I truly don't understand how Anchovy has snuck under the 'cool restaurant' radar. Have you ever heard of it? I'm guessing not, but it's a venue you should really know. My other half and I went in for an early Valentine's Day celebration. He'd heard through word of mouth that Anchovy was a dining destination like no other. We walked in on a Friday evening to a busy restaurant. All tables are high seating, and most seemed like shared tables. We were sat at the bar, which I love because I can easily hassle the bartender for more drinks. Speaking of the bartender, ours was SO KNOWLEDGABLE it was almost funny to watch. He seemed to know the back story of every single wine/cocktail/food item on the entire menu, which to be honest, got a touch annoying after a while but I can imagine many people would appreciate the learning. Back to the menu, after a brief perusal we decided to go with the Chef's Selection for $60pp, which we though was very good value. The menu could best be described as modern Australian/Asian fusion. Our waiter/bartender asked if there was anything on the menu that we really wanted to see within the Chef's selection and the only thing we desperately wanted to try (other than everything) was the Vietnamese Blood pudding - it just sounded so damn intriguing! So here's what us lucky ducks got on the chef's selection: + Taro chips with spice salt, + Calamari with lotus stem, scud chilli, herbs, + Vietnamese blood pudding with ginger, herbs, wrapped in cosberg + Rice paper roll with ocean trout, coconut, pomelo + Pan fried whole flounder with curry vinaigrette, dill Plus a dessert of Cherry clafoutis with crème fraiche. I honestly can't pinpoint what my favourite dish was though I do highly recommend the bloody pudding for something completely different. The rice paper rolls were outstanding and the cherry clafoutis was simple yet amazing. The wine menu is also very impressive, with some really great local wines available. The staff, as mentioned, will be very happy to guide you in your choices. Anchovy is absolutely a place you should check out. It is charming, intimate and with absolutely outstanding food and service to boot. read more