8 ways to fine dine in Melbourne for less

Chef-owner Clinton McIver of Armadale fine-diner Amaru and its ‘little sibling’ over the road, Auterra Wine Bar, has no blinkers on about the way people use his two venues. Amaru, with its multicourse tasting menus and sincere fine-dining flourishes, is for big special occasions, while the laidback Auterra is the sort of neighbourhood spot you’ll add to your weekly roster, whether just for a cocktail or glass of grower Champagne, or for something substantial enough to call dinner. The same Amaru-level produce and cooking is evident in every bite, from fish sandos with yuzu and organic lettuce, to prawn tacos.

There are multiple ways to explore the Florentino dining complex at the elegant end of Bourke Street. For full-throated fine dining, it has to be the Florentino Dining Room; white tablecloths, old-world Italian dishes and a mesmerising heritage mural that needs to be seen to be believed. There’s also Caffe Florentino on the ground floor, a more casual grill. But for a tiny taste with maximum ambience, head to the Cellar Bar for daily aperitivo hour. It’s got all the glamour of its more formal siblings but without the commitment. A plate of salumi and pickles sidling up beside a garibaldi? Why on Earth not?

If you go to Melbourne and you don’t spend some money at a venue run by Melbourne’s kitchen maestro, Andrew McConnell, then you’ve wasted a perfectly good plane ticket. The industry veteran, along with wife Jo McGann, simply knows how to create truly exceptional – and very Melbourne – restaurants. The jewel is Gimlet, housed inside an historic 1920s building. Fans come here to indulge in platters of vadouvan chicken, tableside tartare and one of the most extensive wine lists in the country. But from 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights, a suave ‘supper’ menu kicks in, best enjoyed at the bar. Order nothing more than a neat little plate of anchovy toast, paired with the restaurant’s eponymous cocktail, and your Melbourne moment is complete. 

_{Photo credit: Sharyn Cairns}

Arrive on the ground floor of Maison Bâtard and you’ll think yourself in a grand Parisian bistro: shimmering seafood on ice, and waiters rushing past with platters of steak frites and canard rôti. But whisk yourself up to the top floor and you’ll emerge in an airy, tiled terrace, anchored by the pretty fronds of a maple tree. There, you can sample the restaurant’s more low-key menu, which lends itself to the sunshine-dappled surrounds, along the lines of a club sandwich or salade niçoise. The smart money zeroes straight to the sub-$30 cheeseburger: it’s neat, craveable and smothered in remoulade. So chic.

_{Photo credit: Pete Dillon}