Food adventures in Melbourne and wherever the tummy goes
American food has been getting more and more popular in Australia but there is an eatery that has been around for quite some time, Misty’s Diner. This is an American diner where the drinkies are American, the food is what you would find in a diner and the atmosphere, boy the atmosphere is uplifting, fun and buzzing.
Since having moved out, Mr D and I have not had a local brunch date and explored the area. Since we had a Sunday to ourselves, we decided to have brunch (mostly because Mr D didn’t want to cook breakfast) and I started googling around to find – A. the closest brunch spot and B. highest rating. We (we really means I) finally decided on Manna Lane and I’m so glad we did because it was the cutest cafe around. Located close to Coles and right next to the station, it’s easily accessible and if there’s no space inside, there’s outdoor seating (although they don’t have a heater so remember to rug up).
Birregurra is located 1.5 hours from Melbourne in Regional Victoria and in Birregurra sits a restaurant which has not only won 3 chef hats, but is ranked number 44 in the world this year. A restaurant which has only been opened for 4 years, Dan Hunter’s baby, Brae.
Ms Trinh Diem Vy, a renown Vietnamese chef and restaurateur, known for her Hoi An restaurants including Mermaid, Morning Glory, Cargo Club and Vy’s Market Restaurant & Cooking School has stepped into Melbourne with a new restaurant located just off the busy streets of Chapel Street, House of Hoi An.
Ms Curly Fries kept going on and on about Daniel’s Donuts which were opened 24 hours and always have a massive queue no matter what time of the day or night you go. So when an opportunity to eat at Springvale came around, she quickly took us to Daniel’s Donuts. It’s located right next to Coles so you can even do your grocery shopping prior (I have no idea how that was relevant…anywho…). We got there at 9PM on a Monday night and damn, there was a massive line. The good thing is that the line goes really quick so you better know what you’re ordering.
Mr Italian Stallion was leaving for Singapore for two years which meant obligatory burgers were to be eaten before he leaves. On a Monday night we were meant to be at Cultural Commons in Springvale, unfortunately, they were closed so Ms Curly Fries suggested Double D which was 500 m away and across Springvale Station (YAY for convenience to public transport!). We stumbled in and it wasn’t as busy as we thought and checked out the menu which wasn’t as long as I thought it would be.
Mr D’s birthday means a celebration was in order and we didn’t want to go anyway too far so after a few googles, I decided on Eleonore’s Restaurant at Yering Chateau. Unfortunately, this restaurant is opened at night so we couldn’t enjoy the beautiful scenery that Yering had to offer (just means that we’ll just have to come back again!). Anywho, we made a booking on a Sunday night at 6:30PM and there weren’t a lot of people there. The decor is very old Victorian and it was a bit dull and dreary but had a lot of warmth. The staff were so friendly and showed us to our seat.
Mr & Mrs Anderson a new cafe which opened in December 2016 which makes it quite fresh on the blockin Hawthorn East. With a focus on sustainability and the majority of produce that is used are from their farm in Moe and straight onto the plate in the cafe. What’s even more impressive? The chef comes from Michelin starred restaurants and have worked in amazing Australian eateries including Attica, 3 bags full and circa just to name a few. The chef is bringing fine dining to cafes and it definitely shows in Mr & Mrs Anderson.
Mr D and I haven’t been around in the CBD in a while and we needed to refuel before we hit the town for some drinkies. Walking down Swanston street, we eyed Chop Shop and of course Mr D is all for Korean and this place promised Modern KBBQ. We skipped inside and since it was only 5:30PM on a Saturday night (yep, we eat at elderly people time) there weren’t a lot of customers around.
An outing with the stooges can only mean one thing, GLORIOUS FOOD! Since I was no longer a westie *cries silently inside* this meant that we had to eat in the CBD. Stooge 1 was craving Korean food and we decided on Da Rin in Bourke Street. We made a booking for a Tuesday night but when we arrived, it wasn’t busy at all so we just walked straight in. We were seated at our tables and the cutlery were oh so cute, like it was telling us “get ready for some food in ya belly”.