Kit Williams

My friends and I stopped by the Mermaid Beach Tavern straight after our flight to the Gold Coast landed. We weren't initially impressed by the downstairs bar and gaming room when we came in through the side entrance, but the upstairs area is beautifully designed and very spacious. I particularly liked the greenery, both real and fake, in the dining areas and the steam punk style light fixtures in the bar area. The Tavern serves regular pub fare as well as pizzas, burgers, pasta and grill. We ordered off the $18 lunch specials list, which turned out to be good value. The crispy skin salmon bowl and the pork and fennel bangers and mash were good and the service was pretty quick.

I was a little underwhelmed with my experience at Shanghai Street on Elizabeth (not to be confused with their sister restaurant). The dumplings were passable, although I wouldn't order the vegetable dumplings again as they were very bland. However, the noodles were not good and reminded me of overcooked Maggi 2 Minute Noodles. The atmosphere is also quite sterile, with overly bright lighting and minimal decor.

Great dumplings, delicious noodles, very quick service, minimal elbow room. The custard buns are also very yummy. Shanghai Street is very popular during the lunchtime hour so arrive early if you want to beat the crowd.

The Everleigh is a fantastic cocktail bar. Soft, warm mood lighting, wood panelling and leather furniture create the perfect atmosphere for delicious cocktails and quality conversation. The service is also unparalleled. The one cocktail I ordered that was not to my liking was quickly scooped up by our waitor with apologies and replaced with something new. There is sometimes a wait for a table, but it is worth it.

One of my favourite pubs in Melbourne. Nice, cosy venue with good beers on tap and decent food. The wings and chicken parma are top notch but stear clear of the pizza. Perfect spot to play a few rounds of pool or darts while sipping a few froths.