where's the best in 2018?

Youpo noodle from Lanzhou Beef Noodle Bar

We're a couple of weeks into 2019, and it's high time we reviewed our best eats of the past year and updated our where's the best? page accordingly. Every year there are closures to commemorate, and this year we bid farewell to Supercharger. Two other faves had transformations: Hana Assifiri's Moroccan Deli-Cacy mentored in Alisha's Cafe Collective, and you could be forgiven for not noticing that Green Park Dining is now known as Park St.

We had an amazing, carb-loaded mid-year holiday in China, and this set us on a mission to find youpo mian in Melbourne. We're now devoted to the garlic-heavy, hand-pulled noodles at Lanzhou Beef Noodle Bar.

Northcote Fish & Chips

And we've had so many other great new cheap veg*n eats in Melbourne! Northcote Fish & Chips, The Origin Tales, Union Kiosk, Just Falafs, and Neko Neko were all instant favourites. We've shared feasts with friends at Shop 225, Huong Viet and Billy and Lucy; we've had terrific vegan desserts at Ratio Cocoa Roasters and Tidbit Cakes.

Seitan gyros & lemon potatoes

At home we're cooking new recipes less frequently, but our success rate is high. Seitan gyros were well worth pulling up from the deepest pages of my bookmarks - they're a bit of effort, but they include the most flavourful seitan we've made and generate fabulous leftovers for lunch. Other dishes working their way into our weeknight rotation include one-pot orrecchiette, baked peanut tempeh, and kimchi fried rice with smokey tempeh & broccoli. We still embark on the occasional weekend cooking project, with Michael's kimchi, gochujang & cheese scrolls a recent triumph.

Honey, miso & walnut pie

I've long thought of icecream as my cooking specialty, and a caramelised white chocolate icecream unexpectedly won Michael's high praise last summer. Yet pies are creeping up as a sweet new seam to mine: last year I was all about cherry pie, and this year I made a couple of honey, miso & walnut pies.

But there's no need to limit myself, right? There are still so many different recipes and new eateries to try every year. We'll aim to keep bringing you the best of 'em in 2019.