There’s no doubt you’ve seen Alex “Lady” Drewniak’s work before. An influencer in her own right, over the past 15-plus years she’s built a reputation as one of the most versatile snappers in Melbourne – you’re just as likely to catch her work in a Nike campaign as you are a Laneway Festival wrap. A quick scan of her restaurant clients suggests she knows a thing or two about shooting food, too; here’s where she likes to eat it when she’s between jobs.
My local is Above Board. I’m a low-profile girlie. Love the staff there, love that even though it’s been around for a few years it’s still discreet and intimate. I can go on my own. I can take a date. It’s next to my office – it’s the perfect wind-down or ramp-up place for me.
I know I’m in Melbourne when I’m getting a sunset espresso from A Coffee.
My favourite place to stock up on supplies is McCoppins and Blackheart and Sparrows – best selection of low-intervention and natty wines. They stock my friends Mark Sztar from 6 Parallels South and Aller Trop Loin and Aaron Fenwick of Whip Wines.
The best new thing I’ve found is this tiny little Italian café on Smith Street called Smith’s Cakes & Aquilana Pasticceria. It’s so nondescript on the outside. I’ve walked passed a million times and never noticed it. But when you’re inside, you’re immediately transported to Italy, plonked inside a rundown suburban-style deli. Stand-up espresso bar, every kind of traditional sweet, all home-made. Grazie piu tardi!
My favourite spot for a pre-gig feed is… does three olives count as dinner? If so, then Gin Palace.
And for a post-show nightcap, it simply must be Black Pearl. Dark and dirty. Just how I like my Martinis.
There’s no better food stylist in this city than Bridget Ward. Down to earth. Knows that you don’t always need the label to the front and that less is more. Nails any aesthetic and is incredible at still life.
When I want to really go crazy on a fancy meal, I hit up a Tedesca/Brae-like experience. Get a driver. Get dressed up, and book accom nearby. I want to walk around the garden with a bev in one hand and my camera in the other for hours.
When I want to show off the city to friends from out of town, I like to just get on foot around Gertrude and Smith streets. Perfect for shopping, coffee, cocktails and schmooze. You’ve got Jungles Jungles. Havn. Marion Wine Bar. Mane. Tamura Sake Bar. Carnation Canteen. It’s a hot pocket.
When I want to drink something Victorian, my first choice is Aller Trop Loin Bojo. Give me that shit intravenous.
There’s no better value in Melbourne than a bowl of pho on Victoria Street. Cheap and delicious.
If I could change one thing about eating and drinking here it would be… I wish there was an amazing juice bar northside. Can never find a good dirty green. I know that sounds boring, but I think we nail everything else.
But the one thing I hope never changes in Melbourne is the fact that you can walk into most bars and they feel like an extension of your living room, except the drinks are far more exceptional than one you’d make yourself.