Smooch Food: Love Letters to Every Bite

Betty's Burgers, Melbourne Location: 97 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Betty's Classic Burger ($14.50 AUD), Regular Fries ($6.50 AUD), Caramel Shake ($6.80 AUD) Note: Prices are in AUD. Verdict: A simple, really good burger made with quality Australian beef and fresh lettuce and tomatoes. I think it beats Grill'd, and the bare, no-bun version works great too. For Tuesday dinner, we decided to try Betty's Burgers on Elizabeth Street, and we both ordered Betty's Classic. The only difference? I got mine bare, with no bun, wrapped in crisp lettuce instead. It's so good. The Betty's Classic ($14.50) is a simple burger done well: a juicy, well-seared patty of high quality Australian beef, melty cheese, fresh crisp lettuce and juicy tomato. I think it's better than the Simply Grill'd I had at Grill'd, the office's go-to for burger team lunches , when I was here in 2024. ...

Luke's Banh Mi and Project Zero, Melbourne Luke's Location: 518 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Project Zero Location: 276 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: No. 1 Luke's Pork 'n Pork Banh Mi ($12.50 AUD), Iced Matcha Latte from Project Zero Note: Prices are in AUD. Verdict: A perfect baguette stuffed with lemongrass pork and crackling pork, with sauces I loved. Messy in the best way. For lunch, we grabbed banh mi. I'm eating my way through Southeast Asian cuisines, and I realized I hadn't had any Vietnamese food in Melbourne yet. My colleagues said Luke's is the best, so that's where we went. I wasn't sure what to get, so I ordered the No. 1 Luke's Pork 'n Pork ($12.50). The crusty baguette is perfect, and it's stuffed with fragrant lemongrass pork and crispy crackling pork, along with tangy pickled carrot, fresh cucumber and coriander. I love the sauces. I'm wea...

Cafe Andiamo, Degraves Street, Melbourne Location: 36-38 Degraves St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Items: Bacon and Egg Muffin, Reuben Sandwich, Mocha, Flat White Note: No prices were displayed in the display case. Verdict: Okay food and a bit of a tourist-trap feel, but a handy spot for breakfast before 7:00 AM, when few cafés are open. Happy Tuesday! We walked down the famous Degraves Street early this morning. It's one of Melbourne's best-known laneways, famous for its European-style café culture, with little cafés and outdoor seating tucked into the lane just steps from Flinders Street Station. We were looking for a café that was open before 6:30 AM, and only three were. We decided on a quick breakfast at Cafe Andiamo. We ordered much the same as yesterday's breakfast at LØCO Coffee Specialty . I had my usual mocha, and hubby had a flat white. Cafe Andiamo uses Dimattina Coffee. ...

Ponyfish Island, Melbourne Location: Under the Evan Walker Bridge, on the Yarra River, Melbourne, Australia Featured Items: Pony Tuna Sandwich ($17 AUD), Margherita Pizza ($15 AUD on Mondays, normally $26 AUD) Note: Prices are in AUD. Verdict: The Pony Tuna is the better pick. The pizza is just alright, but the riverside seating and the breeze make this a lovely spot. I'm still pretty jetlagged, so after work we decided to have a quick dinner at Ponyfish Island. It's a bar under the Evan Walker Bridge, and you get to enjoy a meal right on the same level as the Yarra River. We ordered the Margherita Pizza because it's only $15 on Mondays (normally $26), and since I needed fish, I also got the Pony Tuna ($17). It's basically a tuna salad sandwich with crunchy onion, tangy dill pickles, creamy secret mayo, juicy tomato and melty Swiss cheese, served on toasted bread with a side of crispy potato chips. I prefer the Pony Tuna. The pizza is just al...

Roti Bar, Melbourne CBD Location: 416-418 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia Featured Item: Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang ($20.50 AUD) Saturday Special: Banana Leaf Rice, 14 dishes with free refills ($22.90 AUD), every Saturday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM Note: Prices are in AUD. Verdict: Perfect. Meltingly tender beef rendang, spicy sambal and a runny egg, all soaked up by the coconut rice. I need to come back. It's my first day at work in Melbourne, and I'm so happy to be here. For lunch, we headed to Roti Bar. We have good Malaysian cuisine in Vancouver , but each time I try a Southeast Asian restaurant in Melbourne, I realize how much better the food can be. I ordered the Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang ($20.50), and it's perfect. The beef is so tender, but the real winner is mixing everything together: the fiery sambal, the runny golden egg, and the fragrant rice soaking up all that saucy goodness. ...