Featuring: Gaylord Indian, The Fishmonger’s Son, Al Dente…

MELBOURNE is managing well the ‘Covid-normal’ world in which we all exist. While the CBD slowly creeps back to a new way of operating – think gentle hum rather than its former chaotic buzz – dining rooms across our fair city are full, Melbourne diners are staying true to their reputation as lovers of good food, great wine and new venues and lovely stories are emerging from our very long lockdown in 2020.
After 35 years in Chinatown, Gaylord Indian restaurant has moved location to Melbourne’s Grand Hotel on Spencer Street with new owners and a fresh commitment to serving authentic Indian cuisine.
Business partners and best friends, Dharminder Singh (aka DJ) and Raj Singh took over the current business in January 2020 determined to bring authentic, regionally focused Indian food to Melbourne diners, although, like the rest of us, they had no idea what lay ahead in 2020 in terms of COVID19.
They’ve resettled into 2021 and have reset Gaylord in a Covid-safe way with a new menu and wine list.
The menu embraces all of India and its diverse flavours. Raj and DJ insist on traditional recipes. “If we don’t know a dish well from a particular region, we find someone from that region who can teach us. Sometimes it’s the mother, grandmother or aunty of someone who works with us, or the relative of a friend,” says DJ, “but it must be an authentic recipe, we don’t take shortcuts.”
The room is a vibrant rush of rich pinks and gold, with comfortable banquette seating and traditional Parchinkari artwork.
A succinct wine list is designed around aromatic whites and mostly light reds from Australia and New Zealand with a handful from Europe, to match the layers of spice and textures.
The menu includes dishes such as Dungar Chicken, Goat Nihari as well the perennially popular, homemade Samosa, Butter Chicken and Lamb Biryani. All breads are made in-house without egg and the team pride themselves on eschewing cliché and nostalgia to bring Melbourne a more evolved and fresh perspective on authentic Indian cuisine. Gaylord Indian; 33 Spencer St, Docklands. Phone (03) 9620 1286.
International visa-holder and Italian-born chef Andrea Vignali was stood down from his job at Melbourne institution Grossi Florentino, due to the national lockdown in 2020.
Not long after, Vignali launched his own pasta-delivery service called Al Dente from his apartment kitchen – and it quickly became one of Melbourne’s takeaway favourites.
Al Dente’s success was established in early 2021 when Vignali and his housemate Davide Bonadiman (also a former Florentino chef), opened Al Dente Enoteca: a restaurant, wine bar and shop. At Al Dente, the menu changes weekly (except for the spanner crab ravioli – a lockdown favourite – which remains a mainstay).

Aside from pasta, other dishes have included a marbled Wagyu flank with charred friggitelli and black garlic, and a playful nod to surf’n turf: grilled scallops topped with burnt onion and crisp pancetta.
For dessert there may be the torta sabbiosa; a soft sponge-like cake that originates from Lodi in northern Italy, Vignali’s birthplace. It’s a delicate, buttery and light citrus cake served with a brandy-splashed mascarpone custard.
Drinks are a nice mix of classic and contemporary with Italian and Australian wines, and cocktails include a riff on the classic Negroni as well as a yuzu-flavoured Highball.
Al Dente Enoteca; 161 Nicholson Street Carlton 3053 – no phone – www.aldenteenoteca.com
If you’re in Melbourne’s inner-north and are looking for an easy, delicious lunch then take away from The Fishmonger’s Son on Nicholson Street in Carlton North.
For the last three years, the shop has quietly been servicing the neighbourhood with their top quality and fresh seafood alongside an impressive range of speciality deli items.
Now, as they head into the new phase of their business, husband-and-wife duo Anthony Yotis and Laura di Florio Yotis have big plans for their seafood shop.
They are now offering a rotation of delicious freshly made fish sandwiches, including prawn rolls with a soy and mustard mayonnaise, shallots and gem lettuce; sashimi salmon sandwiches topped with smoked salmon and sashimi tuna sandwiches topped with hot smoked tuna sourced from the Melbourne Pantry and Port Lincoln Smokehouse. Available from Tuesday through to Saturday, they are only $12 a pop.
As well as the sandwiches, every Thursday and Friday, The Fishmonger’s Son have delicious nigiri and sashimi boxes for takeaway expertly prepared by their in-house sashimi chef Shiro. You have to be quick though, as the packs are normally sold out by lunchtime as customers snap them up.
With premium seafood, a selection of the best deli items and a team of friendly and knowledgeable staff, The Fishmonger’s Son will continue to cement itself as a one stop shop for not only locals but foodies and seafood lovers across the city.
The Fishmonger’s Son; 703 Nicholson St, Carlton North. Phone 0452 166 552.