Announcing Concrete Playground Melbourne's Best of 2021 Award Winners

In a year where lots of time was spent tripping in and out of lockdowns, both the ups and downs were plentiful. While stay-at-home orders were a curse we could have all done happily without, we also saw wins like the debut of a much-anticipated citywide arts fest, a suite of clever culinary pop-ups and a joyful post-lockdown music festival descending on the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.

What's more, Melbourne scored an abundance of new venues to add to that ever-growing list of must-visits; from glamorous restaurants to suburban brewery bars.

We pulled together a shortlist of our favourite new venues and the most exciting events that saw us all through this year's good times and bad as part of Concrete Playground's Best of 2021 Awards. And now, we're presenting the cream of the crop, with both a reader-voted People's Choice award and an overall CP Pick in each of these categories:

• Best New Restaurant
• Best New Bar
• Best Event
• Best New Space
• Best Lockdown Pivot

So, without further ado, here are your winners for 2021:

BEST NEW EVENT

CP PICK: PLAY ON VICTORIA

On October 30, as we slowly emerged from yet another lengthy lockdown, the Sidney Myer Music Bowl hosted Melbourne's first big event in months: new one-day music fest Play On Victoria.

Unsurprisingly a sell-out success, it was held for a solely double-vaccinated audience of 4000 punters, in an effort to test the state's reopening settings in the post-lockdown period. It also gifted us with a long-awaited opportunity to catch some live tunes, after one heck of a musical dry spell.

Local music-lovers got right back into the swing of things, as acts like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Baker Boy, Amyl and the Sniffers, Grace Cummings, and Vika and Linda Bull all took to the stage.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: VAN GOGH AT THE LUME

After years of hype, Melbourne's new 3000-square-metre, 11-metre-high immersive digital art gallery opened in November, set to project some of the world's most famous artworks in large-scale format.

Its inaugural exhibition is currently celebrating the works and life of Vincent van Gogh, allowing you to walk through his famous masterpieces including The Starry Night and Sunflowers. For the latter, there's a dedicated mirror infinity room filled with sunflowers.

Elsewhere, expect a reimagined Café Terrace 1888, and a life-size recreation of Van Gogh's The Bedroom. On top of that, a carefully curated fusion of colour, sound, taste and aroma lets you experience the works of the famed Dutch artist like never before.

After a stack of time spent cooped up at home, it's no surprise this multi-sensory wonder has been going down a treat with Melburnians.

BEST LOCKDOWN PIVOT

CP PICK: GOMI RAMEN SHOP

Melbourne chefs Ryan Maher and Ben Reardon launched their ramen delivery business back in June 2020, dropping handmade, ready-to-heat soup kits to select suburbs each week under the Gomi Boys label.

The orders kept flooding in and the fanbase continued to grow — so much so, that the duo were able to crowd-fund their first bricks-and-mortar venue this year, with Gomi Ramen Bar opening its doors on Sydney Road this month.

The 60-seat eatery is serving a range of the guys' cult-favourite ramen varieties, heroing their slurp-worthy hand-made noodles, house-made ferments, preserves and flavour-packed broths. Head in now to find the likes of a niboshi tonkotsu with pork and chicken, and a mushroom miso number, alongside loads of Japanese snacks.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: CA COM BÁNH MÌ BAR

When Anchovy co-owners Jia-Yen Lee and Thi Le first started slinging khao jee pâté — the Lao cousin of the Vietnamese banh mi — from a window during last year's lockdown, it was never meant to become a permanent venture. But as the pandemic continued and the street food offering earned itself a loyal following, it became clear the Ca Com pop-up was here for the long run.

Now, it's spawned its own standalone shopfront next door. Named after the Vietnamese words for 'anchovy', Ca Com's rotating banh mi menu was exactly the kind of accessible, lockdown-friendly fare the neighbourhood was craving.

The pop-up has run on and off through lockdowns, with a hibachi on the window sill used to barbecue proteins. The lineup changes regularly, giving the team a chance to flex their creativity and trial new flavour combinations for its many dedicated Melbourne fans.

BEST NEW BAR

CP PICK: PEARL DIVER COCKTAIL & OYSTERS

Arriving just in time for the festive season and its associated indulgences, Pearl Diver Cocktails & Oysters is a sparkling newcomer from The Speakeasy Group's (Eau de Vie, Nick & Nora's, Mjolner) Alex Boon and Pez Collier. Its focus is on memorable, produce-driven cocktails and oysters sourced from the country's best-growing regions.

