sweet, sweet Jerusalem.

Food and wine culture is very important to me. Very important. I realise that it is not a solution to all the ills of the world, but it is my hobby, my relaxation.

It perhaps then goes without saying that I keep a certain amount of information and thoughts that pertain to this culture. One of the more obvious tidbits is a mental list of the culinary highlights of Melbourne, my home city.

Given the web is a superb archiver and that Google will eventually find its way to even this little backwater, I thought I might document this list here, for the benefit of locals and tourists alike. This is not to say I think my word is any greater than your cousin, plumber, transgender neighbour, or whoever gives you their 5 cents worth with regard to places to visit, but it's an opinion nonetheless, and one you can throw in the mix.

For what it's worth, though, I do like to think my opinion is reasonably valuable in this area. Certainly I have put in the hard yards over the years - whether it's visiting restaurants or cheffing at home.

So, without further ado, here's my current top 10.

1. Circa $$$
2. Botanical $$$
3. Becco $$$
4. Cafe di Stasio $$$
5. The Graham $$
6. La Luna $$
7. Pacific Seafood BBQ House $
   
8. Balzari $$
   
9. Bluecorn $$
   
10. Misuzus $
    

For those of you who know a little about the scene, you may be surprised by this list, or at least by the order. I don't know what to tell you, this is how I feel. This is a broad list, too, I might add. The price differences, general levels of formality, and dining styles are very much streets apart. To aid in this I have placed wee $ signs next to each restaurant to give you some idea of what you are in for. But then, nothing can really prepare you for a $300 bill for 2, can it?

There are 2 notable absentees from this list, that deserve mentioning, but not inclusion. First is Mrs. Jones.

I have written about Mrs. Jones in this blog previously, so won't revisit the history there other than to say it is not the place it once was. For me this is a negative, for others, including such respectable individuals as Mr. John Lethlean (senior food writer for The Age - one of Australia's finer newspapers), this is a positive. You can make up your own mind. One thing is for sure, you won't be let down by service - Mrs. Jones is one of the most efficient rooms in the industry.

The other restaurant, which up until this weekend would have held my number 1 position, is ezard. ezard really was the front-runner, the trend setter, for mine. Only Ondine when it was alive, or Circa, could touch it. Innovative food of mindblowing quality, outstanding service, a great room: a true touch of class. On revisiting this weekend, though, I was nothing short of remarkably disappointed.

There's an odd economising thing going on there now, and I'm sure it's not just my imagination. Spring Bay scallop entree comes out with only 3 scallops - out of control stinginess for the price, particularly given the other ingredients were paltry cost items (mint, chilies, galangal etc). Same with my main - rather small piece of stingray, very little additionals. My partner was more generously served, but her problem was that her senses were not really being engaged. I thought the food was good, but I agreed with her in that I wasn't as taken as I had been on our first visit.

We eventually worked out what the problem was. Essentially, we realised that we can now visit quite a few places that do very similar things, just as well, for a great deal less money. So, combine that with the fact that the service was dismal (amazing to think, really) and less than engaging when present, and you really have quite a situation. So much so ezard is gone from my list altogether. To go on a little further, I really can't see myself going back to ezard any time soon. Why would I when The Graham in Port Melbourne does outstanding Asian fusion food, in a superb room, with outrageously good service, for very, very palatable prices. And they even have a very cool wine bar out the back, now.

Fickle business, food. No doubt about it. But plenty are doing it well, and perhaps they realise better that laurels should not be rested on, nor formulas diddled too far away from what made them successful.

(Ouch!)