Kristoffer Paulsen has been a photographer about town for the better part of 15 years, after first working in music across touring and production. That background proved a natural pathway into hospitality photography – there are plenty of similarities between the two worlds, not least the personalities – and he quickly found his feet shooting food and drink.
Last month, he opened a show with his good friend David Booth (aka Ghostpatrol), featuring work the pair created during a Bob Brown Foundation residency in Tasmania’s Takayna Forest back in April. They spent three days toiling away in the freezing cold and soaking wet of the mighty Takayna, emerging with a beautiful body of work that he’s very excited to share.
The best new thing I’ve found is Da Paolo at Bahama Gold. It’s unusual to see someone doing something truly new with pizza, and I think these guys are killing it. With an electric oven, too! Amazing.
My local is… I initially wrote Cam’s Kiosk at Abbotsford Convent, downstairs from my studio, but since starting this draft they’ve had to close – which is heartbreaking. It’s a brutal time to run a small business at the moment, and Cam’s, which seemed to be as busy as ever, going down really hit as a reminder to me that no one is safe right now.
I live out in Eltham, so I tend to walk up the street to Craftwork for coffee and snacks, maybe A Boy Named Sue if I feel like a scenic drive out to the hills for some top pizza and booze.
If I’m at the studio I’ll often stroll up to Macgregor’s Original for a burger, or maybe Kaede for coffee or delicious Japanese-inspired food.
When I want to celebrate an occasion with a special meal, I go to Greasy Zoes in Hurstbridge. Zoe Birch is one of my best mates, and in my opinion, one of the best chefs in Australia. Another friend of mine, James Lance, has just joined the business, taking over front of house, and is one of the most knowledgeable somms I know, but completely not a wine wanker. So hanging out at GZs is just like being in their loungeroom, almost. Zoe cooks, James spins records and pours wine, and everyone just has a real good time.
When I want to show off the city to friends from out of town, I maybe start at my studio and show them how ridiculous it is, nestled at the top of Abbotsford Convent looking over the lawn. Maybe go for a stroll around the gardens. Stroll up the road and grab a glass of wine or two with snacks outside at Zareh and tell everyone how much I love my friend Tom Sarafian (it’s not creepy, I swear). Then, I jump in a cab, head to town. Go get some à la carte dumplings and martinis at Flower Drum bar, talk shit with Jae Lui. Go to Embla. Do the same, but with Dave Verheul’s ridiculous food. Maybe catch a show at the Forum. Get a cab over the river and head to France-Soir’s swank new bar Le Splendide and talk shit with the staff while people-watching and trying to guess who’s cheating on their wives, and who’s worth more than five million. Or, maybe, go get a juicy late-night burger and beer at Butcher’s Diner (one of Melbourne’s best-kept secrets). Go home. Crash. Get breakfast at Jason Jones’s gorgeous café Second Home in Eltham.
My favourite place to load up on supplies is Baker Bleu. I live north of the river, so whenever I’m southside, I always make a point of stopping at Baker Bleu and grabbing a loaf and whatever snacks they’ve got on the menu that day. What Mike and co do with bread is otherworldly. Then, I pop in to see my dear mate Anthony Femia at Maker & Monger for some cheese and other bits (and say hello to his kick-ass new extended wine fridge!) at Prahran Market. Now that’s a party! If I’m northside, I’ll stop by Grana on Lygon Street, maybe have a snack and a glass of wine and buy a bag full of things I absolutely don’t need but absolutely do want.
There’s no better value in the city than the chef’s menu at Tipo 00. Ridiculous. It’s been reasonably priced and incredible since the early days, and still delivers.
And I wish more people would experience the excellence of Jayden Ong wines in Healesville. I think it’s one of Melbourne’s best-kept secrets. What Jayden and Morgan Ong have built out there is just gorgeous, and they’ve somehow managed to improve on the levels of hospitality from Cumulus, but turned it into one of the loveliest cellar doors you’ll ever visit. The moment you walk in, you’re treated like royalty. True hospitality.
My defining food moment in Melbourne was shooting France-Soir after lockdown. I’d been sent in by Swill Magazine (RIP) and it must have been February 2022. I was just working away, and I think it was the moment I found myself in the middle of a frenzy of waistcoated waiters singing happy birthday to a table of diners, and I just all of a sudden was completely overwhelmed. I hadn’t felt this for two years, and had kind of subconsciously wondered if we’d ever get it back. Sure enough, we did.
If there was one thing I could change about eating and drinking in Melbourne it would be stacking toast. I don’t want to replate the dish, that’s the chef’s job! Plate it so it’s ready to eat, goddammit! Same as putting bits of paper under pastries and whatever that are going to be cut. I don’t want to cut the paper and have it go through my food. Ew, no.
But the thing I hope never changes here is the bit of a scrappy underdog mentality in Victoria. I love it. I grew up in Sydney, where we’re raised thinking we live in the best city in the world, and why would you live anywhere else? Melbourne has always had something to prove, which I think drives creativity and originality. I love it.
Find out more about Kristoffer Paulsen and Ghostpatrol’s new exhibition Takayna Forest Face here. Follow along at @kristofferpaulsen.