Eggs from Bluebird Espresso.

I know i should be shutting myself indoors and completing all my assignments, but I think the 2-week-long Spring break has brought out all the extra lazy bones I never knew I had. Oh well, at least I got my butt to the gym before lunch.

Bluebird Espresso

134 Johnston St, Collingwood VIC

(03) 9078 7047

https://www.facebook.com/bluebirdespresso?fref=ts

Mon - Sun, 8am - 4pm

[ tram 86, stop 19 (Johnston St/Fitzroy St) or train to Victoria Park (shorter walk and faster trip) ]

For some odd reason, Jason and i were extra excited about this café. It's not like it had any coffee cup awards from the Good Café Guide whatsoever.. Maybe it's because it's a café that none of our friends/acquaintances that we know of have gone to, and the distance made us feel like we're going to a completely foreign land (although in reality it was just a 20 minute train ride from the city). 

It's about a 5 minute walk away from the train station. If you start to feel like you're on the wrong road, then you're gonna reach the entrance soon. Look out for that (ˆ) sign.

We weren't disappointed though. The warm staff, the brightly lit café and the bright tulips made me forget that it was a very gloomy, cold, temperamental-weather kinda morning/midday. 

Jason's Dukkah Eggs - mushrooms, spinach and feta on multigrain with poached eggs and dukkah, $14.50, with chorizo (+$2).

Dukkah is the green stuff that's sprinkled on top of the poached eggs: an Egyptian mixture of herbs, nuts and spices.



That yolk.. I'm still trying to get over my fear of looking at flow-y, half cooked yolk, but maybe some of you out there would get a kick outta the yellow-y goodness.. A lot of customers ordered the Dukkah Eggs, and is was also recommended by other food blogs. Jason said he'd be back for this again.

Mexican Eggs - fried eggs (couldn't change to scrambled, boohoo) on corn tortillas, spicy mexican salsa, coriander and queso fresco, $14.50, with chorizo (+$2).

Queso fresco is the white cheese sprinkled on top. I'm generally a huge fan of Mexican food, and this made me pretty happy. The corn tortillas were soft and surprisingly not soggy; the salsa, though it wasn't spicy, had enough of a Mexican kick up my culata (butt, in Spanish). Of course, i gave the yolks to Jason.. I should learn to eat yolks thought. Or, tell them to flip the fried eggs next time.

Their kitchen was right there at the counter. The smell of the sizzling bacon was really.. really.. not cool. Like 'oh god, stahp, staahhhppp' kinda smell. And if you can spot the mountain of avocado on their smashed avocado on multigrain, you can imagine how hard it was for me to not order a second lunch.

Melbourne's trolling weather god annoys me more than anything else in the world.. I would've sat outside if the weather didn't look like it was going to go apocalyptic on us when we got there.

That's what it looked like when we were about to leave. And that shack to the right is their toilet. Looks  a little dodgy, but it was really clean. But then again, anything compared to Malaysian public toilets........

It's a relatively small café; there's barely any space to walk from the front all the way to the back. But at least it didn't feel like i was forced to listen to the other customer's conversations.

I like this café. I'll probably go back there sooner than I think.

If you're gonna head out today, LAYER UP. DON'T BE DECEIVED BY THE SUN. IT'S BLOODY FREEZING AND WINDY. So windy that the rain was falling diagonally.

You saw how sunny it was a few photos ago.. This was about 10 minutes after that.

Behold, i am the Cousin of Cousin It.

/ edit /

Food: 7

Coffee: 7

Ambience: 7

Value: 7

Staff: 7

Damned troll weather god. STAAAHHHPP

may.

Sweet treats from Luxbite.

There's only one thing tastier and sweeter than brunch and macarons from LuxBite, and that's brunch and macarons from LuxBite with a 50% discount.

Head over to Agenda City, they do give a lot of deals for restaurants around Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.

One thing about that voucher, it doesn't say that the 50% discount applies to only 16 macarons.. 

"AgendaCity Members get any two brunch dishes for $15 (valid 7-days) plus for those using the offer on a weekday you’ll get 50% off a box of 16 macarons to take away. Just present your AgendaCity voucher."

