Food- Espresso 3121

Espresso 3121

Walnut Street. Richmond

What is it with cafes being hard to find? I’m a big fan of guessing games, but it appears the new trend is placing cafes in the most peculiar of side streets known to mankind.

I did drive past this one. Twice. Arrrgh.

Espresso 3121 stands alone in this oh-so cutely named street amongst the hustle and bustle of Richmond’s business precinct (off Church Street). Upon approach you might see several bicycles parked outside and understand that not only does this café attract the loyal businessmen and women of Melbourne but those on the run including athletes who need their coffee fix.

From the outside this place looks pretty simple; there is an illuminated light box detailing the postcode name extending from the ‘brick box’ that this building is.

Inside is a big modern space with a large white share table that has been stencilled with the postcode and other symbols. Sitting here you can see all that goes on in the kitchen and watch the barista at work. Staff are prompt and friendly.

There is a large blackboard positioned on the sidewall, which proclaims the ‘lore of espresso coffee’. Basically the crew at Espresso 3121 are trying to educate their customers on the obsession that is the ‘café society.’ Fortnightly they post new lectures pertaining to coffee. On this occasion they were teaching/preaching about milk.

Sidenote: I love milk. I love it on its own and I drink it regularly. Hence I love that they love it as much as me.

What did I learn? Milk has naturally occurring sugars which when overheated are burnt out. So don’t order an extra hot coffee. It is useless; an insult to the coffee Gods and you will most definitely anger the barista.

Ps: Don’t order skinny milk and put sugar in your coffee. Hypercritical? Think about it.

Food wise Espresso 3121 does not serve eggs, which will disappoint some but for others is a rare opportunity to branch out and try new things. I went with a more safe option on this day, but the old favourite of avocado on rye with sea salt and cracked pepper has never seemed to disappoint. This was followed by a bit more excitement with an apple and rhubarb crumble muffin. God muffins are good, and this place is no exception.

Sometimes things are hidden for a reason, and Espresso 3121 is worth the hunt.

Date rate: on business hours
Coffee cure: no complaints
Hangover happy- no eggs. Boo.
Price- doesn’t hurt the wallet

Food- Wyton Cellars

Wyton Cellars Café

91 Kepler Street, Warrnambool 3280

Just for laughs.

The little class and reputation that Warrnambool has appears to have cumulated in the space that is The Wyton Cellar.

Searching for any sign of coffee appreciation within this town I was relieved to spot from a distance, the burgundy umbrellas emblazoned with the Genovese brand. This isn’t my favourite blend but it is up there, especially amongst the second wave of the coffee revolution and could possibly be Warrnambool’s ‘hottest’ offering.

As soon as we entered this little café, situated on one of the main streets of Warrnambool, we knew that we had picked a goodie. There was obviously a shared appreciation; as fellow business workers and the minority ‘trendy’ inhabitants of the town were seated with their Long Macs or espressos.

This café consists of one fairly large sized room with a central share table that stands quite high with bar stools, surrounded by smaller tables for two.

There is a large display counter offering freshly baked treats and home-style cooked meals. Polished wooden bookshelves house recipe books and there is a large wine display across the back wall with some impressive bottles on show.

Our hungry bellies pointed ourselves in the direction of an old school sausage roll with relish, along with a roast pumpkin and feta pasta dish. Both were delicious, as was my coffee.

The female staff members at Wyton were very friendly and obviously passionate about their food and service. Wyton is operated as a caterer for functions and events.

I felt very cosy in this cafe, as there was a good vibe that reminded me of one of my Melbourne favourites, The Emerald Hill Café in South Melbourne.

The following day we were more than happy to stroll back to Wyton to trial their breakfast. Shocked by the discovery that this hidden treasure did not have a breakfast menu, we contemplated the search for another, if possible adequate destination- luckily we were pointed in the direction of Wyton’s second café, only a few shops down the road.

Wyton 2 has a similar feel, with blackboards across the room proclaiming the days specials and upcoming tapas nights. The main service counter is set off with the ever so popular hanging light globe fittings which illuminated the most amazing looking savoury muffins I have seen in a while. There was a cute little booth with comfy cushions for us to plant ourselves down and enjoy our last few hours in this beloved town.

I decided to try something different this time, denying my tastebuds their usual egg cravings. I was well rewarded with roasted mushrooms on sourdough, with pesto, goat’s cheese, fresh spinach and roasted tomato.

Of course I digged in to Elisse's Bircher which was very good, with macadamias, dates and very tasty yoghurt.

