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Exactly like Subway, but Mexican. And with beer. I had quite a delicious burrito with beans, rice, beef, cheese, avocado, tomoato and lettuce. And a very nice Don Equis lager (which Karlee pronounced offensive, pffff.)
Relaxed atmosphere, feels like a chain but I’ve never seen one anywhere else.
Afterwards, we found an awesome bottle shop that sold niche brews like pear cider. Mmmmm, cider.
Rating: Good, solid, cheap.
Jason and Huw imitate each other at Barbagallo.
This meal was wonderful. The conversation was good. The bar tender dirtied my g + t with Campari. The gnocchi with gorgonzola was so delicious I am still dreaming about it. In fact, I might just find an excuse to go back there soon. Like, this weekend.
Rating: OMFG.
Does Laverton count as Melbourne? I say yes. Laverton is kind of like a less interesting version of Melton. Fresh Chilli Thai does a really good job of pretending to be located somewhere else. I got to try the prawn spring rolls, the pad thai, Mossman curry and some kind of delicious chicken dish. All the flavours were very fresh, I think the Mossman curry was my favourite. DOn’t think I’ll be back though, it;s too far from everything and everyone.
Rating: surprisingly good!
Labour Day public holiday. So we had to wait for a table, which is to be expected. One of us thought we had to wait a bit long for our breakfast too, but I didn’t really feel it.
Had toast with mashed avocado, beautifully roasted tomato and goats cheese. Could have done without the rocket, and the bread was a bit soggy, but the overall impression was YUM.
Coffee was nice, especially like the duck egg blue cups.
Pictured above are the remains of Karlee’s latte.
Rating: Yep, pretty nice.
I may have only enjoyed one gin and tonic here while watching Karlee’s gig, but it still counts! The chairs were very comfy for a bar, and I thought the design for the stage/entrance area was quite clever, but otherwise it seemed a fairly forgettable place, maybe nice for a quiet drink if I still lived in the area, but nothing special.
Rating: OK.
I think I may have fallen in love with my flat white, but it may have been the hangover confusing me. The omelette with lemon and ricotta was divine, the toast with avocado as amazing as I could wish. A very pleasant breakfast. If only it weren’t in South Melbourne, which is far too far away from anywhere for me.
Rating: OMFG
We were in a rush because we only had an hour before our film, and we had walked further than anticipated to get there, but Hotel Max had a welcoming and genteel atmosphere that soon calmed me down. I ordered wrong, Jason had a lovely looking ravioli with garden vegetables, but I wasn’t feeling that hungry, opting for calamari and cauliflower fritters, which though nice, were a bit too much fried, and the calamari was a little overcooked.
Still, there was cider on tap, so I wasn’t too upset.
It was difficult to get an accurate idea about this place as an eatery, as it was 38C and full of others (like us) having work Christmas functions, so the staff were harassed, the menu limited and the patrons irritable. I had a lovely serving of trout as my main (much nicer than the steak most of our party chose) and the cake plate that followed was delicious. However, most of my colleagues were unimpressed, some to point of filling out a negative customer service survey and leaving it behind with no tip. I tried to keep my head down, and pretended not to know them.
Trippy Tacos is OK. The food is fresh if light on the fun bits (I generally require more cheese and sour cream to complete any Tex Mex experience with satisfaction.) the beans are black and look like rabbit poo (but tasty!) and the vibe is hipster.
Really this meal was more about the company than the food. That said, I really wished there had been some meat on the menu as I was craving beef at the time.
Remind me next time to go for a burrito or quesadilla as I always seem to end up with taco juice all over my hands and cursing my stupidity.
Gin Fizz, Laika.
I really wish I’d had this drink, but I hesitated at the thought of egg whites and went for a mojito instead. But Fi was kind enough to let me try the gin fizz, and it was DELIGHTFUL. Completely upstaged the otherwise very nice tapas taster plate we had as our meal, which was no small feat.
Really a very enjoyable meal, the only annoying thing was all the flies and insects we had to contend with outside, as well as all the St Kilda narcissists running shitless.
I’m not just saying this because my friend works here, this place is great, a well conceived cafe and roastery in a prime position to sell it’s wares. It’s only been open for a couple of weeks but I expect great things.
Jason roasts all the coffee on site (if you’re lucky, he’ll make it for you too) and though I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, in my humble opinion it’s excellent. Maybe it has something to do with the way he hugs his roaster when he leaves, I don’t know. My only complaint is that the cafe’s location (Prahran market) makes it impossible for me to nip over for a lunch time or breakfast cup and never mind trying to convince my ‘north of the river’ friends to trek over to the ‘wrong side’ for a weekend brunch. One small consolation is that my mother works nearby so I am able to send her over regularly to replenish my supply of beans.