Thankfully the website did, and i read it before i bought the voucher, otherwise i would've thrown a bit of a tantrum. (Not that i don't think 50% isnt a great deal.. it's just, things like that should be in the final fine print y'know?)

I've briefly mentioned LuxBite before, but here's a recap of the basic details of the place.

LuxBite

38, Toorak Road, South Yarra VIC
03 98 675 888
http://www.luxbite.com.au/
Mon - Sun, 10.30am - 7pm
[ tram 8, stop 28 (Punt Road/Toorak Road) or train to South Yarra station]

Oh, another thing about Luxbite: the owners are Malaysian! REPRESENT!!!!!

Tea Forté: Orchid Vanilla, $4.80

It was a rainy morning with crazy wind.. Felt a little cold and heavy so i decided to have tea instead of the regular soy latté. And, it was too pretty to not give a try! Just look at it.. I wanted to bring it home instead of chucking it into the water and drinking it. I'm such a hoarder.

While i usually try my best to (and make Jason) not order the same thing twice, he insisted on having the pork belly sandwich again. Mumble grumble.. but it's okay, i've tasted it before and i know how crazy kickass it was the last time so i let him get away with it.. just this once. You can imagine how pleased I was when it came plated differently. :D

LuxBite Pork Roll: Roasted pork belly with kimchi, pear remoulade, lettuce and BBQ sauce, $15 (original price).

Damn, i need to learn how to work this camera properly.. Imagine if i got the focus right on that photo. Anyone out there willing to teach me? Melbourne OR KL?! I'll be back for 2 months early next year!

Caramelized eshallot tart with truffled mushroom, lotus roots and frisée salad, $15 (original price).

I've never had a proper taste of truffle before (besides a teeny bit at Jason's birthday dinner in KL), so i was pretty blown away by the amount of flavour in the salad. At first i thought it was garlic.. but the lack of annoying lingering taste made me realize that it wasn't. And being a pâtisserie, the shell of the tart tasted pretty damn good. The filling was silky and tasty, though i think the taste of the shell and the truffled mushrooms really did mask the eshallot filling. I thought it was well made, but the menu did say they only serve 6 a day.. I wonder why..

Didn't notice the taste difference between an onion and eshallots up until recently, when Jason and Michael (a friend studying culinary arts here in Melbourne) pointed it out. 

Moving on to dessert; I doubt anyone would ignore the colourful display of 16 macarons right at the counter. It's too pretty to ignore, seriously!

Oreo | Lemon, Ginger & Pineapple | Kaya Toast | Heilala Vanilla Crème Brûlée | Mandarin Jaffa | Sour Strawberry | Watermelon | Rose Lychee | Ribena Lemonade | Pandan | Green Tea Pistachio |  Kopiko | Salted Caramel | Peanut Butter & Jelly | Hazelnut | Bamboo Oolong Tea

It's a pity they didn't have Choc Banana (as advertised on their website) this time round again.. Better luck next time i suppose (cause i know i'll be going back).


I never really scrutinize what i eat, it's really easy to make and keep me happy foodwise, but maybe there are a few picky macaron lovers out there who want to know..

Green Tea Pistachio: It was a little on the chewy side, but it did have a good pistachio and green tea flavours coming out of it. Not too sweet, doesn't taste artificial at all.


Hazelnut: If you like nutella, then yes, do give this a try. It's got more filling than the ones at Cacao Green and La Belle Miette, for sure, and the crunchy hazelnut bits on the outside is a plus as well. Between La Belle Miette and LuxBite, i'm undecided on which one's better.

Salted Caramel: I had this last cause it had high expectations of it. And while it tasted great, I personally think that the salted caramel at La Belle Miette is still the best.. But this one comes pretty darn close!

Kopiko: My second favourite sweet, strongly coffee flavoured, as a child (the first will always be the White Rabbit sweet with the edible paper). It tasted like coffee.. but not much like Kopiko. More likely a café latté (the other name it the macaron is given). The filling was so light and marshmallow-ey.. mmmmm...

