We then mosied up Lygon Street to La Latteria, known for their fresh Italian-style cheeses. I wish I had a cheese stomach (and a larger enough wallet) to try one of everything in the shop, but I guess this leaves something new to try for next time. More Scarmorza for our homemade pizzas and this time some cream-filled burrata too.

From there, we dropped off our ice-packed goods in the car boot and went for our first coffee of the day at Seven Seeds. Another one of those warehousey cafes, the wait for a table near lunchtime was around 15 minutes. The takeaway line was only about 5 minutes shorter and the plates that were going pass looked pretty tempting but we wanted to continue with our jaunt, so takeaway coffee it was. A. ordered, so instead of my usual three-quarter cappuccino, I had a three-quarter latter – a little on a milky side for me but good otherwise.

Realising that we were a stone’s throw from Victoria Market at that point, we dropped by to pick up Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, coriander and some soft, thin slices of bresaola and Serrano ham. Vic Market is an old favourite for watching locals shopping and visitors doing the touristy thing. It seems to that that ability to cater for everyone and everything.

Ready now for our second coffee, we trekked south to Thousand £ Bend, a large space that is part cafe, part gallery and part events space. They are also starting to host live gigs as more bands are requesting use of their venue. Entry to these events is round the back through Heape Ct. I got to have my cappuccino – I love spooning the chocolate froth off the top, my main reason for ordering- and enjoyed just chilling out in a space that made me feel like I was at someone’s grandma’s place. In a good way.

3pm and we were finally ready for some lunch after nibbling and sampling our way through the morning and early afternoon hours. North-east back up Lt Lonsdale St took us to the Laksa Bar, a little shopfront that we had passed many times, each time vowing to head back so that we could try it. After seeing the size of the servings at adjoining tables and determining that dinner would only be a few hours away, we decided to make do with one bowl And what a bowl it was. You know how you get those oversized parmas at pubs? Well, this was possibly the largest bowl of laksa I’d ever seen and definitely not the kind of serving you’d get in Malaysia. The regular house laksa came with generous pieces of roast chicken, fried tofu, bean shoots and a slice of lemon.

Finally time to head home, so back up Lygon Street. But wait, what’s this here? Helados Jauja!!! We bought a takeaway tub of 3 flavours for $15 – Argentinian Yerba, 80% chocolate and salted caramel. This was my first experience with Argentinian ice cream and I really don’t know how I could go back to anything else. I loved that every flavour shone through authentically without an overpowering sweetness. This comes high on my list of recommendations for anyone travelling through. And if you’re not travelling through, make a special trip!

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1000 £ BEND

361 Lt LONSDALE STREET
MELBOURNE VIC 3000
CAFE
Monday – Friday 8am – 11pm
Saturday and Sunday 10am – 11pm
GALLERY
Monday – Friday 10am – 6pm
Saturday and Sunday 11am – 5pm

La Latteria Store

104 Elgin Street, Carlton 3053
(03) 9347 9009
Monday – Friday 9am -7pm
Saturday 9am-2pm

La Parisienne Pate

290 Lygon St, Carlton, VIC 3053
(03) 9349 1852
Mon 9am-6pm
Tue-Fri 9am-7pm
Sat 8.30am-6pm
Sun 10am-6pm

Seven Seeds

03 9347 8664
114 Berkeley St
Carlton, VIC 3053
Open Breakfast & Lunch, 7 days a week

Queen Victoria Market

513 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: (03) 9320 5822
Tue: 6am – 2pm
Thu: 6am – 2pm
Fri: 6am – 5pm
Sat: 6am – 3pm
Sun: 9am – 4pm

Helados Jauja

254 Lygon Street, Carlton VIC 3053
(03) 9041 2927
Daily 1:45 p.m. – 10:30 pm

Word of mouth led me to Red Cup Cafe. While they have a huge following in the area, I wasn’t nuts about their coffee or service. It had lots of seemingly new waitstaff hanging around waiting to be told what to do and although the coffee was okay, I didn’t want to drive all that way just for okay’ish coffee. Similarly, Coffee Hit and The Block by Coffee Hit at Doncaster Westfield had coffee I really enjoyed but they are even further from me. No, I was simply looking for something not more than a block away that I could drop in on.

Well, here is a place that I am nuts about. I’m nuts about their coffee, the ambience, the play area, the service. Appropriately, it’s named Nuts About Coffee (or Nuts Meet Beans Cafe depending on which business card you take, so even the name is a little nutty) and they serve fair-trade organic coffee as well as a wide variety of nuts and beans, grains and dried fruit.

Mike, the owner, knows how to pour a good coffee and it comes with a sticky fruit & nut slice that will have you licking your fingers. The coffee is extremely well priced at $3 – most places round here will charge $4 as a good coffee (or just coffee in general) is hard to come by – and babycinos are free (unheard of). There is a kiddy corner that will keep little ones entertained as they flick through the books, cuddle the dolls or listen out for the train going past Blackburn Station. There’s angled parking right outside and more spots behind the shops.

(doesn’t that giant bear look exhausted?)

Nuts About Coffee
80 South Parade, Blackburn Road 3130
9894 1458

It was a struggle to get photos with my camera given the lighting in the bar but these will have to do. The white taramasalata made with creme fraiche came with fried pita bread – so moreish! The dish behind the dip also appears to be served at George’s new Hellenic Republic restaurant – peppered fig on fried haloumi. I loved the peppered fig but, overall, preferred the other two.

I can’t remember how they termed this dish in the menu but it was basically an octopus & boccarone skewer coated with pistachio praline.

We then adjourned to Longrain for some after dinner cocktails (Soho La & Lychee Martini) and yet more little dishes – the son-in-law eggs and betel leaf topped with smoked trout, garlic, chilli, galangal & trout roe. If I thought the lighting at the Press Club gave me difficulties with photos, they were impossible at Longrain…so no images of the food, just memories of deliciousness.

La Vita Bouna
City Square, Melbourne
96547855

Longrain
44 Lt Bourke St, Melbourne
9671 3151

You don’t need to be a tea connoisseur to have heard of Mariage Frere, with many bloggers having waxed lyrical about their divine products.The post that caught my attention however was posted on Kuidoare where J. posted a photo that displayed the teapot of my dreams. It was the very shape that I had been searching for, with the platinum glaze and the cast iron lid only adding to its beauty. Whether I would be able to afford it or not, I knew that A. and I would have to visit Mariage Frere while in Paris even if it was just to gaze upon the teapot.

The sweet scent of mingled tea flavours assaults your olfactory senses as soon as you step foot in the door. The number of teas on offer is quite overwhelming but we managed somehow to choose four different types, including the Marco Polo.

We have only tried two so far, The Blanc au Jasmin and my favourite – The Rouge Metis. This red tea is very sweet smelling and contains berries, lavendar, currants. Although it tastes great brewed in the usual fashion, we love chilling it and serving it cold from the fridge with red tea ice cubes. It’s perfect for the humid weather we are currently experiencing.

And yes, we did travel home with the teapot

What could be better than sitting in a cosy cafe and having a hot cup of mint tea, with fresh mint no less, after walking around the sity streets of Prague?

Cafe Ebel in the Tyn Courtyard was the perfect place to do this. We watched people having croissants with jam and cream and a big Rhodesian Ridgeback trying hard not the fall asleep in the warmth of the cafe.