Best Romantic Restaurants in ASD-TBD (NA)

We booked very last minute, just a few days before Christmas while we were attending a concert (matinee), and were absolutely delighted. The menu wasn’t huge in terms of choice, but they were still able to accommodate one very picky eater and one diner with several dietary restrictions. The food was excellent — a big step up from the many standard middle eastern eateries around Melbourne. We started with freshly made hummus (the breads were replenished when we ran out), a rice dish, and the chicken option. The chicken came with a steaming hot pour-over sauce that was like nothing we’ve ever tasted. A real stand out! For dessert, we shared a small tart: lemon meringue with pistachios. It was exquisite, with thin, melt-in-the-mouth pastry and beautifully balanced sour-versus-sweet flavours. The service was stellar with timely attentiveness, and the décor was stylish - almost French in design. Even though it was a small restaurant, it felt surprisingly spacious. We were so glad to have found this gem only a few minutes’ walk from Swanston St. Our only suggestion would be to consider the music choices. Perhaps something themed with the food might add to the ambiance?

If you want a review of the steaks at Meat Maiden, scroll on. I didn’t order steak…which is perhaps akin to going to Red Rooster and not ordering chicken. I went for the miso cauliflower, perhaps not the first choice of most diners. But I made our reservation because I knew my mega-carnivorous husband would love it. And he did. So yes, the food was excellent. Go for the food. But waaaaaaaay better than the food were the staff. Unlike the current trend for waitstaff to make it obvious they’d rather be anywhere than taking your food order, MM staff all genuinely looked like they wanted to be there. They were joyful, engaging and had each other’s backs. They worked together like a well oiled machine and it was fun and heart warming to watch. I’d go back for the chips. For the crème caramel, for the cauliflower and the donut. My husband would go back for the burnt ends and the pork belly and scallops. But most of all, we’d go back for Nathan and the rest of the staff.

We have tried to book at Kiss & Tell 3 times...and finally we got to go! It didn't disappoint :) The service was professional. The food was tasty and our Gluten Free guest was extremely well catered for. We loved the booth seating and the ambience (buzz) of the place was excellent. We had the set menu - which was a steal at $49 pp and there was plenty of food. The only thing that needed a little attention were the bathrooms...maybe checking them a couple of times during service would be beneficial. Thanks for a memorable night out.

The staff made us feel very welcome despite the fact that we were late because of city traffic. They were aware that we were going to a show at 7pm so they gave us menus to look at while we were waiting for a table to be set up. We ordered when we sat down and our meals came out very quickly. The food was delicious…. the best risotto I have had in a long time! We left the restaurant 45minutes after we arrived and left in time to see beginning of the show! Thank you so much!

I've had plenty of buffet breakfasts here and one other dinner. This truly was one incredibly lovely meal. It was faultless from the service, the setting and the food.