Rose Lychee: personally my favourite macaron, not just from LuxBite, but also the best i've tasted EVER. Maybe i'm biased cause i've been gravitating towards those flavours lately. I was lucky enough to snag freshly made (i think) ones, the shell was so soft it practically melted in my mouth. Jason loved it as well!

Watermelon: I personally think watermelon is an odd flavour as a macaron.. Even the one from Adriano Zumbo in Sydney. It kinda makes me think of the only brand of bubble gum i remember, BubbleYum. The texture of the filling was great though, light and airy eventho it was creamy.

Heilala Vanilla Crème Brûlée: It's about as awesome as it sounds. It literally made me stop at my tracks (when i had it at home) and i completely forgot what i was saying to Jason, because i was just so blown away by the taste of it. Really, along with the Rose Lychee, this is a must try.

Lemon, Ginger & Pineapple: Jason's favourite of the lot (so far). It was okay for me.. the shell was a little chewier than i would've loved, though i thought the filling was really light and.. different.

I love how colourful macarons can get. Yea sure, most of the time it's food colouring, but if you reflect on all the fried, processed, canned food you eat, food colouring isn't that massive a culprit.

Regret buying two of 8 flavours instead of a full on 16 different flavours! So annoyed with myself. Usually Jason and i would share half-and-half, so we'd get half macarons but more flavours.

This is what i had the last time i was there a few weeks ago. Because it was about 2 weeks ago, i don't think it's fair for me to say much about the macarons.. I might not remember them as well as i think i do. But looking back at the pictures, I've had Kopiko before, instead of Oreo which i asked for. Maybe the person at the counter misheard me.. no wonder it didn't taste like Oreo at all. Lol.

 Kopiko, Kaya Toast, Mandarin Jaffa, Sour Strawberry, Ribena Lemonade, Pandan, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Bamboo Oolong Tea

All in all, if you do want the best flavours, i highly recommend the Heilala Vanilla Crème Brûlée, Mandarin Jaffa, Rose Lychee, Ribena Lemonade, Peanut Butter & Jelly and Bamboo Oolong Tea. Not that the other flavours are bad or anything, not at all. Just that those would definitely be my first choice! Wish i got to meet the Malaysian owners and Eileen (Iryan's housemate)'s friend, who's the savoury chef though. Like i said.. better luck next time.

And if you're craving for mooncakes...

AAHHH.. I can't afford $50.. just for mooncake flavoured macarons.. no.. cannot.. my wallet.. cannot.

I'm not getting paid/sponsored by LuxBite, or anyone by the way. I just like to share promos etc. with people.. I like my deals, i'm sure you guys do too. :)

/ edit /

Food: 7

Coffee: 6

Ambience: 9

Value: 7

Staff: 6

TIME TO START ON MY ASSIGNMENTS ASDFGHJKL WHY I PROCRASTINATE

may.

Start your day happy.

I'm constantly told that I should always start the day happy. And nothing makes me happier in the morning than a good breakfast that is homemade..

Eggs are beneficial

Strawberries are seasonal

Bananas are sweet and essential

Quick oats can be made sensational.

Spinach is a rarity

Blueberries are a luxury

Greek yogurt for your dose of dairy

Nuts and chia seeds make it crunchy.

So wake up early

Get to the kitchen; make it snappy
Whip up breakfast and make it pretty

I'm sure you'll start your day happy.

Yeah, a lame little poem i came up with in 10 seconds that made me chuckle. 

You might notice that i love parfaits, strawberries and pancakes after this post.

I'll start with what i had this morning, since it's the easiest to remember.

Chocolate quinoa (say what?!), smashed banana, passionfruit, strawberries and topped with wonderfully sweet blueberries. The chocolate quinoa was from @joneacie's instagram but it didnt exactly absorb up all the soy milk so i got crunchy chocolate quinoa instead. 

