I’m very fond of Castlemaine.

Sitting between Ballarat and Bendigo this lovely little country town has plenty of vintage charm.

The Good Table is one of the newer and classier additions to the local dining scene, specialising in sophisticated but unpretentious European fare.

Some 150 years ago, Castlemaine came into its own when gold was found at Specimen Gully. More than 30,000 miners flocked to these parts to seek their fortune. There was a hotel on every corner and several in between – the Council Club Hotel remained a popular watering hole until the 1970s.

Today, as The Good Table, the high-ceiling space is welcoming, with arcaded windows, polished floorboards, bentwood chairs at timber tables set with linen napkins.

The menu lists ”small” dishes and ”larger” dishes, all designed to share. We choose a few of each: a smooth, rich duck liver pate with superb shiraz jelly and thin toast slices ($12), home-grown zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta, lemon and olive ($4 each) and, fried in the lightest batter, tangy and melt-in-the-mouth kingfish ceviche with pink peppercorns ($16) and pickled octopus with green pepper and chardonnay vinegar ($11).

The Good Table’s atmosphere has a warm vibe, enhanced by the wooden floorboards, tables and chairs, the flashes of greenery and sunlight through the myriad windows, and the subtle watercolour paintings on the walls.

Alexander Perry, born and bred in Castlemaine, has recently returned to his home town to open up his own smart eatery in the gracious old corner pub.

The Good Table. A great addition to Castlemaine!

I’ve heard a lot about Thaila Thai. It’s one of Brunswick’s most popular haunts and has a reputation for great food and great prices. The price is certainly right.

Perhaps the popularity is a Brunswick idiosyncrancy because the food, while tasty enough, wasn’t anything to rave about. Take the stirfry, the vegetables were chunky, roughly cut and in big size portions. Too big to cook through which is fine if you fancy raw veggies.

Let’s be fair – the food is fine, I just didn’t get the reason for the hype.

Thaila Thai is certainly busy, people queued the footpath for the take-away while the tables outside were packed. I’m not sure why the the take-away couldn’t be better organised as the crowd milling about was almost intimidating to diners outside.

I was there as part of a family gathering and we began to feel uncomfortable wondering if we were outstaying our welcome. There’s only so much room on the footpath as well and my chair was perilously close to the kerb where cars kept backing in to park.

I intend to return when it’s not so crowded although, with summer coming on and Melbourne people so enamoured of dining alfresco, that may prove a little difficult.