Will you have my hand and my heart, Mister Close?

I've probably walked past this place at least 4 times a week on the way to the gym for a whole year, but I've never noticed it till I was practically rammed into the sign by crazy boxing day shoppers outside Dick Smith. Headed over with Jovial and her mom last week but I didn't have my camera, and with Christina and Bella a few days ago.

Mister Close. 
246 Bourke St, Midtown Plaza Melbourne, VIC 03 9654 7778
Mon - Tues, 7am - 4pm, Wed - Fri, 7am - 6pm, Sat 9am - 4pm
http://misterclose.com.au/

You can't exactly see the café from Swanston street; you'd have to look inside Midtown Plaza and spot who/what I'm assuming is Mister Close (right). It's extremely convenient that there are the main banks' ATMs right outside, because they have a minimum of $10 on Eftpos.

Look at that cold drip! With the beakers and all, it's like some mad Scientist's experiment, which, now that I think of it, is probably how cold drips came about in the first place.

Christina, Bella and I were served by this guy (I forgot to ask for his name, damn), who had the cutest shy demeanor ever. I think Bella must've really fazed him or something. He was really friendly though, and very helpful with the menu.

What I really like about Mister Close is that their menu changes everyday, and it's also updated daily on their website. Most of their menu items are displayed upfront, so you can have a good look at what's available before taking a seat. It's a little sad that their breakfast menu is only till 11am on weekdays though, their American waffles sound absolutely divine! 

Pot of chai latté, $4.

I'm pretty impressed that they use real chai leaves instead of the powdered stuff that. $4 for such a big pot of real chai is a bargain, really. I don't like chai much, but Jovial did say this is among the better chais she's had.

Gluten-free cookie (I've forgotten what it's called), $3.

Jovial is in love with this gluten-free cookie of theirs It's got a notes of maple syrup to it; and the cookie itself just melts in your mouth. I've heard that their muffins are really good as well, both sweet and savoury are available.

Grilled pumpkin sandwich with blue cheese, caramelized onions and rocket with garden salad, $12 
(ordered this was when I was there with Jovial and her mom). 

Yeah, me and pumpkin. The sandwich was slightly bigger than I expected, and with the amount of pumpkin I was given, I was pretty filled up by the time I finished it. I was a little annoyed that I discovered that I could choose my salad but I wasn't asked when I ordered.

Mexican Chicken Burger with guacamole salsa and sour cream, $16

Christina's dish was my first choice originally, but I typically ordered something else when she ordered this. I did get half of the burger though - the portion was relatively big; probably enough to unexpectedly fill up even a guy's stomach. It's not your typical burger; it was served in what I think is a Turkish pide instead of a burger bun. The chicken patty itself was tasty and juicy.

Butter Chicken with steamed rice*, $16.50

*I had the rice switched out for flatbread instead. At first I was slightly disappointed to be given only 3 pieces, but after finishing the dish I realized that if I had any more, I'd explode. The butter chicken was pretty good too; not your authentic Indian butter chicken, of course, but it was tasty nonetheless. I love how the chicken was juicy, not to mention and abundance of both chicken and curry (gravy? sauce?) in that one bowl. 

Meet Bella, who practically lives at the gym cause she's almost always there, and Christina, who works with me at V-Café at the gym and goes to PlanetShakers as well. 

"So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being" - Franz Kafka. 

You wise, wise man, you.

Overall, I really liked the look and feel of Mister Close. The fact that it's just a stone's throw away from where I stay and the gym (sometimes they're the same thing, really) and most aspects of the place have impressed me will probably keep me coming back.

Food: 7.5 - 8 

Coffee: N/A (for me)

Ambience: 8

Value: 7 

Staff: 8 (would've been a 9 if the salad incident didn't happen, oh well)

I'm starting a new workout/diet program today - The Bizzy Diet by Cory Gregory. It's a 21 day intensive shredding program and it follows an extremely strict diet routine and workout program. That means, for 3 weeks, I wouldn't be going to any new cafés. :( No fret though; I do have a couple of places I've yet to blog about, so I'll work on those. Wish me luck, God knows my weakness is my cravings, or rather any kinda food put in front of my face.

may.