I toasted 1/2tsp nutmeg and 1/2tsp cinnamon with 1/4cup quinoa (red, preferably) until fragrant and added about 1 and 1/4cup soy milk and let it simmer till the soy milk (almond milk, preferably) was gone. (Need to work that part out though.. maybe soy milk is too thick for quinoa to absorb). Took it off the heat and added 1tsp unsweetened baking cacao and 2tbs honey. Refrigerated it overnight cause i wanted to have it cold. 

Layering was just as it was in the photo. I nom-ed it down in minutes.. party cause i loved how it looked and cause i was famished.

Green pancakes! Again, from @joneacie on instagram. She has such amazing recipes..

1/2cup spinach, blitzed, 1scoop of vanilla protein powder, 1 egg and 2 egg whites, 1/2cup rolled oats, 1tsp vanilla essence, 3-4tbs almond/soy milk, 1tbs flax seed. Mix it all together and cook em like normal pancakes!

Strawberry, cranberry and greek yogurt parfait. Mhmm.. i told you i loved parfaits and strawberries. No prep whatsoever here.. just layering, layering, layering. Topped it with shredded coconut and chia seeds cause i've got a shitload in my pantry.

@joneacie's recipes again! overnight oats, banana, cranberry, almond and coconutty cream parfait.

Soak 1/2tbs chia seeds, 1/2cup rolled oats in 1/2cup almond/soy milk overnight for the overnight oats! Sprinkle and mix in some nutmeg or cinnamon if you want. 

Coconutty cream is just 1/2scoop vanilla protein powder, 3-4tbs of greek yogurt, 1 and 1/2tbs shredded coconut, 1tsp honey and 1tsp vanilla essence. 

blogilates' banana pancakes, which is about the simplest recipe I've ever seen in my life. It's literally 2 eggs and 1 ripe banana (smashed). Mix the two up till it's really well combined and cook it like normal pancakes. You'd be surprised.. It's the best tasting (healthy) pancakes i've ever eaten in my life.

Topped mine with honey, cause i top everything with honey, blueberries, pecans and shredded coconut.

TRY IT NOW. IT'S SO EASY. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSES. 

I also did a chocolate variation of it by adding about 1/2tbs unsweetened baking cacao in it.


Need to work on that recipe.. Something was odd with the mix. Maybe the bananas weren't sweet enough. Oh well.

Egg crêpe with strawberries, honey, banana and natural peanut butter! It was probably the most ingenious recipe i created myself one morning..

2 eggs and 1 egg white plus 3-4tbs soy/almond milk, whisk really well. Pour in in a non-stick pan, VERY LOW HEAT. SUPER LOW. LOWEST IT CAN GO. When most of if it set, carefully use your hands to flip it.

I tried this again using three eggs but it was too heavy for me to flip it. So be careful with your egg mixture, mine tore when i tried to flip it.

I spread one half with natural peanut butter and topped it with sliced banana, and the other half with honey and sliced strawberries and rolled it up. Topped it off with unsweetened baking cacao and shredded coconut and a strawberry.

I must say it was pretty darn good.. It probably kept me happy for a week. But with toppings and spreads like that, how can it not be?

My breakfasts look like desserts. Maybe that's why i rarely crave for desserts anymore.. Just the savory stuff. Hope the few readers of this blog enjoyed the short dose of healthy food porn.. I'm starting to feel really happy blogging again. Though it also means that i'm neglecting other important things..

On the side note, have you ever experienced emotional snowballing? (It's not a real term, but those're the only words i can use to describe it. Have you ever wanted to change something so much that you forget the right ways to do it? Have you ever intended for an end product to be a good thing, but in the process of doing that, everything was just bad, bad, bad? Have you ever wanted to change yourself so bad, because you know that if you don't, you're gonna be in trouble, but somehow, some unknown thing stops you? Have you ever wanted to battle your own ego so much, it's pushed you over the edge and you're all cracked at the seams? Have you ever felt like you've got an inner demon in you, that you're living proof that Dr Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde's story ain't just a storybook classic? Have you ever hated yourself for the way you are so much, but hate yourself even more for not being able to change as fast as you want to, and when you hurt the people around you? Have you? Maybe if you have, then i'm more human that i actually think i am.

it's always darkest before the dawn,
may.

