Melbourne Restaurant Critic (2026)

16/04/2025

~ Okami restaurant Narre warren ~

All you can eat

Overall Rating
8/10

08/04/2025

~ The Hill Restaurant Bar & Cafe ~

Entree :
GRILLED OCTOPUS
Lamb ribs

Mains:
ATLANTIC SALMON
Schnitzel with garlic prawns

Overall Rating:
7/10

25/03/2025

~ Berwick Pub ~

Starter: Chips with Sauce

Starter Rating: We opted for a simple starter, choosing chips accompanied by mayo and tomato sauce. Additionally, we selected béarnaise sauce and garlic butter as extras. Our rating for this dish is 8/10.

Main Course: Scotch Fillet Steak and Fish and Chips

Main Course Rating:

The Steak:
Cooked to our desired level, the steak was served with a side of vegetables and potato gratin, accompanied by a peppercorn sauce. All components of the dish were satisfactory, and we were pleased with the overall flavor profile.

The Fish and Chips:
Featuring beer-battered market fish, we noted a unique flavor profile, which led us to believe the fish was freshwater-based. Although it did not meet our expectations, we still consumed the dish. It would have been beneficial to know the specific fish species. The accompanying vegetables were tasty. We rated the main course 7.5/10.

Overall Rating: We were eager to visit this establishment, having undergone recent renovations. The venue's appearance is significantly improved, particularly the revamped beer garden. We anticipate this location would be thriving on a Friday evening. Our overall rating is 8/10.

Note: As this venue utilizes a QR code ordering system, we did not provide a service rating.

12/03/2025

~ Ming Court Chinese Restaurant ~

Entree: Spicy and salty calamari & Sesame prawn toast

Comments: Both dishes were exceptionally good; the chef demonstrated outstanding presentation skills with the calamari, which boasted a strong garlic flavor that enhanced the taste and added uniqueness. It was the best calamari I have had in a while.
The prawn toast was remarkably larger than the typical serving, dishes arrived piping hot.

Entree overall rating: The entree overall rating was 9/10.

Sides: Duck soup & Chicken and sweet corn soup

Comments: The duck soup was truly exceptional. Upon arrival, I anticipated a shark fin soup-like consistency with small strands of duck, but instead, it contained generous pieces and tasted exquisite. The chicken and sweet corn soup was an overwhelming success, served hot and clearly cooked fresh.

Main: Sizzling Mongolian beef & Duck with combination

Comments: Tonight, I opted for duck-heavy dishes, and I am thrilled with my choice. What a dish! Honestly, I am eager to return tomorrow. All dishes arrived piping hot, and the sizzling Mongolian beef literally arrived sizzling on a hot plate. I did not anticipate how exceptional both dishes would be, and they were generously portioned. It makes a significant difference when food arrives at the table hot, rather than warm or cold. We were thoroughly satisfied.

Main overall rating: A solid 9/10.

Desert: Deep-fried ice cream

Comments: It arrived on fire and tasted amazing. Any dish presented with fire consistently scores high with us.

Desert rating: 9/10

Service: The service was good. Our server was pleasant, had a smile, and served us well, although we did not engage in much conversation he did a good job

Service rating: 7.5/10

Overall rating: Wow, I must emphasize the importance of not judging anything unless you try it. There were numerous negative reviews for this restaurant, and, to be honest, we felt apprehensive about visiting. However, the food here surpassed any restaurant we have visited so far. Although it is not the most luxurious establishment, the presentation, the fact that everything arrived piping hot, and the exceptional food quality were all noteworthy. There were not many patrons present, possibly due to it being a Wednesday night. We cannot believe the exceptional food quality. Wow.
We give this place a 9/10.
THE DUCK SOUP!🙌

06/03/2025

~ Piccolino Italian Restaurant ~

Entree: ARANCINI Balls & CALAMARI

Comments: The arancini balls were crafted with wild mushroom arancini, served with truffle confit garlic aioli and generously topped with parmesan cheese. The crust was crispy, and the filling was rich in flavour.

The calamari was lemon pepper flavoured, served with a rocket parmesan salad and a dark plum mayonnaise. Although it wasn’t served hot, the generous portion size was satisfying, and the sauce was exceptional.

Entree overall rating: 6.5/10

Main: POLO PASTA & AGNELLO PIZZA WITH A SIDE OF GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND ROSEMARY POTATOES

Comments: The polo pasta was expertly tossed with chicken, mushroom, porcini, and cream. This dish was of high quality, and its flavours were outstanding.

The agnello pizza was cooked to perfection in their pizza oven, showcasing exceptional quality. The combination of flavours, particularly the lamb, was outstanding.

Main overall rating: 7.5/10

Service: Upon arrival, we were promptly greeted and seated. After requesting a table change due to the initial table feeling cramped, we experienced a slight delay before being asked for our order. To avoid further delays, we ordered our entree, sides, and main course simultaneously. We didn’t have much interaction with the waitor as the venue was packed. We did notice a lack of communication like asking if we wanted to order more drinks and making sure everything was ok like the past restaurants
Overall service rating: 5.6/10

Overall review: Our overall rating is 6.5. Located on a busy road, parking may be challenging, so it’s advisable to allow extra time. While the food was satisfying, the vibe didn’t quite meet our expectations. The tables felt somewhat small, and although the pizza was highly recommended, the sides were standard, and the presentation of some dishes lacked finesse. However, the flavours were consistently great, and we would recommend this establishment, particularly for their exceptional pizza.

