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Besha Rodell

Chief restaurant critic

Besha Rodell is the anonymous chief restaurant critic for The Age and Good Weekend.

Pappardelle ripiene (pasta filled with Jerusalem artichoke) at Bar Olo.

‘Holy hell, this is good’: The seven best dishes our chief critic ate in 2024

After visiting hundreds of restaurants and sampling countless dishes, Besha Rodell looks back in hunger at the seven that rose above the pack.

  • Besha Rodell
Red velvet seats and timber panelling has helped transform a onetime bike shop into a rococo bordello.
Critics' Pick

‘Glammed-up bordello appeal’: Peek inside the southside bar where photos aren’t allowed

Come for the stellar French wine list and stay for the snacks at this exciting update to one of the city’s best-loved bistros.

  • Besha Rodell
Ardyn Bernoth at Di Stasio in Carlton.

‘Look at the magic’: Good Food editor Ardyn Bernoth signs off in signature colourful style

Good Food’s outgoing editor has spent much of her career observing the hospitality industry. Most recently she’s noticed the decline of the celebrity chef and the rise of the home cook.

  • Besha Rodell
Tortelli filled with asparagus, goat’s cheese and wild garlic sings of the fragility of seasons, food, life.
Good Food hat15/20

Eat it and weep: The pasta dish so good it brought our critic to tears

It’s been a decade of masterful pasta and good cheer from Tipo 00, the city Italian joint that’s become a Melbourne drawcard.

  • Besha Rodell
Peel back the lid of the chicken curry pot pie to reveal chunks of chook and vegetables.
Critics' Pick

He runs a two-hat city restaurant, so why is this chef serving pies?

The new project from Lee Ho Fook’s Victor Liong appears to have “affordable, healthy, and quick” as its watchwords.

  • Besha Rodell
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Ben Shewry at Attica.

We know Ben Shewry doesn’t like the Good Food Guide. And we don’t care

Ben Shewry wants his restaurant Attica dropped from the Guide. This is why it won’t be.

  • Besha Rodell
Greg Malouf at MoMo’s, the Melbourne basement restaurant where he was awarded two chefs’ hats.

Patient, kind and generous: Chef Greg Malouf’s enduring kitchen legacy

Before anyone had heard of Yotam Ottolenghi, this year’s Vittoria Coffee Legend Award winner was introducing Melburnians to Middle Eastern flavours.

  • Besha Rodell
Tzaki’s tiny kitchen produces pastries, coffee, wood-fired mezze and Greek-inspired cocktails.
14/20

Yarraville just became a whole lot cooler with this delicious slice of modern Greek dining

This all-day Greek cafe and no-bookings wine bar in Yarraville exudes cool. It helps, of course, that the food is fantastic.

  • Besha Rodell
Hacienda aims to remove itself from the taco crowd.
13.5/20

Is this new Mexican eatery the quality Southgate venue we’ve been waiting for?

Some of the food at this riverside restaurant left our critic giddy with excitement. But there were a few spills amid the thrills.

  • Besha Rodell
The glistening chicken ballotine is a stunning feat of technique and creativity.
14.5/20

Why did the critic cross the Carlton North road? To order this ‘utterly delicious’ chicken dish

An exciting Rathdowne Street newcomer Malin brings a freshness and exuberance that sets it apart from a crowded field.

  • Besha Rodell

Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/goodfood/by/besha-rodell-h29n0x