Melbourne, Melbourne, it's a wonderful town....
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I've always said I'm a walking contradiction.
Frankly, it's becoming a bore. Im born on the cusp of Sagittarius and Capricorn - two diametrically opposed personalities throwing martini glasses at each other from across the room.
But really, I'm much more grounded than that.
I worked hospitality for seven years but am an aspiring designer currently cutting his teeth in an architecture and interiors firm.
If I don't have your number on my phone I wont answer it.
If you call me after midnight I automatically assume someone has died. It's happened before.
I don't feel like dancing. I just want to get dressed in my coat, eyeliner and drink my martini while gossiping about the little people. Takes one to know one after all.
I'm easily distracted by shiny things, Hugo Boss shoes and architecture books. I nearly cried at the death of my favorite jeans, again with the near death of the next pair. Who becomes emotionally attached to jeans? I had 14721 songs on my ipod, and it is now below layers of freshly fallen snow on Mt Buller. Thank god for a credit card and late night JB-Hifi. I may have no cash, but I can spend a fortune on credit. You taught me well Alexxx.
I may not look it but yes, I am paying attention. My reflections cracked and looking back I'm so unrecognizable. And according to the what Muppet Are You quiz.. I'm Rowlf. You are a calm and quiet person, but this does not mean you are overlooked. You are easy going and a fan of the finer things in life. Your artistic flare, leads you to appreciate the arts, especially music! People are drawn to you and enjoy your sense of style. Your hospitality is flawless as you love entertaining friends...
And on that note I am going now. Don't say I didn't warn you.
52 Breakfasts
1 - A Minor Place - 7th January 2012 - New York style bagel with avocado, dukkah, fresh lemon, cream cheese and roquette.
2 - Milkwood - 15th January 2012 - Sourdough toast with two poached eggs, smoked salmon and avocado smash
3 - Albert St Food & Wine - 28th January 2012 - We actually arrived just past breakfast cut off (boo) so had lunch. Albert St steak tartare, sardines on grilled bread with capers, currants and pine nuts, and the Albert St special - pizza with roasted peppers, pork and fennel sausage and mozzarella. Service started off slow, but became much more attentive. Food was delicious and I would definitely recommend going back and grazing through the menu. The wine store adjacent has a great selection of local and international wines for (I think) very reasonable prices. Definitely one to check out.
4 - Pope Joan - 4th February 2012 - A beautiful sunny Saturday morning in Brunswick, Bradley and I jumped on our bikes and headed off to Pope Joan’s on Nicholson Street. We got there very late morning so the place was heaving, but managed to snag a table right down the very back in between fresh herbs, apple trees and other assorted bits and pieces. Poached eggs and falafels with zucchini, parsley and pinenuts, with a generous service of spiced tomato aioli. Adam says delish.
5 - Jellystone - 5th February 2012 - How do I love thee? Let me count the ways… Jellystone was one of those places I walked past again and again and assumed was just a young family, child friendly establishment and didn’t give it a second thought. Oh the times I wasted! I’ve been back half a dozen times and alway have a great meal. I woke up this morning craving their middle eastern eggs with thick cut sourdough, beetroot hummus, rocket and dukkah. The dukkah today was a bit… bland… but still the meal was delicious. We had to wait a while for our breakfast but were told that straight up so no fuss. The old sand pit out the back is gone (previously a bit family draw card) but is really of no concern to me. I had my coffee, my paper and my eggs. What else do you want on a Sunday?
Link reblogged from grafiti with 2 notes
A city divided | North or south of the river in Melbourne →
Which side of the Yarra you live on speaks volumes - or does it?
Source: grafiti
Breakfast and resolutions
I’m not one for New Years Resolutions. Last year my ‘resolution’ was to keep my work email inbox empty, or at most one page so that I didn’t have to scroll down. Not exactly saving the world or self improvement, but it was manageable and actually helped negate some 2am ‘I forgot to respond I need to do this I need to do that’ anxiety.
So no, resolving to loose 10kgs or to learn a new language are not my sort of goals. Cue 2012: 52 breakfast dates.
When Bradley and I first started dating we would meet every weekend for breakfast at a cafe, roughly half way between his place and mine. Eventually we moved in together and the breakfast dates were maintained while we still both worked in hospitality and had roughly the same working schedule.
