Food
Grumpys Green
Most bars I know look a little seedy during the day what with the light picking up the spilt beer and split chair fabric and whatnot. So it’s interesting that Grumpys Green is not only open for dinner and bar snacks, but also breakfast from 10. Having only visited for dinner, I can’t actually tell you how Grumpys fairs in the daylight but perhaps they’re going on the fact that the food is just that good that people don’t care. Or that they’re too hung-over too notice. Both are distinct possibilities.
New York Tomato
On the corner of New and York streets, embedded in the back alleys and one-way streets of Richmond, is a garage roller door with the wonder that is New York Tomato hiding behind it. It is not the newest cafe round the traps but it is one of the Melbourne definitive brunch spots. If you haven’t been there, you just haven’t been to Melbourne
Mart 130
Nestled behind the Middle Park tram stop, Mart 130 is quaint and irresistibly delicious. Hidden from the road, this charmingly refurbished station master’s house can be a little tricksy to find. It’s worth persisting though. Decked out with all sorts of vintage maps and knick-knacks, Mart 130 exudes a quiet confidence, that comes from knowing [...]
Dr Jekyll
Dr Jekyll is a really enjoyable coffee experience. It’s a hang out that considers their customers to be part of the family, so much so, that they take customer suggestions to heart. One of these being to expand their premises. Previously, Dr. Jekyll was unable to cope with the constant flow of patrons wanting to take cover indoors instead of on their outside terrace. As winter hit Melbourne like a high-speed train, Dr Jekyll expanded to the shop front next door with a massive bay view window, allowing patrons to sit right on Grey Street and watch the cross-section of St. Kilda’s inhabitance walk past, definitely a source of conversation starters.
Gill’s Diner
Gills Diner speaks an elegant discourse of Melbourne. The mood is dark, the the place is grungy and the people effortlessly eclectic.
QEleven
OK – so you head down one drizzly morning to South Melbourne Market to pick out some clothes, maybe buy some fresh mint and then what do you do? Well, if you’re any kind of real Melburnian, you stop off for brunch, of course. But down Coventry Street there are so many choices – this quandary confronted me just last week. Nonetheless, as luck or maybe divine intervention would have it, Qeleven entered my field of vision, and the rest as they say, is history.
Glicks Cakes and Bagels
I will readily admit that I am addicted to carbohydrates. I love pasta. I love rice. I love potato. But most of all, I love baked goods. To me, hot bread is one of the best scents in the world and I am not one to walk by a bakery without grabbing a custard tart [...]
Provenance
Provenance is a beautiful little restaurant on Smith Street. There is so much to like about the place, not the least of which is the fact that it is such an anomaly. It is not over-designed and pretentious, nor is it under-designed and dull. It is just simple, warm and inviting. Refreshingly, its focus is on great food, wine and coffee.
Los Amates
Some of my friends and I have a bit of a habit. It’s not a drug habit, or an alco- okay, maybe we sometimes have an alcohol habit, but that’s not what this is about. This habit involves gorging ourselves at as many Mexican restaurants as possible. Now, here’s the thing: we don’t mind Tex Mex food. We love it for what it is, and it’s easy to find. Finding a good Mexican restaurant that serves authentic Mexican food, though, is a far more difficult task. Through the grapevine, we’d heard about Los Amates (we heard ‘great food, crappy service’) but with open minds and empty bellies we decided to give it a shot because good food will often override the crappy service.