Try the macaroons. They’re magical.
Rating: OMFG, get over there right now and do yourself a favour.
On Cup Day I met S and E here to watch the race. We got a table with a good view and ordered a couple of pizzas and some haloumi to go with our champers. E was the only one of us who won anything, and I think she only got a few dollars back but we had a nice time chatting and chewing.
The pizza was OK, not quite the standard I have become used to, but satisfyingly cheesy none the less. The pub itself had quite a nice atmosphere, though the toilets need renovating.
Rating: OK.
I’ve been here before, but not since its recent renovations. I was amazed when we walked in that it was the same place, the bar and entrance had been moved, the entire dining area was unrecognisable and the atmosphere had changed completely. As had the menu.
As this was another dinner with Jason, of course it was all about pizza. I have been to so many pizza places in Melbourne in the last couple of months I think I need a break. Nevertheless, it was delicious, especially the intense Formaggio pizza, which wasn’t afraid to feature a robustly stinky cheese and almost made me hallucinate. In a good way.
I also enjoyed the décor, especially the full wall frieze of a ballroom scene that tricked my eyes into thinking it was an abstract painted grey wall for half the evening.
Rating: Noice.
Yet another pizza place, this one in Melbourne on the other side of the Sofitel.
I enjoyed it, but thinking back I’m not even sure what we ate, except that it was cheesy and nice. I suppose it was meant to be fancy. And I liked the way they made my gin with cucumber. Yum.
Rating: Good.
I was incredibly hungover all day, and so the ‘Gringo’ pizza, which is basically nachos on a pizza base (including the corn chips) sounded liked a good idea.
Fool!
Ugh, I still feel a little ill.
Rating: Yuck.
I have actually been to Bearbrass in Southbank before now, but I’ve never eaten there, so it still counts.
The food was delicious, I had calamari and a creamy gnocchi with mushrooms, but the service was slow and a little surly. The pizzas also looked nice, perhaps if I go back I’ll try one.
They serve Hendricks gin, which I needed as a constitutional after the footy crowd train ride I had just endured prior to the meal.
Rating: OK.
This place has pizza, mozzarella, wine and hot waiters. Plus a handy map of Italy on the back of the menu to gaze at and reminisce. Ticks all my boxes. We shared a margharita which was quite salty, but in a good way, and a porcini which was intense and delicious. It’s probably the second best pizza I’ve ever had, and the best I’ve had in Melbourne. Even the crust was delicious.
It was packed the entire time but wasn’t too loud or cramped. I would have liked to sit outside as it was a balmy evening, but even so it was a lovely meal.
Rating: Very Very Good.
Jim’s is the oldest Greek restaurant in Melbourne, apparently (my source was one of my dinner companions and I can’t be bothered looking it up, so if I’m wrong, meh!) and is a huge cavernous building on Johnson St, where an army of Greek men bring out plates and plates of meat and you die from protein overdose before being rolled out the door.
No really, I’ve NEVER eaten so much meat in one sitting. Prawns, calamari, fish, lamb! Platters of it! At the end of the meal my stomach was hard and round with a meat baby, which I named Arnold.
It was amazing.
Rating: OMFG
Lygon St, East Brunswick
We ended up here some time after 12, as we’d been kicked out of the East Brunswick club and Huw noticed that Mr W was still serving drinks. I can’t say I remember a great deal, apart from it seeming quite new and hip and cold. All i had was a coke as I was preparing myself for the drive home, but we sat and joked and had a nice time until about 1am, and the bartender gave karlee a shot of red cordial to cure her hiccups.
I find it strange how that part of Lygon St is slowly getting trendier and all the old factory outlets are being replaced by these niche bars, and how different it is from when i used to live there, not quite two years ago.
Gertrude St, Fitzroy.
It’s taken me a long time to get here, and I must say my expectations were high. I don’t know if Ladro is ‘the best pizza anywhere’ as one of my friend’s has claimed, I certainly remember other times when the pure deliciousness of a pizza seemed far more overwhelming, but it was still pretty good. My only regret about the meal was that due to the fact that I was the only non vego at the table I was unable to sample any of the meatier fare. next time, i think.
I especially enjoyed the Boscaolla (which i’m sure I’ve misspelled) with it’s meaty mushrooms.
Rating: Good.