Slowly the breakfast dates became fortnightly, then monthly. We would do breakfast at home but really, that’s not so much a date as sitting at the same table.
So enter 2012 and each weekend I plan on going out on a breakfast, brunch or some other food related date, and not doubling up on cafes. 52 different establishments please and thank you. Of course, I can visit the same place twice, but it doesn’t count in the grand scheme of 52. Brunswick can easily accommodate 52 breakfast spots, but I’m hoping for a bit of enthusiasm to venture out to surrounding locales.
1 - A Minor Place - 7th January 2012 - New York style bagel with avocado, dukkah, fresh lemon, cream cheese and roquette.
2 - Milkwood - 15th January 2012 - Sourdough toast with two poached eggs, smoked salmon and avocado smash
3 - Albert St Food & Wine - 28th January 2012 - We actually arrived just past breakfast cut off (boo) so had lunch. Albert St steak tartare, sardines on grilled bread with capers, currants and pine nuts, and the Albert St special - pizza with roasted peppers, pork and fennel sausage and mozzarella. Service started off slow, but became much more attentive. Food was delicious and I would definitely recommend going back and grazing through the menu. The wine store adjacent has a great selection of local and international wines for (I think) very reasonable prices. Definitely one to check out.
Click on the image above for more information care of Broadsheet.
Photo reblogged from sweeter than heaven, hotter than hell with 8 notes
ceus:
Melbourne City Australia (by ►CubaGallery)
Melbourne, Melbourne, it’s a wonderful town.
Source: Flickr / cubagallery
Victoria proves Australia's riding state →
Victoria may be Australia’s cycling capital but the drivers of Victoria haven’t caught on yet!
Link with 2 notes
Multimillion-dollar Docklands makeover planned →
It has been quite a while since I’ve been down to Docklands; it just isn’t a place I take the time to visit, especially since I used to work there.
For me, the problem with Docklands is this idea of an instant city, or community. Suburbs evolve organically and Docklands was high rise apartments and restaurants with no surrounding or supporting infrastructure. Shops remain vacant since the dismal failure of the Melbourne Eye (which, if anyone had bothered to ask Melbourne residents, would have known was going to be a failure - you can’t rely on a ferris wheel to secure tourist dollars) and the area of New Quay is a giant wind tunnel.
While this new development seeks to fix the wind issue, it’s the infrastructure and community that I still see as an issue. True, there are supermarkets, post offices and the like, but still the thing that lacks is soul.
‘Build it and they will come’ is not applicable for a suburb. Given it’s proximity to water, the CBD and the like there is no reason Docklands shouldn’t thrive. It seems that interest is seasonal, and that people visit for a lunch, or evening and then leave again.
I don’t think an overnight, band aid fix will work, so hopefully this new development will put Docklands back on the right track.
Melbourne Men’s Shopping Guide – The Design Files →
Click the above image to check out the Melbourne Manly Shopping Guide, courtesy of Lucy @ The Design Files (and illustrator Tess McCabe). Most of these places are pretty well known but there a few suprises that showed up….
Now if only my credit card balance didn’t look so ill I might be able to visit and help the economy… yes… helping the economy :)
We're tops, but our culture rating is a kick up the arts →
Well I could’ve told you that. I think there are a lot of other cities that deserve to be on that list - it does seem rather Aus / Canada heavy (not that that’s a bad thing at all).
What do you think the world’s most liveable city is?
Aesop, a leading botanical skin care company, provide brilliant products with unique retail interiors. With stores located across Australia and internationally, each shop is different, conceived and designed to suit its location, demographic and infrastructure. Out of the box thinking is key here, with stores constructed from cardboard, coconut husk, recycled bottles, yellow trace paper and more. I’d be quite happy having a crack at one of their interiors - I imagine it would be a very rewarding process!
Link with 2 notes
Portello Rosso - Melbourne - Restaurants - Time Out Melbourne →
Have I ever told you how amazing Portello is? Yes I might be biased (have you seen the maitre de?). But if I’ve been… dare I say it, compromised, then follow directions from this outstanding review. Trust me you won’t be disappointed!
So today is the day of the rapture… The weather today is fine, sunny and a hellish 58 degrees Celsius apparently. Repent! For the apocalypse is nigh.
Meh, I might just have a beer instead.
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