Food adventures in Melbourne and wherever the tummy goes
Innocent Bystander has been on my list for a while and a sunny Sunday meant time for brunch! Getting there was a breeze and there was plenty of parking. It’s a very spacious venue and the staff were oh so friendly and you knew it was going to be a fun and casual affair. Luckily we made a booking because it got oh so busy!
Flemington, known for the Melbourne Cup and being super close to Melbourne Zoo, they’re also popping up as a great foodie area too. Pacinos, an Italian family restaurant, known for their pizzas and friendly service is located smack bang in the middle the busy road Epsom Road. Mumsy bear and daddy bear were excited to not have to travel far in the search for a good feed. Plenty of parking in front of the venue and if it’s full, there’s a shopping centre with more parking. The venue is very spacious and feels very homely and cosy. The staff were super attentive and will immediately make you feel welcome once you step your foot in the door.
On the busy street of Lygon in Brunswick East sits an Italian Eatery called Da Peppe. Walking in you definitely get a warm vibe and the staff are so friendly that you can’t help but smile when they speak to you. We sat down and was so excited to check out the food.
Piatella Cafe Bar sits in the heart of the eating strip in Glen Waverley and that means parking will be a b***h. However, when we got inside, it was very cosy and welcoming. We put our order through the day before since we had a group of 7 and needed to finish lunch in 1.5hours. Unfortunately, our food did not arrive until 1 hour later without any explanation or the staff coming over to let us know which was very disappointing. Let’s move onto the food.
The pumpkin gnocchi was very rich but the flavour was so delish. It was very pumpkin-y but it was a very heavy dish and I didn’t manage to finish half of the dish at all.
Pumpkin Gnocchi – $26
Potato gnocchi cooked in a creamy pumpkin sauce with tender chicken breast, pork-prosciutto, roasted pine nuts and baby spinach
Located in Brighton sits a humble Italian bar called Cucina Bar for those who wants pre-drinkies before heading across the road to Cucina & Co for some food. Spacious with fantastic staff, it’s definitely a great place for after work drinkies.
When you’re meeting up with a group and there’s someone that’s vegan, we thought we would cater to them and check out a vegan restaurant so they can pick whatever they want to eat. On Nicholson street sits a quiet vegan eatery called Billy and Lucy. Billy and Lucy, on the outside it looks old and humble but inside, it’s
That time of year when everyone wants to catch up before the end of the year and I’m always up to try new food so Bohemian Wine bar was next! Located in South Wharf, it’s very accessible via public transport and there’s also a car park around the corner. The staff were super friendly and the service was quite quick as well. We got the pork and pistachio
Pork & Pistachio Terraine – $14
Quince paste, cornichons, crisp bread
Located just opposite to the beach in a beautiful venue sits La Baia Bar Cucina, a new kid on the block that serves Italian cuisine. Friday nights are live jazz nights BUT we were luckily enough to go on a Saturday night which had a once off jazz night due to the restaurant having a full house. SCORE! There’s quite a bit of parking on the street so you don’t have to fret about parking. Entering the venue, the staff were very warm, welcoming and very professional and led us to our table to start our night.
There’s a new Italian joint in Windsor that’s just opened up and inside it’s so chic with very friendly staff. There’s plenty of parking around and if there’s one door but everyone seems to walk past and miss it. Anywho, back to Tipico, we were seated and then our little eyes scanned the menu began our comfort eating.
I’ve been religiously booking restaurants via Dimmi and even offering to be the booker in my group of friends so I can get the Dimmi points. So we looked around our area where we could use our Dimmi Rewards and decided on Mister Greens Cafe. I made the booking online and BAM turned up at the venue. There’s plenty of parking in front of Mister Greens and if there’s no space, there’s parking in front of kfc and woolies too. We walked in and said that we had a reservation, the staff had no clue about the booking (even though I had a confirmation email…?) and luckily it wasn’t too busy yet so there were plenty of free tables around.