26/02/2025

~ Zeppo’s Italian restaurant ~

Entree: panko prawns and flaming saganski

Comments: The panko prawns were presented at the table flaming hot. Perfectly prepared, as a cold starter would have been disappointing. The flaming shaniski was exceptionally tasty, with a wow factor, served on fire and delivering great flavor.

Entree overall rating 9/10

Main: grilled Atlantic salmon & fettuccine garlic prawns

Comments: The Atlantic salmon was cooked to perfection, featuring crispy skin, charred broccolini, fried capers, lemon, and butter sauce, exactly as described on the menu. The presentation was flawless, with no room for improvement. While it lacked the flair of the entree, the dish was served to a high standard.

The fettuccine garlic prawns

Comments: This dish exceeded expectations, particularly given the high standards of an Italian restaurant. The sauce was expertly prepared, and the prawns were of high quality. The dish was faultless, and the chef deserves commendation.
Main overall rating: 8/10

Service: Regrettably, there was a delay in service, which was likely due to a demanding customer rather than a fault of the restaurant. The service was slower compared to other establishments, and the server attended to us less frequently than at previous restaurants. However, the server was pleasant and served with a smile when interacting with us.
Overall service rating 6.5/10

Overall review: Our overall rating is 8.5. The venue is well-designed, boasting a modern and fancy ambiance. It is evident that the owners have invested considerable effort into the restaurant. The establishment is well-maintained, with a sophisticated design and excellent cuisine. We highly recommend this restaurant.

19/02/2025

~ A CUT ABOVE BAR AND GRILL~

Entree: Calamari and Eye Fillet Tataki.

Comments: The calamari was well-presented, dusted with semolina, and served with an Asian slaw. While it was faultless, it was a standard calamari dish but wasnt lacking creativity.

The eye fillet tataki tasted great, with a standout spicy lemon dressing. The unique sauce was a welcome change from standard offerings. It was served with a 63˚C egg, sesame, spring onion, edamame, daikon, and pickled shallots.
Entree overall rating: 7/10.

Main: Wagyu Brisket and Lamb Shoulder.

Comments: The lamb shoulder was cooked to perfection, with tender, well-seasoned meat that melted in the mouth. The dish was presented well, with a roasted cauliflower hummus, sumac yoghurt, Kalamata olive puree, and a freekah, tomato, and cucumber salad. However, the dark sauce was met with mixed opinions.
The Wagyu brisket had a good smoked flavour, with perfectly cooked meat. The sauce was exceptional, with a unique flavour. The dish was served with corn bread, Adobo sauce, and sweetcorn salsa. The char-grilled corn bread enhanced the flavour.
Main overall rating: 8.2/10.

Dessert:
Dubai chocolate and kids' ice cream.

The Dubai chocolate was amazing, one of the best desserts ever had. The presentation was great, with a fancy appearance and exceptional taste. Highly recommended. It was served with chocolate pannacotta, crispy kataifi, pistachio tahini sauce, and a lime yoghurt ice cream.
The kids' ice cream was standard, with a nice taste.
Dessert overall rating: 9/10.

Service: 8/10. Our server was great, ensuring we were okay throughout. The food arrived quickly, with minimal waiting time.

Overall review: Our overall review is 8.3/10. The venue is top-notch, classy, and modern, with a high-class ambiance. We felt fancy and appreciated the upscale atmosphere. Will deffiently come here again

13/02/2025

Times Berwick

Entree: garlic bread with shredded Parmesan
Times Bruschetta
Rating 8.5/10

Comments: garlic bread well presented tasted great was cooked well very tasty
Bruschetta was well presented and was also tasty

Main: Mediterranean lamb and lobster risotto with a side of broccolini
Sauces of choice green peppercorn and mushroom
Sauce
Rating 9/10

Comments: the Mediterranean lamb was well presented and tasted absolutely amazing the lamb was cooked to perfection highly recommend

The lobster risotto was perfect the calamari just melted in your mouth was not tough at all the whole dish was great and filling

Service: the service was 9/10 the guy who was our waiter was great and brought a good vibe and kept coming to make sure we are ok

Overall review: our overall review is a 8/10
The place was well presented service was great. Food Was high quality and the serving size was big, the end price was exactly what we were expecting and there was no hidden extras. For the location of the restaurant parking was ok we found a park with out much effort but it is shared with diffeent shops so i would highly suggest to leave Time for parking. Did not expect the high quality of the food. (This was our first review so 10 is still considered as out of this world amazing and we havnt been to enough restaurants to no what a 10 is yet but this restaurant was amazing highly recommend)

Melbourne Restaurant Critic

16/04/2025

08/04/2025

25/03/2025

12/03/2025

06/03/2025

26/02/2025

19/02/2025

13/02/2025

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