Melbourne food blog | Sugared & Spiced

2012/05/202015/08/31

[Melbourne] Cumulus Inc.

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Cumulus Inc.

Add: 45 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Tel: (03) 9650 1445
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 7am~11pm [Sat-Sun] 8am~11pm
Website: cumulusinc.com.au
Price: 50+AUD/person
Visited on: 2012-04

There are a number of good reasons as to why Cumulus Inc. is packed everyday. The decor is stylish, the atmosphere is abuzz, and the service is smooth, yes yes yes, but it’s mainly the food that keeps patrons hooked. It’s a place you wouldn’t want to miss when you are in Melbourne.

To start.

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2012/05/162015/08/31

[Melbourne] Mirka

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Mirka

Add: 42 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9525 3088
Hours: 7:30am~11pm
Website: www.mirkatolarnohotel.com
Price: [small dishes] ~22 AUD [main dishes] ~34 AUD
Visited on: 2012-05

What I remembered most about Mirka is the vividly-colored Mirka Mora wallpapers that line the entire dining room. The dishes we had that evening, on the other hand, all seem like a blur to me now, and I debated whether to blog about this restaurant at all if the food wasn’t so memorable. Oh well, let’s take a look at the pictures anyway.

To start, a complimentary plate of fried polenta sticks with sea salt.

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2012/05/132015/08/31

[Melboune] MoVida

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MoVida

Add: 1 Hosier Lane Melbourne CBD VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9663 3038
Hours: 12pm~late
Website: www.movida.com.au
Price: 40+AUD/person
Visited on: 2012-04

If you live in Melbourne and haven’t been to MoVida, go. This Spanish tapas restaurant, nestled in a graffiti-covered cobbled lane near Flinders Street Station, serves innovative small bites that will keep you on your toes. The only thing you might not like about this place is how difficult it is to secure a table, and we tried to get around this problem by coming at a less popular hour – 2:00 in the afternoon – though we still had a 20-minute wait before we got seated at the bar.

But let me tell you, it’s well worth it.

To start, we cooled down with a glass of 2008 Yarraloch (12AUD), a chardonnay from Yarra Valley VIC.

MoVida offers both tapas (small dishes to be finished in a bite or two) and raciones (bigger plates to be shared amongst two or more people), and after taking a quick look at the menu, we decided to give the waiter full control over what to serve us.

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2012/05/072015/08/31

[Melboune] The Hardware Sociéte

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The Hardware Sociéte

Add: 120 Hardware Street, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9078 5992
Hours: [Mon-Fri] 7:30am~3pm [Sat] 8:30am~2pm
Price: 20~25 AUD/person
Visited on: 2012-04

Ok, I can now say that I’ve eaten at the most popular brunch spot in Melbourne. When we arrived at Hardware Sociéte at 8:46am on a Saturday morning, only a mere 16 minutes after it opened, it was already full. At 8:46 in the morning, on a Saturday! What’s the charm?

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2012/05/052015/08/31

[Melbourne] D.O.C. Pizza & Mozzarella Bar

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D.O.C. Pizza & Mozzarella Bar

Add: 295 Drummond Street, Carlton, Melbourne VIC 3053
Tel: (03) 9347 2998
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 5:30pm-11pm [Sun] 12-10pm
Price: [entree] 13.50~23.50AUD [pizza] 14~24.50AUD [dessert] 8AUD
Visited on: 2012-04

D.O.C. Pizza & Mozzarella Bar is a simple place. The storefront is bare and the decor is minimal, but owner Tony Nicolini, who is apparently the granddaddy of artisan pizza in Melbourne, has struck the right cord with his brilliant pies. We arrived at 10pm on a weekday evening and the place was still boisterous, with customers filling up every table in the house and a swarm of Italian men in the kitchen busy shoving pizzas in and out of the oven. We knew we were at the right place.

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2012/05/022015/08/31

[Melbourne] Storm in a Teacup

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Storm in a Teacup

Add: 48A Smith St, Collingwood, Melbourne
Tel: (03) 9415 9593
Hours: [Tue-Wed] 10am-5pm [Thu-Sat] 10am-11pm [Sun] 11am-4pm
Website: www.storminateacup.com.au
Price: [tea] 3.50~8.00AUD [desserts] 3.50~7.50AUD
Visited on: 2012-04

“Tea drinking” wasn’t on my itinerary for Melbourne – I mean, this city is known for its thriving coffee culture, not tea brewing – but when we passed by Storm in a Teacup on a late afternoon, we were so drawn to its cute storefront that we just had to go in for a look…

It’s a small place, with no more than 10 seats at the bar and only 2 tables near the back. We sat ourselves down at the bar and began to peruse the extensive tea menu. Black tea, green tea, white tea from all corners of the globe: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Hawaii, Australia, South Africa, Kenya, India and Sri Lanka. They’ve also got some modern twists, like bubble tea, frappes, and cocktails…and if you must, there are even a couple of filter coffee options from 5 Senses. But you are at a tea bar, so why not try the tea?

