Year in review(s): Besha Rodell's Melbourne dining highlights of 2022

• Catch up on all of Besha Rodell's restaurant reviews for 2022

For most of my life, Melbourne was this mythical place – a home that I longed for but rarely got to visit. Even though I moved back from the United States more than five years ago, I realise that it's only in this past year that I've really gotten to know the city as it is now, rather than the city that existed in my memories and imagination.

There are a few reasons for this: in my first years back I was travelling almost constantly; in the years that followed, I, like all of us, was stuck in my house under COVID lockdowns.

But my sense of discovery over the past year is mainly thanks to taking on the role of chief reviewer for Good Food and Good Weekend.

Before that, I relied heavily on that decades-long homesickness to help guide my dining decisions. I went to restaurants I'd grown up with, mainly old-school Melbourne Italian joints, and fully embraced the city's fantastic pubs for the kind of meals and camaraderie you just can't find in the US.

I still love those places, but taking on this gig forced me out of my neighbourhood, out of the past and into the vibrant, varied Melbourne of today. 2022 has been a banner year for restaurants in this notoriously food-obsessed town, and I've been surprised and delighted at every turn and with (almost) every mouthful.

2022 has been a banner year for restaurants in this notoriously food-obsessed town.

What has surprised and delighted me? When I left Australia in the early 1990s the African diaspora here was not nearly so large, and the food of Africa wasn't a big part of our dining culture. That has certainly changed over the past three decades, and exploring the edible results of that change has been such a pleasure.

I was particularly taken with Vola Foods in Brunswick, a Cameroonian restaurant that reimagines what might be possible if unconventional spaces are transformed into places of food and community. (As soon as these summer nights actually become summery, I'm headed to Vola to bask in its outdoor party vibe and the boom of Afro Beat music.)

Speaking of unconventional spaces, the continued evolution and expansion of Thai restaurant Soi 38, in the parking garage on McIlwraith Place, has kept me enthralled – I've probably eaten here more often than any other restaurant this year, mainly solo at lunchtime (do not sleep on the khao soi), but also with groups in the evening.

Thanks to a backlog of projects caused by COVID, a number of high-end hotels opened, along with the glitzy restaurants that come along with them.

We don't always get hotel restaurants right, but there have been some fantastic additions to the scene. Warabi, in particular, was far better than I thought it would be – good enough for it to earn two hats out of the gate.

And it wasn't the only great Japanese newcomer: I'm fully smitten with the unassuming sake bar, Sakedokoro Namara, that opened in late 2021 in North Melbourne, as I am with Asoko in Port Melbourne, which may be the best value sushi omakase in town.

But the biggest story of the year, as far as I'm concerned, is the abundance of young chefs who are redefining immigrant cuisine and turning into something undeniably Australian.

My most memorable meals have been had at restaurants such as Enter Via Laundry, where Helly Raichura is blending Australian ingredients with the regional cuisines of India, or Serai, where Ross Magnaye is giving Filipino food the rock 'n' roll treatment, with a side of homemade Golden Gaytime ice-cream bars.

Many of the things I missed and loved about Melbourne are still true. Our wine bars are as good as any in the world, as evidenced by a ton of fantastic newcomers. Our pub scene is better than ever. (I was particularly happy to shower The Lincoln in Carlton with appreciation this year – appreciation, plus a hat!) And our love affair with Italian food is as strong as it's ever been.

What are my hopes for the new year? As always, I'd like to see more decidedly Australian food. I've always wondered why so many restaurants here seem to be aiming to mimic New York or Paris rather than proudly represent the country they're in.

This doesn't just mean using native ingredients, though that is an obvious answer. But it also means celebrating our immensely diverse culinary heritage, and understanding that Chinese-Australian and Italian-Australian and Greek-Australian are distinct cuisines, different from elsewhere in the world, and worthy of respect. And it would be amazing to see more projects that celebrate and promote First Nations food and chefs.

But mostly? I just want to see our restaurant community continue to grow and thrive. It has been an immense privilege to eat my way through my hometown over these past 12 months, but I know it hasn't been an easy year for the folks doing the cooking and serving and managing for these venues.

However, they've risen to the occasion, offering us creativity and hospitality and so much more. They make this city the enormously delicious place that it is, and I will be forever grateful.