Maddox Cafe

Time to "leave the hood" & venture over the other side of town today for brunch.

Destination was Brunswick and strolling down Sydney Road my friend and I were spoilt for choice.

Maddox was the winner on the day as we couldn't resist these cute little red stools (not only do I love red, but they matched our outfits perfectly).  With bums on seats we settled in for a chat (my friend Aggie & I are fabulous & tend to solve the big issues over a latte) and to check out the menu.  Hmmm decisions, decisions.

 

After much ooh-ing and aah-ing we both decided on the poached eggs with sides of mushrooms (beautifully seasoned) and goat's cheese.

 

Oh Chef you absolutely delivered big time.  These eggs were not only delicious, but with the addition of a few pretty little herbs, well I was on a food porn high...truly gorgeous.

Didn't have time for a second Maddhouse coffee, which was really good by the way, as the sun disappeared & we hiked it home before we froze our butts off.

Ah Melbourne, perfect at 10.30am, freakin freezing at 11.30am. x
 

Local Birds

One of my favourite weekly rituals is to head to Local Birds at lunchtime for a salad.  Every dish is absolutely delicious, however I find it hard to go past the roast pumpkin, barley, rocket, goats cheese & caramelised onion salad.  Practically drooling on my keyboard as I'm typing this.

I give myself the double thumbs up as not only do I nourish my bod with a lovely healthy meal, but I also get a great belly workout from the lovely Mme Sally & Narelle.  These chicks have a wicked sense of humour and have me in stitches every single visit...all this at no extra charge.

Everything about this place is pretty and just makes me smile.

How gorgeous are these flowers?
 

As you can see from this shot Madam S is a little shy and really needs to come out of her shell...cough splutter.

If you look really, really hard you'll see a black spot behind the coffee machine...this is Madam N's head.  Head down / tail up, as after all someone has to get the job done while others tend to the needs of the adoring crowds.

Ladies as much as I jest, you truly are two of the loveliest, funniest, and hardworking chicks I've met and you deserve every great customer that comes your way.  For those of you working in the Melbourne CBD do yourself a favour and head to The Causeway.  Local Birds isn't hard to find...just follow the laughter.

Love your work ladies. x

Sunshine & Bensimons

After a hearty breakfast of Middle Eastern eggs, great conversation & many giggles at Cru in Kew..

My Bensimons & I were fuelled up & ready to take on this gorgeous 27 degree day.

Ah springtime in Melbourne...

Life's good. x

Flying Solo

Waking up this morning to a beautiful blue sky I couldn't wait to get outside and start my day.

As I had no play date & was flying solo I thought I'd keep it local and head to From on High which is a hop, skip & a jump from my place.
 

A popular little café indeed with friendly service, and a lovely chilled out vibe.

Egyptian Eggs was today's special and I gave myself a little pat on the back for my choice.  The eggs were cooked to perfection and nicely complemented by the chorizo and spicy beans (not too spicy whereby I'd breathe fire at the next table, but just a nice little kick).

The Madam sitting next to me had come in for a coffee only, however when I placed my order she changed her mind.  Good decision as she would have had food envy when she saw mine...think she could tell from the look in my eye I wasn't going to share.

Kickin back with my Gravity latte in hand (the coffee is always good here), catching snippets of conversation from the neighbouring tables, pondering the big issues (which movie to see this afternoon), well it doesn't get much better.

Thanks for an excellent start to my day "Frommies" & catch you soon. x

A Stripey Shed in the CBD



 I love it when you stumble across a little gem that's been right underneath your nose but you've never really noticed it.  I'm talking about Knock Knock 

If it wasn't for the funky striped little shed that grabbed our attention from the other side of the road well we still might be none the wiser.  Although to be honest this bad boy plonked in the middle of the CBD was an attention seeker and would have been hard to miss.

  

 

Walking through the front door was like stepping back in time...

 and right into Barbie's Playground.  They were everywhere! 

  

  

Even Ken was frocked up in his pretty pink party dress!  Unsure what had gone on the night before or if that was merely his regular attire (no judgement here), but whatever had gone down he was looking mighty pleased with himself.  The dude looked like a lady, but the angle of his legs said otherwise.  Really Ken, some decorum please...you frock up, you keep your legs together...people are eating!

Actually the more I thought about it the more I suspected something had definitely gone down last night.  Satin Pants was out cold, however on the up side she had pants on...nicely done (Ken you could learn a thing or two from Satin).

 

The freshly baked food looked absolutely delicious, and when I spotted the supersized yo-yos (they looked like they were on steroids!) and the vanilla slices (or mille feuilles as I now like to refer to them) it took me right back to my childhood.  You'll have to trust me re the yo-yos as I think the whole Ken situation had me a little frazzled and I forgot to take a pic...oops.

Gorgeous day to sit outside which was probably just as well as if we had have been inside the temptation may have been too great and we could have buckled and ordered a mille feuille.  However showing superb control we ordered lattes only and the coffee was great.

  

If you're up for a real retro experience head to Knock Knock as the super friendly staff will make you feel very welcome and I'm sure you'll enjoy the coffee.

We'll certainly be back to try a mille feuille as that custard looked to die for, and after all we will need to check up on Ken.  He's a definite worry that one. x

A Sassy Sunflower

If it wasn't for a cheeky little sunflower perched proudly in a window screaming 'look at me, look at me!', well Aggie & I might never have found this little gem.

Hmmm what is this place?  With no signage outside we snuck around the corner for a cheeky peek & could hear the buzz inside.

 

I thought it was called Standing Room Only reading the tiles on the floor (actually that's a really cool name for a cafe isn't it?), but then saw the name "Patricia" on the door.

Time to investigate further...follow that girl...

 

Aggie was delighted...treats.  Although we showed great constraint, steered clear of the delicious little goodies on offer, drooled from afar & ordered only a coffee.  Who are we??

 Gorgeous day to sit outside in the sun so we pulled up a milk crate & settled in to solve the big issues...we do our best work over a latte.  We're amazing.



Sheer concentration...another issue done & dusted I'm sure.

When solving the big issues the position of one's feet is extremely important. 

Aggie has it down pat. 

The crowd in Lt William Street is quite diverse & ranges from silks to suits to grunge...very cool.

A delightful lunch break once again, and even though the coffee wasn't the best I've had, I'm prepared to go back & give it another try as Patricia just has a great feel about her (that sounds a little wrong but I'm sure you know what I mean). x

A Touch of Italy in Hawksburn

After a pilates class on a Saturday morning it's a given that Madam J and I will head to Hawksburn for brekky, or a coffee at the very least.  It's only fair, as after all we have worked hard for an hour so very well deserved I say.

 

We'd seen this coffee machine as we'd walked past Officine Zero the week before and vowed we'd have to come back to check it out - this was one serious unit!

Marco, one of the owners who was our barista on the day, is typically Italian, very passionate about his coffee and chocolate, and loves a chat.

 

 

Do yourself a favour and try the Slitti "hot chocolate on a stick" - I bought one for a friend (I'm very kind), but ended up polishing it off myself (absolutely no willpower whatsoever).  Having no milk at home didn't stop me as I just sucked it off the stick...yep all class!

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

It's always nice to meet a passionate person, and one can tell when something is made with love.  My latte certainly was. x