Libations show respect for individual ingredients and a penchant for creativity, while an oft-changing wine list represents only that which is 'fun' and 'delicious'.

Oysters are the kitchen's headline act, served au naturale, dressed (think, creme fraiche and caviar, or a lemon granita) or cooked. Other upscale snacks include the likes of a duck terrine, house-made buffalo halloumi, and comté-topped waffle fries.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: HOPE ST RADIO

The new wine bar and kitchen from internet radio station Hope St Radio became a go-to for knock-offs in the inner north. It's an expansive indoor-outdoor space beside Collingwood Yards' central courtyard, decked out with timber booths and mural art by Alice McIntosh.

Chef Ellie Bouhadana's food offering heroes after-work snacks and dinner options; best enjoyed alongside local beers and sustainably-produced wines. The menu rotates regularly, though expect plates like lamb rigatoni, marinated sardines, and focaccia with whipped garlic and thyme butter.

Unsurprisingly, music is a big part of the bar's DNA, with a custom sound set-up featuring tunes from Hope St's expert curation of artists, and a live broadcast program to keep you buzzing through the end of each week.

BEST NEW RESTAURANT

CP PICK: ROBATA

From the team behind South American eateries San Telmo, Pastuso, Palermo and Asado, comes this playful, neon-heavy restaurant taking its cues from the streets of Tokyo. Robata embraces the art of charcoal grilling, celebrating Japanese techniques and traditions with its custom-built robatayaki grill.

An izakaya-style menu is headlined by yakitori and kushiyaki skewers cooked over charcoal; including the must-try chicken meatballs with cured yolk and tare sauce. You'll find various sashimi and small bites, too, alongside larger Japanese-accented plates.

Meanwhile, the bar's pouring a strong spread of sake, Japanese whisky and craft brews, backed by clever cocktails like the shochu-infused espresso martini.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: FARMER'S DAUGHTERS

This impressive, three-level venue from acclaimed chef Alejandro Saravia (Pastuso) is dedicated to celebrating and showcasing Gippsland's finest produce.

On the first floor, a gourmet deli, food store and eatery turns out share-friendly fare like O'Connor beef carpaccio, and crumbed Lakes Entrance fish matched with spring onion hollandaise. Upstairs, the restaurant plates up a more formal celebration of provenance, complete with an open kitchen fuelled by charcoal and wood.

It's a sophisticated space of gentle greens and greys, with a seasonal set menu and a Gippsland-focused drinks list. But as the crowning glory, the secluded rooftop cocktail bar is a summertime favourite, delivering innovative, produce-driven sips against a backdrop of native mountain pepper trees.

BEST NEW SPACE

CP PICK: SOCIETY

Opened in the new 80 Collins dining precinct, this much-anticipated venture from Chris Lucas (Chin Chin) is sporting a timeless (and dramatic) aesthetic that fuses elements of art deco, mid-century, art nouveau and brutalist sensibilities. And it's guaranteed to wow.

The high-impact look plays out strikingly across its two restaurants — Society Dining Room and Lillian Terrace — plus the upmarket Society Lounge bar and various other private spaces.

It's the vision of Melbourne designers Russell & George, who worked closely with Lucas to create something that would have a deep connection to the city. They designed every element from the chairs to the dazzling chandeliers, and the spaces are complemented by a curation of works by Victorian artist David Noonan.

PEOPLE'S CHOICE: GIMLET AT CAVENDISH HOUSE

When it comes to creating smash-hit venues in stunning spaces, it's no secret legendary chef Andrew McConnell has a knack. He's the mind behind favourites like Cumulus Inc, Cutler & Co and Marion, to name a few. And it appears he's done it again with Gimlet — a cocktail bar and restaurant in the CBD's 1920s heritage building Cavendish House.

While it originally launched in 2020, thanks to lockdowns this is the first year anyone's had much of a chance to experience its magic.

Sydney-based architecture and design studio Acme (The Grounds Of Alexandria) is behind the fitout, which nabbed a commendation in this year's Eat Drink Design Awards. It sees the historic space filled with black and gold marble bars, leather booths, geometric tiles and honeycomb chandeliers inspired by famed Italian architect Carlo Scarpa.