Teage Ezard’s funky and fun Asian spin-off, Gingerboy, goes beyond the usual wok-mongers – it’s Thai, Malaysian and Chinese street fare with a style all its own.

George Calombaris’ The Press Club is not only turning heads, his modern Greek cuisine is turning upside down what we know about feta, olives, oregano and all other things Hellenic, too.

With its modern Turkish flavours and glam harbourside setting, the Sydney sibling of Canberra’s Ottoman Cuisine shows potential.

A St Kilda stalwart re-opens with a fresh face and a nostalgic ‘Continental’ menu. It’s Mirka at Tolarno Hotel and its custodian is leading Melbourne restaurateur Guy Grossi.

A bastion of Italian restaurant culture and more Melbourne than Sydney in style, Fratelli Paradiso is a place where locals come for the ever-charming waiters as much as the gutsy food.

Yarra Valley’s newest addition, the Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander Winery, is more than the sum of its café, pizzeria and cellar door parts, thanks to a passionate and savvy wine entrepreneur.

We raise a glass to chef John Evans, who has crossed the Harbour Bridge to take over the kitchen at Rozelle’s Three Weeds, cooking the kind of assured food the city’s better pub bistros are built on.

Having won the hearts of South Australian diners, chef Virat Suandokmai brings a Nu taste of Thai to the North Shore.

Bistro Vue is the third act in Shannon Bennett’s CBD trilogy. He’s reworking the classics in a shamelessly faux Parisian setting.

Oscillate Wildly in Newtown is pushing the envelope, but that thankfully doesn’t apply to the bill – so go wild.