A weekend in Warrnambool was ample time for me to appreciate everything that Melbourne has to offer including my bed, my teddy, my friends, my family, and my food. All jokes aside, the coast of Warrnambool is beautiful and a great spot to escape to. At least I know if I am ever stuck there again, I have Wyton to retreat to.

Date rate: if you can find a suitable date in Warrnambool, take them here.
Coffee cure: Hot, smooth and yum!
Price: Meals were $10 and ample servings at that.
Hangover happy: Wyton cellars 2 will have something to offer for the weary soul.

Food- Auction Rooms

Auction Rooms

103-107 Errol Street North Melbourne

From the moment you arrive it is clear that Auction Rooms has a story. It still possesses its original street signage and the sky blue paint of the exterior is flaking off at an accelerating rate- but it looks great. Amongst a surrounding plain landscape; Auction Rooms is hard to miss.

Once you have ventured inside you will find a huge open space enclosed by
Exposed brick walls and featuring rustic hanging light globes and PVC light creations that adorn several wooden seating areas.

Auction Rooms has a few quirks- everything here has an old, antique feel and placed within this modern space; makes for a mismatched but artistic flare. On the tables, tiny glass milk bottles display beautiful burnt orange orchids, which stand next to rustic Heinz pea tins that contain sugar.

There is a beautiful courtyard area enclosed by floor to ceiling glass walls within the main room, with olive trees extending up and through a ceiling of suspended milk crates. This is one thing I haven’t seen before.

There is a central coffee and bar counter, in which a weekly single origin is rotated. We opted for their standard house blend. Upon conversation with our barista we were informed that quite often, people make the mistake of ordering a single origin with milk e.g. latte or a cappuccino. However our barista informed us that a single origin is best served as an espresso or long Mac, because it is only one type of bean and the flavour is most appreciated on its own. A house blend however has been especially roasted to be combined with milk.

My latte was smooth, creamy and had a delicate flavour. We all agreed our coffee could have been hotter, but it was still very flavoursome.

The menu at Auction Rooms is interesting and extremely appealing. After much discussion and debate, we finally rested upon:

The counter bid- Two poached eggs on sour dough with an avocado and pesto mash, fresh rocket and roasted tomatoes. It was delicious. The pesto was extremely flavoursome and the serving size was spot on.

However, food envy was soon upon me.

After much persuading on my behalf, my usual partner in crime Bree chose the ricotta hotcakes with maple syrup, poached peaches and sweet vanilla yoghurt. Just one bite and I was wishing I had indulged my sweet and innocent cravings. Next time. Ill be back.

Date rate: I approve
Hangover Happy: I think it can be done
Coffee cure: Increase the temp and I’m sold. (Pardon the pun)
Price: Standard

Food- Yellow Bird

Yellow Bird

122 Chapel St. Windsor

The general gist from this café is that the owners got very confused whilst reading a Melways and accidentally mistook Chapel Street for Brunswick Street. The result? A grunge-chic interior that offers patrons a prolonged dining experience. From beers at breakfast to lager at lunch, followed by dinner and bar service, this place is one of the main attractions for the locals of Prahran & Windsor.

In committing a serious social faux par, I am going to go where no brave person has gone before and describe the crowd of yellow bird as ‘totes alt’. Never should those words be paired and never will they be used together again.

Get your checklist out: flanny. Leather jacket. Tattoos. Piercing. Ray Bans. Unwashed/un-brushed hair. Skinny-legged jeans. Canvas/boat shoes.

Whilst the crowd will entertain your thoughts for some time, the food will please you even more so. Admittedly, the eggs benedict did not look like the greatest I had seen, but my order of poached eggs on sough dough with a roast pumpkin, spinach and fetta mash was amazing. Its times like these I wish I was hung over to enjoy the moment of grease, warmth and fullness.

Hangover happy: This place was meant for a hangover
Date rate: Uber trendy
Coffee cure- Genovese; always pleases
Price: very good!

Food- St. Ali nights

St. Ali Nights

12-18 Yarra Place, South Melbourne 3205

St. Ali has become an institution not only to South Melbourne but also to many cafes scattered throughout this city.

Not only is their converted warehouse interior and day menu reputable, but their beans have become a staple amongst some of Melbourne’s finest cafes. With their own roasting house in store, its no wonder why cafes such as Bouchon, The Mailing room or most importantly my apartment ‘The Attic’; are taking on the incredible roast that is St. Ali.

