Melbourne cafes & restaurants

Birdie Num Nums occupies an interesting space in Melbourne’s cafe lexicon in that it caters specifically for young families, whereas many cafes do not. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of arty-types and groovy young things here as well, especially in the front section of the cafe, which is warm and welcoming with recycled timber and interesting nic nacs softening the space.  Conversely the back section, with its shade cloths and central sand pit, is ‘kid central.’

Food here is modern bistro with Greek influences, reminiscent of Pireaus Blues, the enduring Greek restaurant on Brunswick Street, which was founded by the same family.  The food is rustic and pleasantly plated - my crispy squid on Vietnamese-style shredded salad with crushed peanuts and sweet roasted chilli dressing ($16.5) hit all the right notes. Coffee is pretty good too, which comes as a bit of a revelation considering the generic brand (Grinders ‘Giancarlo’ Blend); a word of caution though, on the day I visited both the coffee and service out the back - in the ‘family friendly’ area - were not quite up to scratch, whereas out the front it was a different story altogether, where the service seemed to hum, and the coffee was of a noticeably higher standard. 

Still, good food and a great kid-friendly atmosphere provides welcome relief for busy mums, and who knows, maybe you will even hear the occasional ‘howdy partner’ within these hallowed walls?

Reviewed Nov’08 [PS]

Birdie Num Nums
745 Nicholson Street
Carlton North

The festive season is upon us here in Melbourne and what better way to celebrate than to make the most of the great outdoors? Ceres (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies - pronounced ‘series’) Community Environment Park is a sustainable eco-centre and farm community on the banks of Merri Creek in Brunswick East and it is a treat for families, indeed anybody, who is hoping to escape the relentless rush of the city for a little while.

There are a number of cafes here - including a small makeshift cafe operating out of the organic fruit and vege market (open on Wednesdays and Saturdays) offering good coffee and a selection of yummy cakes - usually to the accompaniment of a folk band and lots of little munchkins running around! The main café is a more sophisticated affair, encompassing a large sprawling wooden complex with a timber veranda overlooking the courtyard and the communal dwelling areas. It has to be said that it’s hard to get a bad seat here - every seat has an interesting view, surrounded by happy activity, no matter where you sit.

The food is good in an ‘all-day breakfast menu’ kind of way. There’s also a number of daily specials, and most items are made in-house using excellent produce. The coffee is good too, with both spaces serving Supreme’s Organic FairTrade Blend which, correct me if I am wrong, has a strong Columbian base which makes for good caramel/nutty and biscuity flavours.  Artisan coffee it is not, but it is still consistently well-made by passionate staff and I’m yet to have a dud coffee here. Plans are underfoot for a new conference centre and a sustainable restaurant, but most folks just come for coffee and conversation, while the kids happily entertain themselves.

Reviewed Nov ‘08 [PS]

Ceres
8 Lee Street
Brunswick East VIC 3057

Located somewhat obscurely down a side alley, just off of 500 Collins Street, you could be forgiven for thinking that the patrons here were visiting some sort of illicit drug den, as they come and go with apparent glee. So what’s the attraction then? It could have something to do with the stunning La Marzocco Mistral coffee machine on the front counter, which looks more like a lunar recreational vehicle from the 1970’s, than it does a coffee machine!

And the coffee is good here too, running with a boutique blend from Veneziano, one of Melbourne’s top specialty coffee roasters. My latte was wonderfully rich and dense, with complex palate structure, and a rounded mouth-feel. Coffees prices start from a modest $3 and is highly recommended. The grub’s not bad either, with a variety of panini and roti wraps available for $8.90 ea, along with soup and salad of the day. I had Salad of pan-seared ocean trout with Caponata Pesto oil, served on a bed of wilted spinach and chopped tomato - which was good value at only $16.90. The salad was fresh and the trout was generously proportioned and cooked to perfection, but I would’ve liked a bit more pesto oil to flavour the whole dish up a bit.

The store itself is very well presented with concrete surfaces softened by timber cross beams, and a green fleur-de-lys mosaic adorning the far wall. The space is divided between a casual coffee area with a communal table, and a more formal separate dining area, which seems to be just the space for a high powered meeting, or a casual luncheon. 

Reviewed Oct ‘08 [PS]

Cafenatics
500 Collins St, Melboune CBD
(located on Church Lane just off Collins St)
Tel: (03) 9629 4440

New Melbourne Cafe Concept - a coffee ‘think-tank’

The Brunswick East Project chooses to pose a question about coffee, rather than pretending to know all the answers. And the question goes something like this - what would happen if we gathered all the baristi (aka mad espresso-heads) in the Brunswick East area and asked them to contribute to our understanding of coffee? Sort of a coffee ‘think tank’ if you will.

The result is still a work in progress, but these keen coffee enthusiasts have taken their passion for coffee to a new level by going into production for themselves, and they are producing some very interesting results along the way.

 So don’t be surprised if you find some of the industry’s ‘top gun’ baristas doing a guest stint behind the gleaming Synesso Cyncra coffee machine, or manning the shiny 10kg capacity Has Garanti roaster. 

It’s a brave business that throws opens its doors to any and all who feel they may have something to contribute.  But it takes a brave individual to put their hand up and suggest that they have something to offer - a coffee fanatic perhaps, or a coffee purist?  Either way, attracting the coffee enthusiast is the exact target that these likable lads are aiming for.