Awesome Viennoise roll from Dr Jeckyll.

Can't believe my Spring break is coming to an end and i haven't done anything besides watch MasterChef, gym and café hunting. I'm gonna get a whole lot of my Principles of Marketing and APA (hiss) assignment done today.. but after this post is done.

Dr. Jeckyll

107 Grey Street St. Kilda VIC

(03) 9525 5999

www.drjeckyll.com.au

Mon - Fri,

7am - 4pm, Sat - Sun, 8am - 4pm.

[ tram 3/3a/67, stop 34 (Inkerman St/St. Kilda Rd) ]

It took us a while to find the place. It's about a 400m walk away from the tram stop.. When we did find it, i was pretty pleased that it wasn't full to the brim cause I was hungry as hell.

Lots of space for us inside.. but it was such a nice day so we chose to sit outside in the backyard (?).

Spot our table.

I always decide what i want to eat last, just to make sure i wouldn't order the same thing as someone else at the table. I'm not picky, i just like to have pictures of different kinds of food =p

My Viennoise roll with house cured ocean trout, capers, cucumber ribbons, baby spinach and chive crème fraiche, $13 

After the portion-to-price disappointment i had at De Clieu, i think the rest were pretty surprised that i ordered this.. but i didn't regret it at all. The hero was surprisingly, the Viennoise roll. It was the sweetest, softest, fluffiest roll i've ever had in my life.. I want more......

Max's Poached chicken sourdough sandwich with avocado chive crème fraiche and baby spinach, $12.  

Arif/Jason's brekkie burger: fried egg, leg ham, chorizo, melted cheese, house chutney and roquette, $13.50

'mmmmm....... dat egg.....' was the only thing both of them kept saying.

I still can't stand the sight/smell of yolk that isn't well done.. yea i don't appreciate flowy, watery yolk. yurgh. I had a taste of the burger sans the yolk and i must say it's nice to have a bite expecting a burger patty and getting the firmness and spicy-ness of a chorizo.

 Saw this massive poodle on the way to the café. I thought it was fake till Maxine pointed it out.. Such a classy looking dog.

"I'll admit, not everything about St. Kilda is wrong. I mean, I would like to see the ladies (and some men) wear either shoes or a bra, but I can’t control class, can I?"- That Jess Ho

so.. who's joining me for the next café? call me!
may.

Oldies

For the people who don't follow me on instagram and for the people who actually give a damn about what i've been eating and where.

my jar of cafés, my The Age Good Café Guide that my jar is largely based on, my trusty Sharpie and Sesame Street pen, and my Star Wars Moleskine where i record my personal reviews of the cafés i've been to. :)

St. Ali
12-18 Yarra Place,  South Melbourne VIC 
http://stali.com.au/au/
[ tram 1, stop 20 (Kings Way/Sturt Street) ]

We sat outside and that's when i came up with the idea of going somewhere new every weekend. No idea where the idea came from, but it's definitely keeping me happy (and my wallet empty) this semester. Gives me something to look forward to at the end of the week, y'know?

Hermanos Rodrigues Breakfast Sandwich- Chorizo from Casa Iberica with fried egg, roquette, paprika spiced semi hard cheese named mahon and lemon aioli on sourdough.

Smokey and The Bandit "In the House"- Victorian rainbow trout fillet on Israeli couscous with roasted Spanish onions, "house" semi dried tomatoes and "house" smoked eggplant.

LE MIEL at la lune
330 Cardigan Street, Carlton VIC
http://www.lemiel.com.au/
[ tram 1/8, stop 111 (Swanston St/Elgin St) ]

I guess in a way, this was pretty significant cause this is where Jason and i went for lunch on our 1-year anniversary. The choice was pretty random, but we chose it mainly cause it got good reviews on urbanspoon and cause it was just down the road from uni (he had class).

Potato hash with pork belly, three mix mushroom and a well done poached egg.

Beef ragu with cannelloni beans, rocket salad, meridith feta and poached egg.

