Celebratory Dinners with Sylvia

Alyssa: I've been taking every opportunity to catch up with Sylvia when she's down in Melbourne for work, especially now that Sylvia's quitting her current job which means no more trips to Melbourne! We make an occasion out of her visits by trying out different restaurants in the name of research to critique Melbourne's eatery scene. It started with a hit and miss affair at Idea Fine Food & Wine restaurant located smack-bang in the middle of Chinatown. The food there was totally ordinary, contrary to the restaurant's claim and the Good Food Guide's recommendation. We upped the ante with the next restaurant at Mo Mo's, a fine dining Mediterranean experience. The food, although on the pricey side, was very delectable and the exotic Mediterranean/ Moroccan decor added to the ambience. We found the service impeccable (the waiting staff left us alone to yak the night away until closing time) and we ended the night very content as we nursed our bloated bellies home (or maybe that was just me). Our third 'date' was at Punchlane, a retro wine bar decorated with red leather seats and a contemporary modern Italian menu. It was a good thing I took photos of the food we ate because my memory has totally failed me! So much for the food critique. I look forward to my next catch up with Sylvia and will be very sad when her Melbourne trip comes to and end : (