When you arrive, what greets you is an imposing black exterior that leads inside to a large feature wall covered in graffiti, and judging by the chill dudes behind the counter, it was probably graffed by them. Its the kind of place where you’ll find most locals ordering by just walking in, nodding and saying “The usual thanks”. They may be “New School” by appearence but its in their methods of cooking that the “Ol’ School” part of their name really becomes apparent. Of highest praise amidst the neighbourhood are their chips, which are hand-cut and deep fried for just the right amount of time, making them nice and crunchy. Chips aside they offer a pretty familiar Fish’n'Chip shop menu, ranging from battered fish to Chiko rolls. We, of course, went for the Hamburger of 100% Angus Beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, a sesame-seed bun, and then added cheese, egg and bacon for good measure.

Yellow Bird is an eclectic restaurant/cafe/bar that attracts all walks of life. From the fixie riding hipsters, struggling writers, artists and musicians, people with beards, people with pug dogs, fashionistas and everyone in between. Wherever you decide to sit; inside with the bird cages, vintage furniture and band posters (that are for sale) or outside, you will be in one of Melbourne’s greatest people-watching spots. Especially catering for those cats that wear sunglasses at night, the bar is open until 1am and the kitchen until 10pm. Locals wont shutup about their breakfast burritos and modern-australian take on mexican food. But as usual we had to look past them all and go for the Yellow Bird Chilli Burger that came with a spicy ground beef patty, jalapenos, tasty cheese, red onion, tomato, bacon, rocket, chutney and a side of fries.

Down the uber trendy end of Brunswick St, Melbourne – ok who are we kidding the whole street is so frkn hipster it hurts – you’ll find the all American inspired Kodiak Bar. Taking a page out of “Anytown U.S.A” bar culture, Kodiak’s menu dishes out a range of modern, regional American bar food, as well as priding themselves on being Melbourne’s prime destination for American Whisky and Bourbon. Open Wedensday through Sunday ’til the wee hours of the night, its the perfect cosy nook you’re looking for on a chill Melbourne night, especially if its bacon infused bourbon that you’re craving. After getting a little too excited about the rest of their mouthwatering menu we settled on the Kodiak Burger which came with 2 grass fed beef patties, cheese, dill pickles, onions and Woodford Reserve mayo on a sesame seed bun, served with beer-battered onion rings.

Dating back to 1864, this typical Aussie pub is breathing new life thanks to experienced head chef and owner Sean Donovan. With an impressive CV that includes the likes of three Michelin star restaurants like La Tante Claire (London) and Georges Blanc (France), and more recently South Yarra’s famous Botanical, it was safe to say we went into this Adventure with some high expectations. You step into what appears to be a pretty normal looking pub, until you walk into the dining area where you’ll find the heartbeat of the venue. Its the the open kitchen where a team of chefs serve up everything from Onion Soup Gratinee to grass and grain fed Aussie beef, seafood and of course, there are the more traditional pub dishes. We ordered the Station Burger that came out partially deconstructed – a beef pattie, bacon and gruyere cheese all on a brioche bun, then the lettuce, pickles, sun-dried tomatoes and tomato chutney were all “add as you please”, placed neatly on the side.