Affogato Espresso Bar
29, Hardware Lane, Melbourne VIC 
http://www.affogato.com.au/


Another random choice. The staff there were really friendly and helpful, although the food took a long time to arrive. Their limited menu might be the reason why I probably wouldn't think of going back there again, unless i'm hungry while picking up macarons from La Belle Miette which is just across the road.

Smoked Salmon Special - scrambled (or poached) eggs with smoked salmon on toast and spinach.

Morning Start - bacon, toast, avocado, garlic mushroom, hash brown and spinach.

Soul Soup Café
55 Cardigan Street, Carlton VIC 
http://www.soulsoup.com.au/


Jason's favourite place to go to. It's about 5 minutes away from where we live, and this place has the best soups ever. It's kind of a family-run business, probably on the bottom floor of their house in Carlton. Love the couple who owns the place; they even gave me a free 3oz helping of a soup that i really liked on my 4th visit there!

They have 2-3 different kinds of soup every weekday served with woodfire bread.

Chez Dré
287, Coventry Street, South Melbourne VIC
http://chezdre.com.au/
[ tram 96, stop 127 (South Melbourne Station/Light rail) ]


One of the best cafés i've been to in Melbourne so far. The name's pretty famous for good reason: service was excellent (we had a French waiter with the quirkiest attitude) and the food was great too. Too bad we didnt try their Fererro Roché cake..

Cheese and corn soufflé with marinated smoked salmon and fresh corn and avocado salsa.

Grand petit dejeuner: little big lunch.

Green Refectory
115, Sydney Road, Brunswick VIC
[ tram 19, stop 20 (Barkly Square/Sydney Road) ]


Everyone who follows me on instagram might've noticed that i've been to this café 6 times in 6 weeks. I made it a point to bring nearly every visitor i've had there.. Or i'd just hop on the number 19 tram and get off at stop 20 after class.

Green's big breakfast

Breakfast burrito

Salmon quiche

Breakfast trifle

Vanilla slice

Mars bar cake

Twenty & Six Espresso
594, Queensberry Street, North Melbourne VIC
http://www.twentyandsix.com.au/
[ tram 57, stop 13 (Curzon St/Queensberry St) ]


Sure, we had to wait about 30 minutes on a Sunday morning in the cold but i was determined to try out a new place instead of going to Auction Rooms (which probably would've had a longer waiting time actually..) which was just down the road. The wait was pretty worth it though.

The Hunter: balsamic and port roasted portobello mushrooms, spicy Spanish chorizo on sourdough with crème fraiche and black truffle oil.

Organic Balinese black sticky rice with banana, fresh mango, salted coconut cream, palm sugar and passion fruit pulp.

Manchester Press
8 Rankins Lane, Melbourne VIC
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Manchester-Press/171807409566156?rf=196023050422681


Probably the easiest choice if you live in the city since it actually is in the city. I think i've been here about 10 times in the past year and it's probably the first Melbourne-style café i've been to in Melbourne. While most people would order the smoked salmon bagel, i'd say try the fruit and nut bagel. It's my personal favourite, and you'd never have the chance to be disappointed with poverty amounts of salmon (happened to Jason once..).

Smoked salmon bagel

Fruit and nut bagel with berries mascarpone - DOESN'T IT LOOK AMAZING!?

Sally's Kitchen
296, Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC
http://www.sallyskitchen.com.au/
[ tram 24/30/35, stop 8 (Exhibition St/La Trobe St) ]


The one time i didnt check for a café's opening time would be on our 13th month anniversary, wanted to go to 65 degrees but it was closed. Sally's Kitchen was a few steps away we definitely didnt walk away disappointed (though i would've preferred to try their lunch menu which isn't available on Saturdays). Slightly on the pricier side compared to other café i've been to though.. Or maybe i'm just a cheapo.

Porridge and honey sultana compote and vanilla bean compote.

Truffled scrambled eggs with pork and fennel sausages.

De Clieu
187, Gertrude Street, Fitzroy VIC 3000
http://sevenseeds.com.au/seeds/de-clieu/ 
[ tram 86, stop 14 (Napier St/ Gertrude St) ]


I was pretty disappointed with the trout but i got over it. Again, it was the issue with price more than with taste.. Their pork belly was excellent but what really made me forgive them was the quality of the soy latté i was served. Honestly one of the best i've tasted in Melbourne!

