Melbourne is one of my favourite places to visit, and it seemed crazy that I hadn’t been there since 2012. I love that there are always your old favourite places to revisit, and always plenty of new ones too. While this was only a very quick trip, I was excited to try some of the new restaurants that have popped up in the meantime. This time I was travelling with my housemate K – a girly trip full of food, shopping, cocktails and exploring. So here’s a collection of photos from my iPhone and camera of some of my favourite things that we ate.

Do you follow Doughboys on Instagram? You really should. I definitely knew that these doughnuts were something I had to try. Doughboys are available at several cafes around Melbourne, but I visited their main outpost at the Mercat Cross Hotel and got three to take home – Blue Roast, Butterscotch and Bullseye, which ended up being our favourite. You can also get a ‘Doughsundae’ with a scoop of Gelato Messina. Please please open up in Sydney!

Doughboys Doughnuts, 456 Queen St Melbourne

Also at the Mercat Cross Hotel I was happily surprised to find Fancy Hank’s BBQ sharing the large light-filled space upstairs. I immediately wished I was hungrier or with a group of friends to allow me to try more of the meats on offer, and maybe some cocktails too. But I couldn’t pass up the ‘Fancy Sanga’ with brisket, cheese, onion, pickles, mustard and sauce. I loved the barbeque sauce that I believe has a hint of coffee and the spicy mustard was perfect with the meat. And then I went back to the hotel to take a nap.

Fancy Hanks BBQ Joint, 456 Queen St Melbourne

I ended up at Supernormal not once, but twice. The first night I was dining solo and the staff were amazing, seating me at the bar and explaining that the kitchen could do half serves of any of the mains or desserts so I didn’t miss out on trying anything. It turned a potentially awkward dinner alone into a really special one. I loved it so much that I dragged K back there the next night to try two dishes I’d wished I’d ordered! The Prawn and chicken dumplings were quite simply, some of the best that I’ve ever had. I loved the chilli vinegar sauce. I wish I could buy it in a bottle and put it on everything I eat.

We also had the Slow cooked szechuan lamb with spring onion pancakes and coriander paste, which was so delicious. The sauce was spicy and flavoursome and the meat just fell apart perfectly. A great dish to share. All of the desserts sounded incredible and I had a hard time choosing. The first night I tried the Fried custard with ginger syrup, but the people next to me had the Peanut butter parfait with salted caramel and soft chocolate and it looked amazing so I had to try it the next time. It is a classic combination of flavours that is so popular for a reason. It was a rich dessert but I enjoyed every spoonful. Definitely put Supernormal on the list for your next trip to Melbourne!

Supernormal, 180 Flinders Lane Melbourne

My sole mission the next morning was to find coffee and doughnuts. At Shortstop, the coffee comes only ‘black’ or ‘white’ and I appreciated this simplicity in the age of 15 word coffee orders! As for the doughnuts, I tried the Coconut Lemon Meringue and Earl Grey glazed doughnuts, which were both almost perfect – super fresh, with fantastic unique flavours. Melbourne doughnut game is very strong, and Sydney definitely has some catching up to do.

Shortstop Coffee & Doughnuts, 12 Sutherland St Melbourne

Chapel Street Bazaar was heaven for the vintage obsessed, housing everything from clothes to records to typewriters to toys and so much glorious retro kitchenware. I wanted to move in! Even though I wanted to buy everything and bring it home in a large truck, I was quite restrained and picked up a few special pieces that I’m sure you’ll see in my posts soon. K bought some great vintage handbags!

Chapel Street Bazaar, 217 Chapel St, Prahran

One of my favourite meals of the trip was at Kong BBQ, by the creators of Chin Chin (which is coming to Sydney!!). Korean food and BBQ are both so on trend at the moment, and this fusion is popular for a reason. We wanted a way to try as much as possible, so this Bossam BBQ Tray made perfect sense – pulled chicken and pork, pork belly and beef brisket with lettuce, pickles, zucchini kimchi and walnut ssamjang. You can make your own lettuce wraps with any combination of meat and condiments that you like. So so good, and definitely worth a visit!

Kong BBQ, 599 Church St Richmond