Elsternwick. Ph: 8692 2680

Reviewer Megan Miller says: Chef Matthew Dunbar (ex-Longrain) leads the kitchen, delivering bold pan-Asian dishes with French influence over several day and night menus, all ambitiously from 6am until well into the night. Of an evening, open with pork scratchings ($5), unctuous strips of fried naughtiness tempered with a green chilli and lime sauce. The salty snacks continue with crowd-pleasing chicken ribs ($15) encased in a super-crunchy spicy batter with a punchy house-made sriracha for dipping. Kids are well looked after, with the lamb bao burger with fries ($8) sure to appease junior diners. bangbang.com.au

Pure South Dining Downstairs. Picture: Tim Carrafa

PURE SOUTH

River level, 3 Southgate Ave, Southbank. Ph: 9699 4600

Reviewer Megan Miller says: The Southgate fixture since 2004 now seats 250 across two floors — fine dining upstairs and a lower level devoted to more casual all-day eating and drinking from breakfast to post-theatre tipples and cheese, all while retaining a focus on Tasmanian produce. puresouth.com.au

Hatter and the Hare is a quirky new cafe in Bayswater. Picture: Nicki Connolly

THE HATTER AND THE HARE

1/21 Scoresby Rd, Bayswater. Ph: 9720 5230

Reviewer Zoe Powel writes: Bayswater’s newest eatery is so popular the owners have had to negotiate more parking for customers and put on more staff. The cafe seats 160 people and is also a retail space for their creations. Among dishes served are The Jabberwocky’s Potion (potato waffle with confit salmon, beetroot textures, fennel and maple butter) and Down the Rabbit Hole (acai berry smoothie with granola, fresh seasonal fruit, callebaut cacao nibs and puffed grains). There are also burgers named after Tweedledee and Tweedledum. hhcafe.com.au

Boosa bringing the goods to Bentleigh East. Picture Andrew Tauber

BOOSA

716 Centre Rd, Bentleigh East. Ph: 9563 7885

Reviewer Megan Miller says: The Cauli Power ($17.50, right) is a must-order: a thickish slab of free-range spiced bacon with a fried egg, a tipped jar of tomato salad and three thick-shelled croquettes bursting with cauli goodness. Apply a side serve of dukkah at will. It’s a powerhouse brekkie and artfully presented. There’s also a brilliant kids’ menu. Little ones will especially love the egg and bacon rolls ($7) made with green and red buns coloured with spinach and beetroot. boosa.com.au

Mr Humble Eatery and Bar fires things up in Highett.

MR HUMBLE

6 Railway Pde, Highett. Ph: 9555 8812

Reviewer Simon Plant says: Seafood is another signature, from semolina-crusted calamari ($17) to aioli-drizzled crab and fennel croquettes ($13). Best of all are the woodfired baby prawns that course through a big plate of orecchiette pasta with chilli peas and zucchini lending vegetal ballast ($27). Nutella pizza ($13) with raw banana headlines the dessert list. Try the Burnt Pineapple ($13) instead, a quirky compound of coconut yoghurt, basil and pistachio that will bring the temperature down. mrhumble.com.au