?Following last week’s show I headed off to Hamilton for the night after I had been invited to check out local cafe/restaurant Tosca Browns and their new upstairs area, Blenheim Bar. Very impressive for regional Victoria, and a great reason to travel beyond the famous Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld.

Great food – steak tartare, smoked eel croquettes, buttermilk chicken. Great cocktails upstairs, and loved breakfast in the courtyard in the sun.

The Yaks Melbourne Barbecue Festival date and location have been announced. Last year, the Queen Victoria market was SMASHED, they could hardly handle the influx in people. So next February 6th it’ll move to Flemington Racecourse, including a competitive American-style cook-off. Tickets will be on sale from Thursday October 8. For details google Melbourne Barbecue Festival. 

Between Two Buns (burger pictured above) has opened in Pier St, Altona, joining Melbourne’s burger craze. What I love about this is that it’s another little burger joint with barely any seats … BUT, unlike some other places around town, you can take it away and actually eat it somewhere lovely (there’s a park across the road, or beautiful beach half a block away!).

Next weekend we;re off to the Mornington Peninsula to finally check out Port Phillip Estate, plus a lesser known winery I am taking a punt on (stay tuned) and doing my Grand Final Day gin masterclass at Bass and Flinders Distillery!