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The cafe is a blend of vintage milk bar touches and contemporary design.

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Your March hit list: Hot, new and just-reviewed places to check out, right now

Eastern European comfort food, new-look pubs with old-school charm, milk bar cafes and monochrome ice-cream (yes, really). Here’s where to eat in Melbourne (and beyond) this month.

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The pub’s central U-shaped bar.
13/20

The rebooted Albion Hotel ticks all the pub boxes (and adds a few more)

  • Besha Rodell
Honey butter toast with creme caramel on top.

Honey-butter toast meets creme caramel at Bola Bake, a hidden gem near the airport

  • Dani Valent
Greyscale, an artwork of grey ice-cream at M Pavilion Melbourne.

Grey ice-cream exists in Melbourne. Is it awful or amazing?

  • Emma Breheny
The burger with molten raclette at Pony, Armadale.
14/20

Saddle up for this cult-worthy cheeseburger at sunny new wine bar Pony

  • Besha Rodell
The walls at Eat Pierogi Make Love are decorated with colourful pop-art Polish posters.
14/20

Great-value venue Eat Pierogi Make Love brightens up Eastern European delights

  • Besha Rodell
The bones of the 1860s building remain, softened by creative touches.

Filipino restaurant Askal brings something new and exciting to the table

  • Tomas Telegramma
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Esterhazy cake with walnut meringue and lemon buttercream.

Sink your teeth into eastern European comfort food and cake at Cafe Transylvania

  • Dani Valent
Pork cotoletta joins a host of other Italian fillings at Saluministi.

What the focaccia? Six hot new Italian sandwich shops to add to your hit list

  • Tomas Telegramma
Servers lift the blinds to deliver dishes to solo diners.

Have a hot date with a hotpot at WeLive 2.0, a solo dining sanctuary in the city

  • Dani Valent
Underground bar and restaurant Castlerose promises to be an escape.

Underground supper club Castlerose is an old-school charmer in South Melbourne

  • Emma Breheny
Olivier Chan-Chan has given up accounting to follow in his family’s footsteps.

Ginger Snap, Motte and the Library Bakery join Melbourne’s bakery scene

  • Emma Breheny
Ronin chef-owner Patrick Kwong isn’t afraid to break a few rules with his first restaurant.

Rule-breaking omakase pop-up Ronin is now a permanent restaurant in the city

  • Emma Breheny
Salted calamari, seasoned rice, Geraldton wax.
14/20

Our Korean-Australian food scene is utterly unique, and Doju is no exception

  • Dani Valent
Wall Two 80 in Balaclava.
14/20

Melbourne icon Wall Two 80 celebrates 25 years and seven million lattes

  • Dani Valent
Nevedya cafe in Upwey.

Teepee, ‘stress-reducing’ coffee: Nevedya is not your usual Melbourne cafe

  • Dani Valent
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Ravnish Gandhi with his parents Jaspal and Arvind Gandhi.

Melbourne Indian hospitality royalty open bigger, brighter bayside restaurant Southall

  • Emma Breheny
The Walrus wine bar in St Kilda.

Colourful new St Kilda wine bar the Walrus isn’t afraid to break the rules

  • Emma Breheny
The cafe is a blend of vintage milk bar touches and contemporary design.

Pascoe Vale milk bar cafe Emil’s has RecipeTin Eats’ seal of approval

  • Emma Breheny
East Handy Bar’s paean to the Chiko roll features chop suey and Keen’s mustard.

Bairnsdale’s East Handy Store reinvents the Chiko Roll (plus four more repurposed milk bars to try)

  • Richard Cornish
Samesyn

New-look, low-waste Torquay restaurant Samesyn bans cling film and printed menus

  • Emma Breheny
Sporting memorabilia is part of the old-school charm in the design.

Classic Geelong pub the Petrel Hotel gets a hip Melbourne-style makeover

  • Emma Breheny
Le Bouchon French restaurant is a local favourite in Balnarring.

The secret’s out Le Bouchon, a French charmer on the Mornington Peninsula

  • Dani Valent
Buxton trout is dressed with ginger and spring onions, Cantonese-style.

Newcomers Re’em, Songbird and Tarra will change the way you think about regional dining

  • Emma Breheny

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p5f8vb