Top Eats

Melbourne is known as Australia's culture capital and boasts some of the best cuisine, possibly in the world. While some of it comes with a hefty price tag ('Top 50 Restaurants in the World's Attica to name just one) you're bound to find some quality eats for student prices. Just about every suburb in Melbourne has a local pub that serves up a classic local favorite known as the Chicken Parma, but if that's not fancy enough for your liking I've listed some of my favorite places around town:

• Chin Chin - Contemporary Asian fusion ($$$)
  
  Chin Chin has grown into a local institution with a waiting list of up to 2 hours or more. They don't take reservations so it's first-in-best-dressed. The good news is that they can tell you how long the wait will be, put your name on the list and send you a text when a table is ready. In the meantime you can hit up some of the local cocktails bars for a pre dinner drink, but don't drink too much, you'll want to leave room for your meal. If your budget permits you must order the ‘Feed Me’ menu. It will cost you around $70 excluding drinks but you will basically be delivered a tasting sample of a good portion of the menu, and no joke, you won't have room for anything else after you're done. This restaurant single-handedly puts the battle of quality vs quantity to bed by delivering both.
  
  
  
• Rockwell & Sons - Burgers & snacks ($$)
  
  This would possibly be the best burger in Melbourne. Yes, better than Mr Scruffs, 8-bit, Andrews Burgers, Mr Easy’s and that other favorite in South Melbourne. The buns are soft and the whole burger just melts in your mouth. The Crispy bacon is as brittle as slate with a nice fresh crunch. The down side of these burgers though is that they're just not quite as 'hearty' as Andrew's of South Melbourne so in order to reach that same level of food coma you may need to order a second round.
  
  
  
• Royale Brothers - Burgers & Snacks ($$)
  
  If you’re looking for a more substantial burger than Rockwell’s (because to be honest you probably need two at Rockwell & Sons to fill you up) Royale Brothers (part of the Pantry café) in Church Street, Brighton makes some real quality burgers, probably my favourite in Melbourne, though I’m yet to get down to Dandenong Pavilion and the Trailer Park.
  
  
  
• Maha - Contemporary Australian ($$$)
  
  For a more pricey and special occasion Maha wil tantelise your tastebuds, it’ll probably set you back well over $100 but it’s delicious and they really can cater for your dietry requirements without any prior notice.
  
  
  
• New Bay - Pub ($$)
  
  Now I mentioned the famous Chicken Parma and it wouldn't be fair if I didn't at least list one place that dished up a decent one. I mean, it's the type of 'you-can't-go-wrong' dish, but sometimes you just want exceptional quality. The New Bay Hotel down Brighton way has (last time I checked) a $15 Pot and Parma night; as do most pubs but perhaps it's a little out of the way for you. If you're after something closer to the CBD, South Melbourne's Palmerston Hotel uses fresh chicken breast (not the processed stuff) in a home-style Chicken Parma that sure is quality.

Photo gallery