I am the first to admit that I am a real homebody. I love nothing more than hanging around at home at night, with a home delivery of fish and chips or pizza.

But given I live in Melbourne, the home of some of the finest restaurants in Australia, let alone the world, I really needed to get out and start to try some of them.

Thus, goal 124 is to dine in 30 Melbourne restaurants that I have never dined in.

I am not a very fancy diner. I can’t handle spicy, I don’t like tofu, and I tend to select the chicken parma whenever I see it on the menu. So this goal will not only force me to visit new restaurants, but also to try an array of various cuisine.

Below is my progress thus far. Ratings are out of 183 (for obvious reasons) - 60 points for the service, 70 points for the food/drink, 45 points for the ambience, with 8 bonus points available for anything extra special that was experienced.

1. La Camera in Southbank

Service: 42 (nothing special at all)

Food / drink: 49 (pretty good list of wines, but food was nothing special)

Ambience: 34 (table was too cramp, and it was quite loud)

Bonus Points: 0

Rating: 125 out of 183

2. The Point in Albert Park

Service: 50 (nice enough, reasonably quick)

Food / drink: 52 (my eggs benedict was nice but had a weird sauce on it)

Ambience: 39 (early in the morning for breakfast meant there was not many people, but you can’t beat a view of the lake first thing in the morning)

Bonus Points: 0

Rating: 141 out of 183

3. Hot Chilli in Flemington

Service: 39 (muddled up a couple of times, and I actually had to go to the front desk to ask for the bill after being ignored for a long time)

Food / drink: 49 (typical Thai. Nice but nothing I would rave about to anyone)

Ambience: 32 (once again, typical Thai restaurant atmosphere. Quiet enough to speak without yelling, so that is always good)

Bonus Points: 1 (we didn’t have to book ahead)

Rating: 131 out of 183

4. Bhoj in Docklands

Service: 53 (nice waiter who didn’t laugh when we fumbled the pronunciations of the dishes, and served us quickly)

Food / drink: 62 (before I ate, I didn’t think I really liked Indian. Now I do. That is a sign that this was good fare. The menu was varied enough to allow me to choose mild things, as I can’t stomach spicy food too well)

Ambience: 32 (we went at lunchtime, and there was only one other group of diners, so atmosphere was minimal. Being on the Docklands would mean that this place could have quite a good atmosphere on a busy Saturday night though)

Bonus Points: 3 (found out they were voted best Indian restaurant in Victoria for 2007, which was impressive)

Rating: 150 out of 183

5. The Water Rat Hotel in South Melbourne

Service: 51 (quite knowledgeable about the menu)

Food / drink: 61 (great specials, and cooked to perfection)

Ambience: 27 (bit too high-brow for me. The kind of place rich socialites would go. Not for me)

Bonus Points: -1 (because I swallowed my wine the wrong way and it came out my nose - definitely their fault!)

Rating: 138 out of 183

6. MOO (Money Order Office) in Melbourne CBD

Service: 52 (service how it should be. Only downers were that I had to ask for the bill and the food took just a tiny bit too long to come out, but constant water refills and great knowledge of the menu counteracted that)

Food / drink: 67 (exquisite. And wine list was amazing)

Ambience: 40 (hidden in an alleyway gets points in my book. Very intimate meant perfect for a dinner out with Nat)

Bonus Points: 4 (sparkling mineral was free, so 3 bonus points. 1 point also for the pen I used to sign the bill, which has a cool grip that was filled with a weird gel)

Rating: 163 out of 183

7. Tonik in Kensington

Service: 50 (bit rushed, but that was only to squeeze our order in before a table of 18)

Food / drink: 55 (awesome mashed potato, but they made the mistake of burning the marinade that was on my scotch fillet so it was a bit too charcoaly for my liking)

Ambience: 42 (really relaxed, and Nat and I spent an hour playing cards after dinner while having a beer)

Bonus Points: 2 (one for Mountain Goat Hightail Ale being on tap (this is one of my favourite beers of all time) and one for the board games available to play while having a drink)

Rating: 149 out of 183

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