Ocean trout Gravadlax with salsa verde, horseradish crème, picked cucumber and ciabatta.

Sweet roasted Berkshire pork neck with fried egg, spring onion roti and barbecue sauce. SO GOOD. MUST TRY.

LuxBite
38, Toorak Road, South Yarra VIC
http://www.luxbite.com.au/
[ tram 8, stop 28 (Punt Road/Toorak Road) or train to South Yarra station]


I LOVE macarons. have i ever mentioned that i ate 56 macarons in 21 days when i first discovered them? What made me love this place more was that it actually had a lunch menu as well! And their savoury food was as good as their macarons. (what's cooler is that Iryan's housemate's friend is the chef! asdfghjkl)

Pandan chicken burger

Open pork belly sandwich - you HAVE to order this.

Endless Love - rose, lychee and raspberry macaron (that's my idea of heaven)

Pretty big selection of macarons there. 
I'd say try the orange jaffa, peanut butter and jelly, and ribena and lemonade. Actually, try everything.

65 Degrees
309, Exhibition Street Melbourne VIC
http://www.65degreescafe.com/

[ tram 24/30/35, stop 8 (Exhibition St/La Trobe St) ]

I didn't notice much about the place when i first went there with Demie.. my second visit made me discover that there is an extremely good latté art barista there (his/her trophies were all over the shelves behind the counter). I must say i'm pretty annoyed with the place though, i went there twice at about 2pm and their kitchen was closed. Sigh.. maybe they just sell out that fast eh?

Chorizo, spinach and capsicum risotto.

Pumpkin scone

Proud Mary
172 Oxford Street, Collingwood, VIC
http://www.proudmarycoffee.com.au/
[ tram 86, stop 18 (Hodgson Street/Smith Street) ]


Went there for lunch with Megan, Maxine and Jason. It was a Thursday mid-morning and the place was packed to the brim. The Age Good Café Guide did state that it was the best food café around.. and based on the meal i had there, i wouldn't have much to say to disagree.

Ricotta hot cakes with caramelised mandarin, dark chocolate fudge, whipped mascarpone and hazelnuts.
'It's like it's marinated in sunshine..!'- Maxine

Miss Jackson

2/19 Grey Street, St Kilda VIC

http://www.missjackson.com.au/

[ tram 3a /16 /96, stop 133 (Cantebury Road/Fitzroy Street) ] 

One that really came out at random from the jar. I think it was the owner who greeted and seated us.. and I'd give them 9/10 for service hands down. He was just so friendly and appreciative and all that jazz.. Their wasabi crab cakes were a little on the pricier side but they were REALLY good. And they also served me the best soy latté i've had so far.

Wasabi crab cakes with watercress, pea and grapefruit salad.

Potato and leek hash with smashed green peas, smoked trout and poached egg.

Hobba
428 Malvern Road, Prahran VIC
http://hobba.com.au/
[ tram 72, stop 3 (Francis St/Malvern Road) ]


Another café we had to wait for.. do yourself a favour and wait about 10 minutes after 12pm for them to update their 'specials' board if you're after the lunch menu. They updated their ' Lunch Specials' board after our waitress walked away.. imagine my face when i saw 'osso bucco ragout', which was going for the same price as my Kinkawooka mussels =p. But the taste of the mussells really did make up for it.. the broth that came with it was excellent with the bread that was served with it. 

Kinkawooka mussels with harissa, yogurt and crusty bread.

Hobba breakfast- slow cooked eggs, mushrooms, roasted tomato, bacon, sausage and tomato chutney.

So those are some of the places i've been to over the last two months or less. Of course, everything up there wasn't eaten by me.. If i had a taste i'd post it up. Do leave comments whatsoever! I decided against leaving a chatbox here cause the previous one had loads of virus-like spams on em.. 

does anyone have any idea how to completely wipe out your tweets from twitter? seriously!

may.