Byrdi BarElla

“We often talk about making spaces not too perfect. You slightly have to fuck them up a bit,” says Damien Mulvihill, half of the duo behind Design Office, one of Melbourne’s most influential architecture and interior design practices. Mulvihill met his Design Office co-founder, friend Mark Simpson, when they were both working for London’s celebrated Universal Design Studio (UDS).

The Hot List is the definitive guide to Melbourne’s most essential food and drink experiences, updated weekly. Learn more. One of the coolest things about going out to eat is seeing the outside world reflected on your plate. Rain messes with veggies’ growing seasons and yields. Water temperatures affect which fish are swimming around and getting caught. And if a cold snap’s long enough, the weather can gaslight us all into thinking we actually like mulled wine for another year.

When you live in the southern hemisphere, your year begins and ends with the warmth and fun of the summer sun. The flipside is that, unlike our northern counterparts, the middle of the year is grim, cold and low on public holidays. So going out in winter is more of a choice than going out in spring and summer. It doesn’t just happen spontaneously, you need to be intentional. And it has to be worth your while. Often, the difference between a good meal and a great one is service.