Melbourne: The 2013 Edition;

A few months ago, I booked a $45 flight from Perth to Melbourne (thank YOU Tiger Air for your awesome deals!), not really knowing if I’d be able to go as it was in the middle of my second week of exams. Turns out, luck was on my side with my last exam being on the Tuesday & flight leaving Perth on Wednesday night. With the amount of friends I’ve made over the years living in Melbourne (& the Perth friends that have moved over), it’s become an annual trip.

Since I had just finished my degree, the plan was to take it easy, see friends & use the time to relax. I’m a creature of habit & I always go back to the same places but on this visit, I promised myself no re-visits because there’s just far too much other stuff to try first (accommodation I know & trust doesn’t count!)

So here’s a list of the places I checked out & would recommend. I went to some others but they didn’t quite make the ‘good’ list.

BRUNCH//

Wide Open Road

Wide Open Road, Brunswick: Amazing service, interior & lots of fresh food options. I got the cauliflower, ricotta & quinoa fritters with shaved brussel sprouts, asparagus, chilli jam, poached eggs & smoked trout (and a green juice). I’d give this place a 10/10.

Little Big Sugar Salt menu & green juice

Her Hot Mess (big + sugar): “big, sexy, sweet smush of pancake bits, blueberries & nectarine, creme anglaise, bacon & peacon candy & girly flowers”

Little Big Sugar Salt, Richmond: This place. If I could eat at one cafe for the rest of my life, it would be this place. It’s situated in ‘Viet Town’ & looks like it’s just got a few window seats looking out onto the street but then you get welcomed to the back where there’s two private rooms, one with a big table & another with smaller tables. Everything about this place was amazing, even their bathroom! (of course I took a photo of it).  This place gets 12/10, if not higher.

Sticky Beak juices

Sticky Beak, Windsor: Situated just off Chapel Street, cute little place with a good selection of food (you know, not too much & not too little). I got the bircher muesli with crisp shredded apple. Major food envy as my friend got the benedict dish though!

The Grain Store menu

Buckwheat & ricotta pancakes with apple, orange nutella, apple puree, spiced mascrapone & pistachio streusel

The Grain Store, CBD: This was a last minute suggestion from a friend & as it was just around the corner from my accommodation, was the perfect breakfast spot one morning. It’s located at the quiet end of Flinders Lane so chances of passing it are quite slim but this place got packed! I was extremely pleased with my breakfast choice & couldn’t believe how full I was. Definitely a place I would recommend to anyone, the food, atmosphere & service was top notch. 10/10 (could even be a 11/10).

Yong Green Food

Yong Green Food, Fitzroy: Going out with a Vegan proved to be very easy this day! We got green juices, buckwheat crepes with mushrooms, raw spicy pad thai  + raw nachos, followed by chocolate and white raspberry cheesecake. I could of possibly eaten more but I behaved myself. 10/10 for Yongs!

Three Bags Full, Abbotsford

Three Bags Full, Abbotsford // Seven Seeds, Carlton: both really cute places. Good food, juices, interior & lovely wait staff.

DINNER//

Dumplings Plus, CBD: Awesome place to go with a group. We got lots of dishes to share, I used chopsticks all night (HUGE accomplishment & it was cheap cheap cheap). Plus, it’s BYO & they have some lovely cheap wine there too (none of this crazy mark up).

Chingón Mexican

Chingón Mexican, Richmond: Before my trip, I was desperate to find out what this amazing place was called so I put it to my instagram with a little help from friends but it was the hashtags on another photo that helped me find this place. We went a little late on a Sunday night so it was slowly closing but they had yummy sangria & tacos and they even made some vegan tacos for my friend. It’s definitely a place I’d go back to.

DRINKS//

Naked for Satan, Fitzroy // The Cullen, South Yarra // The Emerson, South Yarra // 3 Monkeys, Prahran (cheap drinks) // Left Bank, South Bank – all good drinking spots

Sunday night fire time

LaLaLand, Windsor: Situated on Chapel St, this was the last bar we got to on our Sunday night bar crawl. And by last bar I mean, there was no way we were leaving when there was a fire place, $20 jugs of white peach sangria + good 90’s hip hop playing. Currently thinking of when I can go back to this amazing place for nights on end (breaking my ‘no same place’ rule all in one post!)

Other than eat, I did lots of walking, shopping (even more walking) & enjoyed my first bubble bath in what feels like years. I came back to Perth feeling OH so refreshed but also so damn confused.  Melbourne always takes a piece of my heart each visit & I feel like this visit took a massive chunk. With university all done & dusted, is it time to finally move over to Melbourne after years of thinking about it?

Don’t worry Perth, I’ve still got some property qualifications to get here & save for my big US trip in August 2014 but when I get back? Who knows. A lot has changed in the last week, month & year for me.  Time to take each week as it comes!