Some comfortable chairs at the front and back of the store provide welcome relief for the weary, and the communal timber table with matching bar stools is just the place to sit and read the paper whilst sipping on your coffee.  The food offerings are slim pickings here; just a selection of cakes to complement the coffee.  And I expect that’s just how the owners and staff of The Brunswick East Project like it.  After all, at the end of the day, it’s all about the coffee, and we like that too.

Reviewed September ‘08 [PS]

438 Lygon Street
Brunswick East VIC 3057

This iconic café, which has helped to put premium boutique batch roasted coffee on the map in Melbourne, might have changed hands recently but the message is still the same: uncompromising coffee from passionate industry professionals.  Such is the dedication of those at the helm of St Ali, that they’re particular about who they sell their coffee to! 

I should know as I am one of the few fortunate customers who can claim to stock their product commercially in my cafes - although I had to go through rigorous selection criteria with Justin, the head roaster, before he would agree to sell it to me!  That and at present, St Ali currently runs with a 7kg and a 5kg roaster, which to a large extent determines capacity. A larger roaster is being shipped from Italy as we speak, but these things take time to dial in and to implement.

So what’s all the fuss about?  All I can tell you is that if you’ve tried the coffee already, you’ll know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t, then you need to do so.

The café and roastery is located in an old warehouse complex, in a decidedly obscure location, positioned as it is down an otherwise nondescript laneway. With a industrial/rustic atmosphere, it also has an interesting use of moulded timber which helps to break up the space into hidden nooks, which seem to appeal to both ‘personalities’ and bohemians alike. And the food is good too with ‘roving chef at large’, Ben Cooper, putting his usual modern European spin on things. Head Chef, Kate Holloway, oversees the day to day running of the cafe - ensuring a smooth and professional operation.  My excellent poached eggs come with spicy chorizo sausage and a cherry tomato, capsicum, and fresh corn salsa, on a bed of baby spinach, served on lightly browned ciabatta bread, which is the perfect accompaniment for the first of four coffees which I have on this particular visit. I mean, when the coffee is this good why wouldn’t you have more than one?

Certainly, St Ali seems to be quite the place to linger, as a steady stream of traffic comes and goes in the time that I am there. And the centrally located communal table provides an excellent view of the baritisi at work and play, and is just the spot to watch world go by. A sense of playful high theatre exists here, as the characters that come and go seem larger than life and are definitely part of the attraction.
Reviewed August ‘08 [PS]

St Ali Cafe
12-18 Yarra Place
South Melbourne VIC 3205

You could be forgiven for not immediately recognising the Auction Rooms as you drive down eminently fashionably Errol Street, in North Melbourne, as there are plenty of other attractions on offer, that and the faded blue exterior of the building certainly looks unimposing enough at first glance.

There is no mistaking the considerable effort which has gone into constructing this multi-faceted space, however, as when you enter through the door the large light-filled room captures the imagination, and hidden nooks and crannies await discovery.  High ceilings and exposed beams add to the sense of spaciousness here, as does the quirky use of pvc plastic tubing to provide cathedral-like lighting, which is kind of appropriate really, when you consider that this is a place where café aficionados come to worship.

All good things coffee related are on display here, from the formidable looking original 1960’s Bolognese roaster, which adorns the side wall, waiting to be put to good use, to the stunning white La Marzocco FB/70 espresso machine, which takes pride of place on the centrally located bar.

The store itself has only recently opened, and the owners are still dialling-in the ‘new’ roaster, before running with their own product.  In the meantime the Auction Rooms are using a custom blend from Rio Coffee in SA, which hits all the right notes in my tasty espresso - albeit a little over extracted - which can be forgiven on a cool Melbourne winter’s day, when the weather plays havoc with the grind.

This place is a modern Mecca to coffee, with great food and friendly and efficient service, and is just the place to whittle away the hours with friends and family, while the weather makes up its mind what it is doing outside. Highly recommended.

Reviewed August ‘08 [PS]

Auction Rooms
103-107 Errol Street
North Melbourne VIC 3051
Tel: (03) 9326-7749

We rated Liar Liar highly for its coffee [see Crema Magazine - Winter 08 issue]. However, they also provide a funky but welcoming eating option, just off Hawthorn’s busy Glenferie Road.

They offer a selection of fairly typical cafe breakfast fare, but often with a twist. The Toasted coconut granola includes papaya, mango & berry compote, the French toast is orange & cinnamon infused, with caramelised apples, maple syrup and cream, while the Liar Liar Scramble includes tofu, spinach, olives, tomatoes, with feta & herbs. I had the pea & feta fritters with roasted vine tomatoes & honey-roasted garlic cream cheese dressing - which was delicious. Rated highly, not only for its excellent coffee, but for its adventurous and delicious food!

Reviewed July ‘08 [AF]

Liar Liar
90 Kinkora Rd, Hawthorn
Tel: (03) 9818 8864

This job just keeps gets harder and harder as the standards of coffee in Australia just keeps on getting better and better. Not only that but our standards just keep on getting more exacting. The Australian palate is becoming increasingly discerning when it comes to knowing what is great, what is good, what is average and what is simply just not good enough when it comes to coffee. From our point of view, that’s all to the good!

Melbourne has always been seen as the birthplace of espresso in Australia, and so that might be. But when it comes to truly great coffee in today’s espresso-savy market, it is not the traditional Italian coffee-houses that are getting the thumbs-up but rather, the new breed of Melbourne café serving brews from home-grown roasters and indeed, their own blends. (more…)