Twenty and Six Espresso

Without any doubt, I crowned Twenty and Six Espresso as the best brunch spot in Melbourne to date. Food there is always innovative (not just some random stack of greens with some proteins and simple yolk porn you can put together easily at home), coffee backed up by Proud Mary's blend has never been disappointing and service is always awesome, therefore giving us the actual Melbourne's own brunch experience.

my all time favourite - the hunter. mushrooms and chorizo just couldn't get any better with their dressing combined.

my original love - the traveller. amazing moroccan sort of taste - hummus, flat bread, amazing lamb sausage hidden beneath the glistening spicy sauce. too bad they've stopped serving this.

and they've replaced it with this - the cassoulet. fancy name for baked beans and sausage drowned in sinful duck fat. it stands equal to the traveller in terms of presentation and cooking method but to me the traveller is still the winner.

this poor little fellow looks too ordinary sitting next to others at the table. there, there.

Apart from their marvelous food aesthetic, owners of this successful little cafe - Nedin Rahmanovic and Majda Falan - are graphic and interior designers. No wonder every details the eyes caught in the place also seems to be thought of carefully despite the limited space and the deceiving simplicity. Both the eyes and the tummies are satisfied at once. What's more to ask?

notice anything unusual here?

it's the water glasses! certainly not some crappy-dented plastic cups. they used to serve water with these when they started but as they grow very crowded, sadly they've stopped. 

innovative use of empty bottles, light bulbs and pot-pourri. no?

crates as racks. brilliant.

more crates as seats with old coffee sacks as cushions; industrial chic done right!  nigahiga should have made an ad about crates rather than the inflatable green ball, agreed?

wonder what is he throwing?

a paper plane!

that ends on the other side.

i just have a thing for cream and this shade of greenish-blue. and they have it all.

Oooh I know. Ask them to be open on Wednesdays as well, maybe? And also bring back The Traveller? Or maybe a slightly expand the location? Or make bookings available so we don't have to queue up on weekends? Okay I better stop here, I'm starting to ask for too much.

Bunch of Cakes

And this is the cupcake store I was talking about in the previous post! Fact : A Bunch of Cakes  is originally a flower shop but thank God that the girls decided to share their cupcake magic to the world.

brilliant sign.

first thing first : flowers. 

aren't they beautiful?

moving on, their teeny tiny corner of magic.

four cupcakes a day keeps the psychiatrist away. hee. clockwise: carrot, sticky date, caramel, smores. 

Okay, okay. Three?

Two, then. Compromised.

fooled you! packed six more for the night woot woot! don't worry, i shared...... one. the limited edition sourstrip- rainbow sky cupcakes with vanilla mudcake base is my absolute favourite. make sure to ring or notify them  if you want some.

Best thing is, you get to have your cupcakes and bouquets served with REAL warm smiles and laughter, letting you walk off feeling, yes, it's a wonderful world.

Duchess of Spotswood

I love days when I can wake up late and go away from the city for a delightful breakfast. One of my favourite place to spend such precious days is the Duchess of Spotswood.

pretty chandelier. i noticed i have this tendency to look up whenever i'm bored. signs of an acute daydreamer.

my all time favourite in this place, the ox tongue with some yolk porn.

pork and apple sandwhich

pork terrine, cured duck breast, berkshire salami, pickles, and sourdough. reminds me of Jamie Oliver straightaway.

happy satisfied brunch mate of the day, Aida. isn't she the cutest?

The best thing about this brunch spot is that it's just opposite to a cupcake store that I frequent! Yes, awesome days always start with a good read of the word, wonderful breakfast and some sugar on top.

Tea Time in Pink

Sweet. That's the first word that came into my mind as I entered the magical world of Christina Re's Where a Girl Goes High Tea Rooms & Paper Parlour. 

prettiest "reserved" sign ever.

couldn't help gasping at the sight of this adorable chandelier.

pretty bird cage with the butterfly details on the table.

pink, black, white and gold can do no wrong.

loving the sexy lips shaped chocolate. can you spot it?

sugaaaaaar!!!!!!!!!!

with fluffy scones, jam and cream. finger sandwiches underneath.

don't forget the tea.... and the polaroids.

there can just never be enough tea time with the girlies.

the most gorgeous take away cup i've ever laid my eyes on.

Apart from just stuffing ourselves with the sweet and savoury treats, the place also offers a scrap booking tea time package as Christina Re itself is originally a designer stationery brand. Interesting, isn't it? Too bad we were too lazy to do anything other than sipping our teas, munching, chit-chatting and camwhoring. Sorry ladies and gents if we were degrading the elegancy of tea time by any means. Peace?

Food Society

First time eating a modern eastern european meal and it was truly enjoyable. Slightly whimsical yet somehow dark and romantic, Food Society offers delicious dishes prepared by super good looking chef and served with equally heart-throbbing waiters.

blini stack, two types of roe, creme fraiche and dill. perfect starters.

guess winter came late in Sydney

goulash society style - slow braised beef cheek, polenta and paprika

twice cooked lamb ribs with sliced potatoes, tomato, eggplant and rosemary. tender, juicy, flavourful - delivers everything you expect from lamb ribs.

grilled cuttlefish on squid ink risotto and parmesan - dish of the night, hands down the best risotto i've ever had.

society signature pashka with strawberry compote - tasted like a very light cheesecake.

fluffy walnuts and chocolate souffle served with ice cream.

A girl just couldn't be happier.

Patisse

Tempted by MasterChef's episode when the master of dessert himself set the elimination challenge of creating his perfume-inspired dessert, we immediately cabbed to Patisse the next morning.  

le chic friend busy looking for a cab

pretty sign; chic, as expected.

the maestro!

fashionable reads available while waiting for the cakes to be served.

vanilla mille-feuille; any vanilla person will surely go to the seventh heaven.

looking good from any angle.

mango cake. reminds me of the oriental mango pudding, simply melts in the mouth.

pistachio and rose cake.

the three musketeers

 As soon as we arrived, we were looking for the perfume cake of course. Unfortunately they were only about to prepare that batch for the next day, so we compromised with what they have ready in the counter and ended up with the vanilla mille-feuille, pistachio and rose cake and the mango cake. Delightful desserts, served in the best place to chill; we were seriously in denial to leave the place. If only we got the chance, we would certainly come back for the perfume cake!