Broadsheet Melbourne

I’ve done work in the food, travel, advertorial, and lifestyle content for Broadsheet Melbourne since 2019. This is just some of my work.

First Look: Gogyo Fitzroy

Opening two days before Christmas was daunting, says Alvin Gani, the general manager at Gogyo Fitzroy. The Japanese restaurant, which has Tokyo origins and a sibling in Sydney, opened late last year on the corner of Brunswick and Westgarth streets. The stress paid off.

“[It’s] been satisfying to see the finished product and how many people from the Fitzroy area are popping in to see what we’re about,” says Gani.

“We’re drawing in families, the work crowd, date nights – we even have regulars now,” he adds, laughing.

After three successful years in Surry Hills, a Melbourne Gogyo made sense. Parent company Chikaranomoto Global Holdings is also behind popular ramen chain Ippudo, which opened a QV outpost in 2018.

An Insider’s Guide to Hokkaido

Shinichi Maeda is the founder of An Dining Hokkaido, an award-winning restaurant in Ki-Niseko, on the south-west of Hokkaido. Though born in the regional city of Fukagawa, Maeda trained worldwide – including a 12-year stint in Australia where he sharpened his skills in the kitchens of Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.

"[Before coming to Australia] I spent time in Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market and saw a lot of produce being imported from Australia,” says Maeda. “It really inspired me to move to Australia. So when I spent my first year on the Gold Coast, I started visiting farmers and fishermen to try and find the best produce for my restaurants.”

Feature Article: Bricklane Bagels

What makes a good breakfast bagel? According to Darko Kmet, the owner of Bricklane Bagels, which opened on Clarendon Street in South Melbourne in September 2019, it’s pretty straightforward.

“It just has simple ingredients, and still lets the bagel speak for itself. Nothing too over the top,” he says. At Bricklane, Kmet uses 5 & Dime bagels, which are boiled and baked the traditional way in the CBD and delivered fresh each morning.

An Insider’s Guide to Osaka

When Patrick Agostinelli moved from Melbourne to Osaka, Japan, 10 years ago, he wanted a life change. Working in IT at the time, he had also been helping out at his brother-in-law’s Port Melbourne cafe, Noirs Ex. It was there he heard about Japan’s burgeoning burger scene.

“I didn’t realise it was such a big thing over there,” he says. “But it was something I had always wanted to create.”

Visiting a friend in Osaka, he fell in love with the city and decided to start a new life there – based on burgers. “In Tokyo, there was sort of a ‘gourmet’ burger, but nothing in Osaka,” he says. “So I decided I wanted to be ahead of the game and start that over here.”

First Look: Bissel B Bagelry

When Jess and Ryan Kurban first inspected the empty Bridge Road, Richmond, shopfront that now houses their cafe, Bissel B Bagels, they knew they could transform it into something special.

Covid forced the brother and sister team into a slight change of plans, but if you look through the takeaway window – past cabinets showcasing stacked bagels, colourful donuts, jars of house-made dill pickles and more – you get a glimpse into the light, bright, emerald-hued space they created.

The Kurbans have always loved New York, and inspired by their third visit there late last year, they opened Bissel B Bagels in May.

Featured Article: Bread Club 2.0

The year-old North Melbourne bakery has expanded to a near-identical, light-filled store. Go for $10 stracciatella-filled sandwiches, eggplant parmigiana-style pies and pepperoni pizza on weekends. Plus, chocolatey hot cross buns and hefty cardamom scrolls.

“What we wanted was another community vibe, great local neighbours and somewhere that some of our customers who were travelling a bit further could have the option of visiting – a bit of spread and convenience,” Beylie tells Broadsheet.