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The latest name on the tip of everyone's tongue in this city is Duddell's, located in the floors above Shanghai Tang in their new Duddell street manse, was brought to us by the F&B wunderkind team who are also responsible for favorites such as The Press Room group, Jia Boutique Hotels, Duecento Otto & 22 Ships.

Duddell's 10,000 square foot interior, which is spread over two floors, was designed by the one and only Isle Crawford, who seems to be another favorite around here.

I finally stuck my head in yesterday and can say that the space is rather lovely, and surprisingly quite minimal. The lower level is a Cantonese-cuisine restaurant, while the upstairs bar / lounge area facing the lush looking 2,000 sq ft terrace has more of a private-club-like ambiance. In typical Crawford style all of the spaces are decorated with a mix of classic 20th C designs and apparently custom designed furniture.

In addition to the food and drinks on offer, the space doubles as a space to showcase local art.  They apparently have plans to launch a continuous programme of talks, performances, film screenings and other events and there’s also talk of a rotating, guest-curated exhibition programme, and rumours Ai Weiwei may be a possibility to take on that task.

I think this might become the new regular haunt for dim sum and drinks with out of town guests!

I had a great trip back home. Melbourne is a fantastic city, visually beautiful (except some of the fugly looking new developments) and lots going on. In lieu of a more lengthy post (I have so much work to catch up on,  you know how it goes)...I will leave you with a few recommendations for places I visited on this last trip. Mostly food this time...no time or funds for shopping unfortunately.

Firstly, Melbourne is known for its foodies and coffee afficionados. If you're a fan of Anthony Bourdain, like I am, you will already know this, as he has referred to the fact that all Melbournians are food critics (or at least we think we are!) so the quality is good and competition fierce.

I had time in the CBD on my own for an afternoon and asked a friend to recommend a great coffee place and these were his recommendations - Patricia and Little Wish. I only made it to Patricia...and was not disappointed. In a city where Starbucks is failing miserably, good coffee is fairly abundant. There are obviously a few that stand out from the crowd and I dare say this is one of them.  With an almost hidden entrance at the back, and probably always packed with uber cool young things, Patricia certainly serves up a mighty fine coffee. And the interior isn't too bad either ;)



I had breakfast at The St Kilda Dispensary one morning with friends and loved it. I am a bit of a sucker for nice decor and have been known to sacrifice quality of food and service for a nice interior...but you needn't do that with this place. Set in an historical building (actually the first medical dispendary in the British empire, hence the name) with a fun but not too kitsch interior, and a menu to die for. Great coffee and a selection of interesting and not-so-usual breakfast items. I would definitely go back.


Finally, I enjoyed a wonderful meal with a large group of friends at Otsumami, a Japanese resto on the ever changing and newly hip High Street in Northcote. It must have been good...it managed to get a bunch of strict south-of-the-river Melbournites north of the river for the night! I loved their slightly fusion version of Japanese, and the fact that they managed to please a vegetarian and a pescatarian.  Pretty well priced too.


That's it for now. Thanks to all the lovely people who made the trip a memorable one. You know who you are...

One of the many finished projects featured in the book is the somewhat recently completed Shàng-Xí restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel, Shanghai. Its a good example of the level of detail and refinement in their designs and the selection of unusual and luxurious materials.  Its been forever since I was last in Shanghai, and its definitely on my list of places to return...so I might just have to make a special trip to check this place out...



 

  

And now, for the best and most important part....the food!  My husband and I are big fans of the sister restaurant, The Drawing Room, so if you have eaten there and liked it, you will love AMMO.  Local celebrity chef and restaurateur Tony Cheng, together with his mentor, Chef Roland Schuller from The Drawing Room had a vision to serve simple, elegant and affordable cuisine with unpretentious service. They want guests to enjoy the salubrious surroundings without the fussiness and stuffiness associated with other fine dining establishments. I think they have succeeded!  

We were served a selection from the Tapas menu and everything was amazing.  We went back for 2nds, 3rds, and after that it just got embarrassing but we went back for more anyway. I'm not normally a fan of Foie Gras, but even than was delicious. 





All I can say is, I'm glad my birthday is coming up soon so I don't have to wait too long for an occasion to go back. Its just that good.

I had the pleasure just last week of dining with a good friend and my hubby at the fairly new restaurant / bar Lily + Bloom. The designers, New York based firm AvroKO, have filled the space with lots of quirky details, including a private humidor behind a secret door, and a private smoking room (the "Blind Pig" room, see last image) that's also hidden, behind not just one, but two hidden doors! A short guided tour by the Manager of the establishment revealed many other details, and little surprises (including the bathrooms, but you need to go see them yourself!)...so if you're in the neighbourhood and haven't already, go check it out!





Oh, and the food, service and cocktails aren't bad either...

While searching for inspiration during the week for a new project I'm working on I found these images of the fairly new Gilles & Boissier designed "La Villa" restaurant and bar in Paris. It was about this time 4 years ago I was last in Paris, celebrating my birthday. While I may not have immediate plans to get back there, I think I'll be quite happy doing some armchair travel while checking out the rest of the images on the website. The interior is simply breathtaking, and I'm completely in love with the colour palette! Hope you enjoy...