Serves two of my favourite things in awesome amounts of excess. Platters of fried chicken (the best one is coated in chilli sauce) accompanied with barrels of house beer.

The Everleigh is a sumptuous bar hidden above a busy shopping street. A perfect place to share a leather booth with friends, while drinking gin cocktails from old-fashioned crystal glasses.

Fresh is best. The best place in Melbourne for fresh cheese. The Buffalo Mozzarella and the creamy Ricotta are to die for. I used to have to wait years and fly half way across the globe to my home in Italy just to bite into one of these creamy morsels of goodness. Now my life can be defined by the ‘pre La Latteria period’ and the ‘post La Latteria period’.

Milk Toast has the best muffins in Melbourne, they often sell out before 9:30am. My favourite is raspberry and chocolate if I can get one in time.

Besides being covered in the street art that is synonymous with Melbourne, the laneways also lead to some of the city’s best cafes, shops and restaurants, and are always worth taking time to explore.