Second Act - St Kilda (VIC)

The menu is exceptionally creative. I enjoyed the crumbled barramundi, which was absolutely delicious. The portion sizes were quite generous. The service was attentive and top-notch.

From what I gather, the previous restaurant (Mavis Browns) has closed, which might explain the lack of ratings and photos. I visited using a Groupon, and the wait time was longer than usual for a steakhouse—about 35 minutes from placing my order, even though it wasn’t a busy time. The portion of sauce was on the small side, though it tasted quite good (mushroom or peppercorn). Unfortunately, my steak was slightly overcooked and quite tough, and the fat wasn't rendered properly. The chips were well-prepared, but the salad dressing was just a basic balsamic vinegar. The dim lighting created a sleepy atmosphere, and while the staff was polite, they were mostly inattentive.

I stayed at the Rydges and found this restaurant to be ideal for breakfast and afternoon cocktails. On my first morning, I ordered a takeaway bacon and egg roll, along with a cappuccino and a chai latte. The food was delicious, and the coffee was excellent. The second morning, I had eggs Benedict and smashed avocado, again with coffee. Both the food and coffee were exceptional, and the staff were fantastic. I highly recommend this place!

The bartender/waiter was professional, friendly, and provided impeccable service while managing the entire dining and drinking space. I had the Nasi Goreng which was wonderful at a fair price. However, I was thoroughly underwhelmed with the house wine Sauvignon Blanc (De Bortoli Vivo) especially since the restaurant totes itself as a wine bar. I understand that house wines are supposed to be budget friendly, but there was definitely a severe sacrifice in quality. I still give 5 stars because I did not have enough time to sample their comprehensive wine selection. I would recommend this place to a friend but would definitely steer them away from the house Sauvignon Blanc.

Its a beautiful place and just refurbished. Its awefully confusing wheb trying to find as there four resteraunts in one building with only two doors... the once rydes was the entire thing so those who knoe melbourne get confused. Dont look for shop fron its confusing and signs are hard to see and idèntical to the hub so clearly its all stille rydges just subdivided. So male sure your entering the correct door. Ive added photos to clearly show how to distinguish the three although one door.Now for thw food as nothing matters uf thats bad and it was as good as one would expect in a vlassy joint where everything is lines with gold (paint) and glass. I had a great steak but my partner was so happy but thats personal.