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2012/05/012015/08/31

[Melbourne] Hobba Coffee & Kitchen

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Hobba Coffee & Kitchen

Add: 428 Malvern Road, Prahran
Tel: (03) 9510 8336
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 7am~5pm [Sun] 8am~5pm
Webiste: hobba.com.au/Hobba
Price: 15~25 AUD/meal
Visited on: 2012-04

Through a string of serendipitous events, we arrived at the doorsteps of Hobba Coffee & Kitchen on a sunny late morning. We took a quick glance at this cafe, housed in a huge converted garage with an open-air design, lofty ceilings, bare bricks, and exposed wooden beams, and decided that this is a place to stay. As we eased ourselves into one of the wooden booths, I took note of its laid-back atmosphere, brought alive by friendly waitstaff and Melbourne’s early Autumn breeze. What’s on the brunch menu? Simple, comforting dishes made with fresh, local produce from “the most accomplished people in the industry”. Perfect, just what we were in the mood for.

First, flat white (3.80 AUD), latte (3.80 AUD), espresso (3.50 AUD), so smooth and aromatic, I was starting to think that it’s impossible to get a bad cup of coffee in Melbourne.

Here’s a friend’s fried egg, bubble & squeak, farmhouse slab bacon, roast tomato, brown butter hollandaise (16.50 AUD). What is “bubble & squeak”, you may ask? This traditional English dish, named after the sound made whilst cooking, is a mix of mashed potatoes and chopped cabbages (though carrots, peas, brussels sprouts or other vegetables can also be added), shallow-fried in a pan until browned at the sides. It’s that yellow thing is the second picture below, and it’s delicious. I was also very in love with the brown butter hollandaise, its creamy texture and nutty aroma made it a heavenly match with the crusty bread.

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2012/04/272015/08/31

[Melbourne] Market Lane Coffee

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Market Lane Coffee

Add*: Shop 13, Prahran Market/163 Commercial Road South Yarra VIC 3141, Australia
Tel: (03)9804 7434
Hours: 7/8am~4/5pm (depends on the day)
Website: www.marketlane.com.au
Price: 3.50~5.00AUD/coffee
Visited on: 2012-04

At Market Lane Coffee, there’s no skim milk, no decaf, and no tea (or hot chocolate or anything resembling a frappuccino for that matter). They only do one thing – coffee – and they do it well. Delicious, high-quality coffee are seasonally sourced, freshly roasted, and meticulously brewed here, and if you are interested in learning, the baristas will generously share stories on where the beans come from and how their journeys have influenced their taste. But really, even if you are not a coffee aficionado, you will like Market Lane Coffee for its bright, airy, ever so pleasant interior. This is a place to linger.

*Second location at Queen Victoria Market

To help you order, here’s a coffee diagram. Espresso or pour over? Lighter body or bigger body? Strong or smooth? No milk, dash of milk, 1/3 milk, or mostly milk? Simple enough :)

Market Lane Coffee only serves coffee that is in season, and the offerings change throughout the year to reflect that. Here’s a cup of flat white and a latte (both 4.00AUD) brewed from Rwanda Musasa beans, recommended to us by the coffee barista. Admittedly, I’m not so gifted in discerning coffee flavors, but this is what Rwanda Musasa beans should taste like: buttery mouthful with tropical fruits and notes of cherry and peach!

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2012/04/272015/08/31

[Melbourne] Friends of Mine

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Friends of Mine

Add: 506 Swan St, Richmond, Melbourne, VIC 3121
Tel: (03) 9428 7516
Hours: 8am~4pm
Website: www.friendsofmine.com.au
Price: 15~30AUD/meal
Visited on: 2012-04

Friends of Mine is bright and sunny like Van Gogh’s sunflowers. Nothing describes this breakfast and lunch cafe better than what’s written on its own website (which, by the way, has the lovely Java Jive as its background music so don’t forget to turn on your speakers): A place to meet, ponder over a glass of wine, read a great book, get your daily fix of caffeine, laugh with friends, devour a perfect hangover breaky, celebrate with a bottle of bubbles, sing songs if you want…or a place to just kick back and just “be”.

The decor is lovely, a mix of raw bricks, concrete floor, chalkboards, and industrial lighting. I perched on a cheery yellow stool by a large window pane, feeling sunnier than ever.