After a tiring Day 2, around Northern side of Melbourne, I started Day 3 with Southern side of Melbourne. Check out where I went below:
St. Ali Coffee Roasters
Experience: Another top few roasters and coffee distributor in Melbourne, it was difficult to locate this place as there are no signages outside. Finally using gut feel, I found the place by parking my car and search for it. From the outside it looks like a warehouse, and inside is also a little run down, which gives it a little indy feel. St. Ali is also the birth place for the World Barista Championship 1st runner up, Matt Perger. When I was there I was told Matt is in Singapore, consulting Oriole Roasters. But I thought I saw him sitting one corner briefing a bunch of peeps… (See pic above). Anyways, I asked for a café latte and tried one of their best-selling Almond Caramel Tart. The latte came with a bunch of foam of a cappuccino and tasted really bland. From the colour of the cuppa, it looked like our Teh Tarik… Sad. The tart however, was good. Sweet but very nicely done with the right flavor and crunch. Service was really good too, at least the waitress made me felt comfy and recommended the tart to me.
Rating: 3.5/5.
Location: 12-18 Yarra Place, South Melbourne VIC 3205. 0700-1800hrs.
Dead Man Espresso
Experience: After a not so ideal coffee, I went on to check out another joint in hope for better coffee around the corner. Dead Man is a coffee joint featuring 3 local roasters at anytime. Equipped with a 3 group La Marzocco and 3 Roburs, these guys are serious about their coffees. Didn’t try the food but wasn’t hungry after all the coffees and milk. This place packs with people working around the area and the 2 baristas behind the machine keeps churning out cups after cups. Coffee is much better and at least I am satisfied for now.
Rating: 4.5/5.
Location: 35 Market Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205. 0700-1600hrs.
Top Paddock
Experience: Took a drive down towards Church Street to head for this great place for lunch. Managed to slip in late noon time and got a seat for one. Ordered the famous Soft Shell Crab Burger (AUD$21.00) and sank my teeth into juiciness! Really nice and it has a whole soft shell crab inside. Love it although a little pricey. Spotted the lovely white 3 group Synesso and a couple of top end grinders, I decided to try the latte as well. Beans are from Five Senses and tasted pretty good. But I heard that they might be roasting their own beans soon which to me makes financial sense as they obviously have the volume there. Must visit for their food!
Rating: 4.5/5.
Location: 658 Church Street, Richmond VIC 3121. 0700-1600hrs.
Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio
Experience: This is a twist from the regular eateries I would visit but I heard this is a great place to satisfy your sugar cravings. Met the celebrity chef David Purchese in person and his lovely wife who went through most of the products with me while I was there. Very passionate couple owners and you can see from their work! No doubt the products are a little on the pricey side, but it’s a lot of work on the presentation and the ingredients are of top quality. Still, B&P is doing very well and a birthday cake from there will definitely put a smile on the birthday boy/girl’s face. 😉
Rating: 5/5.
Location: 647 Chapel Street, South Yarra VIC 3141. 1000-1830hrs.
Monk Bodhi Dharma
Experience: Seriously finding this place is half the fun. Located at the back alleys, Monk Bodhi Dharma has already a cult following for their coffees and food. If you’re a vegetarian or even a vegan, you’ll love this place. The good thing about this place is not just the interesting run down ambience, but also they roast their own beans. Although run down looking, they have a 3 group Synesso and 4 Mazzer grinders serving 4 single origins. Love the chat with the barista and their passion in doing good coffees. Definitely good education for me for setting up BLACK&INK.
Rating: 5/5.
Location: 202 Carlisle Street, Balaclava VIC 3183. 0700-1700hrs.
AAMI Park
Experience: Haha you must be wondering why I’m writing about the stadium. Well… I was here for a soccer match and had fish & chips for dinner! It wasn’t that bad as per all stadium food, and it was served hot. Lovely weather, lovely food, lovely match. The atmosphere for soccer matches overseas is just different from what we have at home. ;P
Rating: 4/5.
Location: Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne VIC 3000.
Gelato Messina Fitzroy
Experience: I heard a lot about this place from my buddy and we decided to check out this place after the soccer match. Reached there almost at 11pm and we were greeted by a long queue… good thing they close at 2330hrs during weekends. So we waited for more than 20 minutes for our cones and you must really squeeze inside and fight for your space in front of the display counter in order to be served. For a triple scoop, it was only AUD$7, so we went for it. One of the best ice creams I’ve ever tasted, wanted to go back for seconds but the queue put me off. Definitely a place to visit if you’re in town. It’s pretty near Proud Mary.
Rating: 5/5.
Location: 237 Smith Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065. 1200-2300hrs.
Maccas
Experience: Maccas is the term used in Melbourne for MacDonald’s. I ordered their special Angus McOz which featured 100% Australian Angus Beef on a nice soft wholemeal hamburger bun, topped with loads of veg, cheese and beetroot! Awesome supper for AUD$6.60. Yums to the max!
Rating: 4.5/5.
Location: Everywhere. 24 hours.
Struggling to complete Day 4… stay tuned guys!
Gastronomically yours,
Big Roy 😉