For the last two months St. Ali nights has been operating, and to be honest I am surprised I wasn’t there sooner.

I was sceptical for some absurd reason, and I am feeling very guilty for that.

“A quick bite to eat, a quick night to check out what’s on offer” this may have been our intentions but what resulted was an epic two hour exploration into something quite magical.

There is almost too much to mention; where do I start.

Firstly our waitress Tania was amazing. It is not often that such a highly renowned cafe would appreciate each and every customer and make him or her feel like they were the only people sitting in the room- but Tania took us through each dish, explained which wine would match certain meals and answered any questions we had. Her knowledge was impeccable.

In terms of wine we decided to try something new and go with a Rose’. 'Scorpo' from the Mornington Peninsula, was one of the smoothest and enjoyable glasses I have had in a long time. It complimented our entree perfectly.

Tempura Asian mushrooms with soy dipping sauce and wasabi mayonnaise- soft, Delicate, and rich in flavour.

For main: Twice cooked duck with orange, cucumber and black fungus, Szechuan and coriander salt- this meat melted in my mouth, the orange was a subtle hint, and whatever Szechuan is... I liked it.

The thing that was most interesting about this experience was what makes St. Ali nights stand out. "The concept here is to match food with coffees from the freshest single growing region in the world." This is where siphoned coffee comes into play.

Tania invited us to come and see how siphoning works; I will try and explain it in a nutshell.

This contraption almost looks like an elaborate Bunsen burner/laboratory experiment, where two glass mixing pots are positioned above each other. The lower pot containing water is heated until boiling point, where increasing pressure forces the water into the upper pot. Then the coffee ground is added and the brewing process begins. This is left for 3-4 minutes, before the heat is turned down and the coffee pours into the lower pot through a thick cotton cloth, which filters the coffee to make the purest most delicate siphon. All residues are removed.

The result is what looks like a herbal tea; light in colour and rich in aroma. Tania informed us to take staggered sips of our siphon, as each minute that goes past; the coffee will increase in flavour.

It was an extremely odd experience to be drinking coffee with my main meal but an amazing one at that. The coffee grew in flavour as it cooled, and complimented the duck in a most surprising way.

Dessert was an easy choice; apple wantons with goats cheese ice cream- I think someone may have told head chef Ben Cooper of my love for cheese because this was a disturbingly good treat.

The south east Asian inspired menu is a winner sampling two legs, sea legs and four legs-very unique. There is not a huge menu, but each meal has obviously been well thought out. The flavours of each dish will stay with you for longer than expected.

St. Ali nights encourages food sharing. Which is a good idea when you look at prices. Between the three of us we left completely content after sharing an entree, main and dessert. Servings are ample.

I will be back at St. Ali within a week. An amazing venue that really deserves so much credit.

Date Rate: Uber impressive.
Coffee Cure: The connoisseur’s experience.
Hangover Happy: n/a
Price: a well worth night out

Source: St. Ali website

Food- Spoonful

Spoonful

543 High Street Prahran

This is one for the ladies.

Wicker chairs, colourful pillows, hand painted sugar bowls and beautiful floral arrangements on each table.

This certainly isn’t your footy clubs best meeting spot, but it is perfect for the girls to get together and talk for hours on whatever it is that we find so interesting.

The breakfast menu consists of lovely bircher muesli that should win hearts as well as some very interesting egg creations.

The coffee here is satisfying, and there are plenty of sweets to keep the sugar levels going.

Sweet treats + a cute and cosy interior = the perfect location for mother/daughter brunches, best friend outings and break-up conferences/debriefs.

Mary Poppins said it first. A spoonful of sugar sure does help the medicine go down.

Date rate: If the boy is down with ‘cute’
Hangover happy: I would go elsewhere
Coffee cure: Best crockery in town
Price: Up there with Toorak expectations

Flaws

Since moving out of home I have considered myself very lucky with the company I keep. So just when I began to think that the transition stage from one group of housemates to another was over... I find out the worst news possible.

My new 'roomies' are everything I could want them to be, minus one (incredibly significant) flaw-They don’t like tea.

Sad face. Breeza I miss you.

Night after night, I hope and pray they will accept my invitation to a midnight tea party. Alas, constant rejection.

I must admit, I am slightly confused... who doesn’t like tea? Are they aliens? What do they drink?

It is hot and it’s delicious- it is like a giant hug from your favourite teddy bear. It is the penultimate experience before the land of nod.

I will endeavour to change my housemates ways... but in the meantime, looks like I have to invite nanna dearest over again.