Month: November 2016

Food – Gontran Cherrier

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140-144 Smith Street
Collingwood Vic 3066

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Over the past few years Melbourne has gone through something of a croissant frenzy. Foodies have been willing to queue at certain bakeries for hours on end to get their hands on these little parcels of buttery goodness. Crazy as it may seem, we Melburnians are willing to go to great lengths to get our hands on great food and I suspect it’s for this reason renowned pastry chef Gontran Cherrier decided to open his first Australian patisserie here. Located on busy Smith Street, this modern cafe and boulangerie is anything but your cliché French bakery. Gone are the traditional white panelled walls, ornate lights and wrought iron fittings, in their place you’ll find hanging pot plants and neutral coloured booths with timber tables.

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Food – Le Bakehouse

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71 Lygon Street
Brunswick East Vic 3057

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Le Bakehouse, the latest venture from pastry chef extraordinaire Neil McKenzie (the man behind The French Quarter and Parisian Baker) is something of step away from his previous bakeries. Still present are the exceptional pastries, cakes and donuts but gone is the traditional French fit out. A modern space in comparison to its predecessors, it really encapsulates current interior design trends. Clean lines, gold trim, marble tables and counter, pastel pink artwork and grey occasional chairs that I’d love to see in my own dining room. Continue reading →

Food – Lucy Lockett

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140 Barkley Street
Brunswick Vic 3056

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Unlike the nursery rhyme for which this cafe is named, there is nothing destitute or impoverished about Brunswick’s Lucy Lockett. On the contrary, it has a warm community feel to it. To one side of us friendly wait staff work with a couple of locals to solve a crossword, on the other side my heart is warmed by a couple of men speaking their native Italian tongue and opposite us sat a lovely lady with her dog who kept my young son entertained while we ate. Nothing felt forced or fake, there was a genuine sense of community where everyone is welcome and warmly greeted as though they were an old friend.

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Food – Dex2Rose Nitrogen Gelato

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377 Little Bourke Street (Access via Racing Club Lane)
Melbourne Vic 3000

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There’s really nothing new about nitro gelato, having taken the food scene by storm a few years back, people are still drawn to gelaterias where their icy treat is theatrically made under a cloud of liquid nitrogen. Although intriguing to watch gelato being set in an instant, I always saw it as a bit of a novelty, one that like any other food fad would come and go in an instant. But to my surprise it’s still going strong thanks to awesome dessert houses like Dex2rose who have concocted a number of mouth-watering treats that will keep you coming back for more. Continue reading →

Food – Inside Cafe

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10-14 Paterson Street
Launceston Tas 7250

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Walking inside this half boutique, half cafe in Launceston, the first thing that came to mind was how much damage I could do to the credit card on some of the beautiful pieces and the second was wholly moly, they have a Nutella hot chocolate, I’ll start with one of those thanks. Served in a standard latte glass, the bottom is filled with a good dollop of Nutella and topped with warm milk. Give it a good stir and once blended you have is a truly wicked drink, one that I simply couldn’t put down and left me wanting more. Continue reading →

Food – Pilgrim Coffee

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48 Argyle Street
Hobart Tas 7000

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You can take this girl out of Melbourne, but you can’t take Melbourne out of the girl, so as can be expected the first thing that I did once arriving in Hobart was go on the hunt for quality brunch and coffee. Having done a bit of research on what the ‘Apple Isle’ has to offer, top of my list was Pilgrim Coffee in the heart of town. Accessible from both Argyle and Liverpool streets, one end of this L shaped space serves as a coffee house and the other a great quality eatery. Dimly lit throughout, the fit out is dark and cosy, resembling a cellar and a subway station all at the same time. Sounds random, but it works. Rustic exposed brick walls support the recycled timber ceiling, with creatively laid subways tiles acting as a feature across one wall. I’ve always thought that venues in Melbourne were quite progressive in their fit out, but I have to say this is definitely up there with some of the best. Continue reading →

Food – Two Little Pigs

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146 Sydney Road
Brunswick Vic 3056

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In a time where our brunch scene is saturated with clean eating and super food meal options, sometimes it’s refreshing to come across full fat, flavour packed meat dishes. And yes it is nice to look after yourself and down a few activated almonds, goji berries or a chia pudding, but where is the fun in that? So if a delicious meaty feast is what you’re after, head towards the yellow ‘Charcuterie’ sign on Sydney Road and enter the doors of Two Little Pigs.

We may have walked in little pigs but we definitely walked out two big pigs. Not an Acai bowl in site, the menu is built around all manner of pork cuts with a few other types of meat thrown in for good measure. Scan the menu and you’ll see bacon, ham, jamon, pork belly, pulled pork and charcuterie to your heart’s content. Each have been paired with equally appetising ingredients making this one of those menus where you could easily eat everything on it. Continue reading →