Grigons & Orr, North Melbourne

A quirky little corner store that is hugely popular and offers an amazing selection of choices for breakfast. Beware tho, they only accept cash and I was in the utterly awkward situation of having offered to order and pay only to have him run down the street to find an ATM. Other than that initial glitch, we had a very enjoyable morning lazing around and eating and nom-nom-noming.

From the smooth hot chocolate, to the fluffy pancakes and the perfect eggs, I loved everything!

Hellenic Republic, Brunswick

The beautiful J organised for her birthday celebrations to be at Hellenic Republic, and we gathered here one Sunday night to embark on a delicious feast of familiar dishes. The trust and confidence that diners can place in this restaurant is one of its most appealing aspects. We knew that we were in for a night of good quality, comforting and traditional fare. almost everyone in the group had one dish to recommend and that in itself is a testament to the enduring popularity of this place, and explains why it has remained such a Melbourne institution.

The figs with the fried sagnaki is a must-try and it is always a perfect combination of sweet and tarty fruit and salty cheesiness. On the outside, the saganaki cheese was crisp and crunchy where it had been crumbed and fried, yet it remained gooey and chewy in the middle. 

The beetroot was a new dish that I didn't have before and personally recommended by the birthday girl. This was a simple salad of chunky beetroot pieces coated in a creamy dressing. I was slightly surprised by the look of the youghurt dressing, but but found it delightfully refreshing and quite a good side dish to accompany the meat dishes.

The lamb is definitely another must-have! The beautiful blend of flavors, the succulence of the fresh meat, and the simplicity of this dish embodies everything that Hellenic Republic is about. I would've eaten this platter all by myself if I wasn't in such refined company.

This Cyproit salad of grains, pulses, nuts and youghurt was as good as I remembered it. This eclectic mix of simple ingredients just works so well together. 

The Moussaka was another highlight for me. An avid fan of eggplant, I'd always wanted to try their interpretation of the dish, and it was even better than I'd imagined. It was oily and creamy and utterly addictive.

J being the ever gracious host insisted on feeding us with more food and we were spoilt for choice with two more dishes that competed for room in our bulging tummies. The meats came fresh off the grill and their glistening promises of juiciness and succulence made them so much harder to resist.

An enormous thank you to J for organising the night and for treating us to the delicious feast!

Bottega, Melbourne CBD

We had a not too small group one Thursday night and we'd forgotten to book a restaurant in advance. Luckily, Bottega had a table available and we arrived for a quick dinner before resuming the festivities. 

The service was quite pleasant and we had an enjoyable meal. I didn't feel like a heavy meal and thus ordered an entree of sardines. The fish was fresh and was delicately perched atop a bed of tangy salsa which complemented it very well. It was nice enough that I would like to come back and try something more substantial.

Comme Kitchen, Melbourne CBD

Many great nights have started at Comme. But on this occasion, I was only dropping in for a quick bite and both my dining companion and I were too lazy to pick and choose from the bar menu. So we ordered one of everything.

 

Shame that the olives weren't pitted tho. 

Madame Brussels, Melbourne CBD

A quaint place with lots of quirky pieces scattered about the place and oozing vintage charm. 

We arrived one Friday night to wind down after a big night of celebrations which had begun at about 4 o'clock. 

Madame Brussels at midnight was lively but not overcrowded. We wanted to enjoy the rooftop, but alas, it started raining soon after we ventured outside. 

Luckily, he knew about a room tucked away behind the bar. I don't think too many people know about this space, and the medium sized saloon was much less populated than the main floor space. I was secretly quite impressed. 

We settled into a chaise lounge and an almost ancient waiter came across to take our orders. Soon we were onto more drinks and our absurd contemplation of futures resumed.

Supper Club, Melbourne CBD

One night, between completing client work and getting started on my project, I finally had the chance to try out the desserts at Supper Club. It'd been an intense few days and JT had the brilliant idea to wind down with a visit to the Supper Club to try their famous sticky date pudding.

The sticky date pudding was absolutely heavenly and famous for some very good reasons. It was warm , sweet, STICKY and divine! the pudding itself achieved a perfect balance between denseness and fluffiness. Dense enough to have texture and substance, yet fluffy enough that it bounced slightly when I tapped it. Perfection.

Yes, we didn't stop there, we also indulged in a Creme Brulee and a slice of Lemon Tart. Work hard, play hard, eat harder anyone?