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The 'hot & new' list: St Crispin and Piqueos

Each year The Age Good Food Guide releases a list of the 10 hottest new restaurants that have opened since the last guide was published. Over the course of this week we'll reveal the full list.

PIQUEOS
298 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North, 9349 2777

Burn, baby, burn – the parrilla (charcoal grill) at this churrasqueria lends its smoky lick across the Argentine side of the menu, while Peru's bright acids (it is the home of the ceviche, after all) make it a compelling Latino double-header. Line up the pisco sours, because this is a great bar to boot.

The Age restaurant reviewer Larissa Dubecki says: "This is more than a one-dimensional festival of meat. The menu has enough light and shade to make a properly rounded meal, kicking off with little tastes, including a single grilled scallop topped with chilli paste on mustardy mayo, and the straightforward charm of fried provolone soldered deliciously to its cast-iron pan."

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The low down
The best bit: The joy of barbecue
The worst bit: Two sittings - but at least they take bookings
Go-to dish: Ceviche, $15
Wine list: Punchy all-Argentinian list organised by altitude, backed with good advice

The full review: Piqueos

SAINT CRISPIN
300 Smith Street, Collingwood, 9419 2202

X-factor, buzz, street cred. Call it what you will, but Saint Crispin's got it. Two respected chefs (the Estelle's Scott Pickett and former Press Club head chef Joe Grbac) nail what makes Melbourne tick – from a tactile, age-worn fitout to smart bartenders, an even smarter wine list and food that wows.

M Magazine restaurant reviewer Dani Valent says: "Flavours combine with inspired confidence in dishes such as super-slow-cooked veal cheek with an umami blast of miso eggplant and a jus so sticky it may clamp your lips shut."

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The full review: Saint Crispin

**The final two restaurants on the 'hot & new' list will be revealed at lunchtime tomorrow.

The Age Good Food Guide 2014 will be available for $10 with The Saturday Age on August 31, from participating newsagents, Coles, Woolworths and 7Eleven stores, while stocks last. It will also be available in bookshops and online at theageshop.com.au for $24.99 from Tuesday, August 27.

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