Eat here before everyone else does

Plus my pick of new Melbourne restaurants worth the hype

Over the last month or so I’ve been dining out. A lot.

As much as I love filming MasterChef, it feels oh-so-good to have my finger on the pulse, my fork on the plate. I’ve eaten curiously and booked hot new tables, simply because I can. So in today’s newsletter, I want to share six Melbourne restaurants with you. Two have been completely overlooked and are worth going to now, before everyone else catches on. The other four are my picks of places that already have people talking, but are worth your time and money because they’re unique in some way and achieve exactly what they set out to do.

While I have you, if you have a hot tip on somewhere I should check out, don’t hesitate to let me know. I love a local favourite, no matter how far it is from my home.

Sincerely, Sofia x

Restaurants worth the hype

Sagye, CBD

If there’s one thing I hate about Melbourne dining, it’s queuing. Which is why, when I finished a photoshoot in the CBD at 11am, I suggested an early lunch at Sagye. This new Korean spot is making social media waves for being Melbourne’s first dedicated gomtang restaurant, specialising in slow-simmered beef broth perfect for these cooler months. It’s surprisingly clean and delicate, served in imported bronzeware made by a century-old family business. The standard bowl bobs with wagyu brisket, shank and chuck-eye roll, but upgrade for gelatinous tendon — it makes it. The broth, rice and house kimchi are all refillable. Sagye is the second venue from Levi Eun, who has Ondo around the corner. FYI, Ondo serves wholesome Korean lunch sets and is just a three minute walk away if Sagye has a long line.

250 Russell Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/sagye_melb

Roma, CBD

In my not-so-humble opinion, there are two things that make Roma special: the fact that every staff member in the restaurant has been in hospitality for at least a couple of decades, and a dedicated offal menu. Brought to you by hospitality heavyweights Con Christopoulos (see most of Spring Street’s restaurants and beyond), Giovanni Patane (formerly Supermaxi), and chef Matt Wilkinson (Pope Joan), it’s been a very long time since Melbourne scored an Italian restaurant this exciting. The room is polished without losing character: green marble, checkerboard stone tiled floors, vintage Italian furniture and white tablecloths.

The frattaglie (offal) section of the menu pays homage to Quinto Quarto, Rome’s Fifth Quarter in Testaccio, a working-class district known for its slaughterhouses and traditional trattorias. I can vouch for the liver, pork mince and chestnut meatballs; along with coratella d’abbacchio con cipolle (lamb heart, lung and liver with onion). The fish head soup for two is a less meaty way to start the meal, while pasta spans nettle ravioli to paccheri with chicken livers and mushroom. Osso buco here is robust, glossy and particularly warming on a winter’s night. Though don’t let that stop you from ordering exquisite house-made gelato to finish. Top tip: you can also visit Roma for a simple breakfast on the terrace. Bellissimo.

120 Collins Street, Melbourne, romamelbourne.com.au

Udon Izakaya Tanukiya, Fitzroy

With 20 years of ramen expertise under his belt, you’d think Fujio Tamura, owner of Misoya Sake Bar and Ramen Shouyuya Sake Bar (both Brunswick), might add a third ramen restaurant to his line-up. Instead, he opened Udon Izakaya Tanukiya, a 24-seat izakaya in Fitzroy specialising in kamaage udon. It’s a traditional dish of thick and chewy udon noodles served directly from the water they’re boiled in. You can choose to enjoy them hot or cold, and they come with dashi broth for dipping, sliced spring onion, wasabi and ginger, sesame seeds, your choice of side dish (I went with karaage fried chicken) and Japanese tea. The sets range from $25 to $35, or you can get single bowls of udon from $21. Come evening, izakaya-style dishes such as made-to-order maki sushi, sashimi, wagyu and ochazuke are available.

256 Johnston Street, Fitzroy, udontanukiya.com.au

Little Rose, Fitzroy

Everywhere Rosheen Kaul goes, I will follow. I’ve been a huge fan of her flavour-packed cooking since she was a baby head chef at Etta in Brunswick. Little Rose is her current residency alongside cocktail master, Joe Jones (do not leave without ordering a cocktail, I insist). Rosheen is serving food with French bistro bones and Asian sensibility, with her steadfast loyalty to “yumminess”. I adored the saucisse de porc, a soft Andouillette-inspired sausage enriched with liver, pork shoulder and slow-cooked skin, served in a piquant puddle of mustard sauce. A decadent pomme puree with Suzhou crab sauce (crab roe and claw meat) was another highlight, as was snapper and prawn quenelles de brochet, spiced up with a hotpot-esque crayfish and Sichuan bisque. Book before the pop-up pops down (I have it on good authority that it may or may not be extending past the official July 5 end date).

274 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, littlerosefitzroy.com

The restaurants everyone missed