<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/guestposts/JunJul2010/melb.jpg" alt="Melbourne - what a beautiful city" width="400" height="160" /></p>
<p style="text-align:center;"><strong><em>melbourne, australia</em></strong></p>
<em>( Please welcome my Aussie mate Dave to this weeks pool of guest posters. A serious food lover, fantastic photographer and excellent writer ).</em>

You don't know me.  My name is David and I am a friend of the famous and ever delightful <a href="http://www.cravenmaven.com">Craven Maven</a>.  This is my first guest post for her, so I'd better give you the down low on myself before I waffle away.

I live in <a href="http://www.visitmelbourne.com/">Melbourne</a>, Australia.  I love to travel, biking, photography, writing and cooking.  I am also the guy who offers the last tasty morsel at a dinner party, but deep inside hopes that the other person will say “No thanks” so I can eat it myself (just being honest).

I met the Craven Maven through mutual friends in NYC in 2009.  We quickly found that we both had a real love of all things tasty and creative.

Though I was born and bred in Australia, my decendancy has roots in <a href="http://www.mauritius.net/index.php">Mauritius</a>, <a href="http://www.seychelles.travel/en/home/index.php">Seychelles</a> and Eastern Europe with a little German and French thrown in the mix.  You can only imagine the culinary delights spread out on the table when the extended family gathered together.  Add Melbourne's melting pot of cultures, sports obsession and style and you find the source of my creative fascinations.

With this in mind, I thought it appropriate to give you a brief run down on my city as a gastronomical travel destination.

Melbourne is fashionable, eclectic and eccentric.  It's a multicultural city gifted with more than just a sampling of the world’s great cuisines.  It is flooded with high quality cafes and restaurants, so you're always guaranteed to find something appealing to your palate.  In fact, there are more restaurants in Melbourne than days of the year!
<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/guestposts/JunJul2010/ChinatownNewQuay.jpg" alt="Chinatown and New Quay" width="350" height="370" />
<em><strong>chinatown (top), new quay, (bottom)</strong></em></p>
If you travel a little out of the city you can further explore the variety of Melbourne’s specialist eating destinations.  <a href="http://www.visitmelbourne.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.0000B336-73F1-1A6F-BFCD80C476A90000/">Richmond</a> offers cheap and cheerful Vietnamese dishes, <a href="http://www.visitmelbourne.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.00045DAB-5BD8-1A6E-A1D280C476A90000/">Lygon Street</a> serves up Italian classics, <a href="http://www.visitmelbourne.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.0004133B-65E0-1A6E-A1D280C476A90000/">Fitzroy</a> is where you go for tantalising Spanish tapas and Indian, <a href="http://www.visitmelbourne.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.00010DD8-5F02-1A59-80DA80C476A90000/">Chinatown</a> prepares tasty dumplings, and <a href="http://www.visitmelbourne.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.000AC0B0-37B0-1EC4-89A580C476A90000/">New Quay</a>'s offers fusion cuisine by the water.
<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/guestposts/JunJul2010/lilcreaturesspicemarket.jpg" alt="Little creatures and spice market" width="400" height="953" />
<strong><em>little creatures, (top and middle images), spice market (bottom)</em></strong></p>

“Coffee anyone?” Drinking coffee is more than a ritual for Melbournians.  Rooted in European heritage, cafes line the cobblestone laneways, filling with air with the aroma of roasting coffee beans.  You can also people watch in the lively <a href="http://www.visitmelbourne.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.95E991E1-3239-4B05-84798BD396B2D262/">laneway</a> cafés and bars, handpick a bottle wine at the latest über-chic hangout like <a href="http://www.spicemarket.net.au/">Spice Market</a> or enjoy tea in the calm and rustic surroundings of a nineteenth-century hotel. If a more casual affair is to your liking, you can sink a few beers with friends, listen to live music or play some pool in one of Melbourne’s pubs like <a href="https://www.littlecreatures.com.au/">Little Creatures</a>.
<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/guestposts/JunJul2010/Koko_Black_.jpg" alt="Koko Black" width="400" height="268" />
<strong><em>Koko Black's sweet treats</em></strong></p>
For the sweet tooth, you can't pass on <a href="http://www.kokoblack.com.au/">KokoBlack</a>.  Watch the chocolatiers as they work with couverture to create an array of decadent creations, from hand-crafted chocolates to jewel coloured lollies.  Alternatively sink your teeth into some gelato or a delightful pastry from <a href="http://www.brunetti.com.au/Default.aspx">Brunetti</a>'s.

Here are some of my favourite hot spots:
<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/guestposts/JunJul2010/gingerboyEP.jpg" alt="Gingerboy and emerald peacock" width="400" height="635" />
<strong><em>ginger boy (top), emerald peacock (bottom)</em></strong></p>
•	<a href="http://www.gingerboy.com.au/">Gingerboy </a>– Singaporean, Cantonese and Thai cuisine served in a darkly sexy and very cool environment
•	<a href="http://www.brunetti.com.au/Default.aspx">Brunetti</a> – A truly authentic roman pasticceria
•      <a href="http://www.theemeraldpeacock.com/">Emerald Peacock</a> – A retro dining, cocktail bar and sophisticated rooftop lounge
<p style="text-align:center;"><img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.remain-silent.com/cm/guestposts/JunJul2010/movidameccah.jpg" alt="Movida and meccah" width="400" height="500" />
<strong><em>moVida (top), meccah bar (bottom)</em></strong></p>
•	<a href="http://www.kokoblack.com.au/">KokoBlack</a> – An intense chocolate expereince
•	<a href="http://movida.com.au/hosier.html">MoVida</a> – Tapas and wine bar
•	<a href="http://www.meccabah.com/melb/index.html">Meccah Bar</a> – Stylish Middle Eastern cuisine

As you can see, with all these options, it can be hard to make a choice. If you find yourself in Oz, come and experience Melbourne.  You won't be disapointed.

In the future I plan to share reflections on food and travel that will leave you salivating and ready to pack your bags.  So until next time, bon apetit and hooroo (Australian for goodbye).

<em>all images via establishments listed</em>

<strong><em>cm note: This is great stuff! It makes me want to do a gastro-tour of melbourne!</em></strong>