Melbourne Places

The Local Pub is a sports pub and on the evening we were there they had the Rugby world cup on every screen.   There are a lot of screens.  This is a plus if you are there to watch sport.  We had a smallish screen on the wall beside our table.  The Rugby Game was not a great game to watch.  It was a walk-over by Wales who were playing Namibia. 81 to 7 is definitely a walk-over.  So our personal screen wasn’t quite as important as it might have been for a different game.
I can only speak of one dish on the menu.  It is an amazing dish and well worth a blog posting on its own.  Every now and again you find your mouth dropping open and your eyes popping when your dinner arrives. This happened at the Local Pub.

The popularity of  lamb shanks inspired us to try a Lamb Shank Pie. There was nothing individualistic about our group and we all ordered the same.  A brief discussion and we thought the meat from the shank should be delicious in a pie.

What arrived was a dinner in a pie.  It was all there the shank, mashed potatoes, carrots and peas.  It was rather fun opening this huge dish and letting out the steam.  It tasted good too. The meat on the shank was tender and tasty and the gravy soaked, deliciously into the mashed potatoes.  The pastry was a nice touch.  Priced at $21.00.

The Local Pub
Bay Street, Port Melbourne
22-24 Bay Street (the Beach end)

Phone:- 9810 0076

Opening hours:-
Daily from 11am

The Red Door has been operating in the same space for number years.  I have seen the red door and the beautiful street art on the side of the wall but never visited until now.  I’m not sure why.

A strong recommendation from a colleague prompted my first visit.  She went on a week day evening and loved the food.  She likened it to tapas and it is a kind of Yum Char that you order from the menu.

She took a bunch of cards while she was there and distributed them around the office.  We joked that she was getting commission but she said it was that she enjoyed the atmosphere and the food she wanted us to know about it.
The atmosphere is something else – I haven’t experienced it before.  Take a look at these photos.

One of the things I like about Yum Char is seeing the dishes pass-by giving a visual view before you decide to sample.  For this to really work you need to go to a large busy Chinese restaurant where they cater for a large number of people.  Then you get variety and freshly cooked dishes.   A smaller place doesn’t give you the same variety and I think that often dishes go round and round for a couple of hours.

The Red Door is a smaller place.  A strange place when you walk in.  It is full of Chinese antiques.  It is wonderful.  Rather like eating in a relaxed antique shop.

We went for Saturday lunch and we chose to eat at a table in the window.  If we weren’t addicted to people gazing while we talk  we would have had a different experience of being swallowed into a different world by choosing a table in the interior.  Well try that next time.

You can see the Red Door Menu here

We chose Prawn and Crab Dumplings, Vegetarian Jiao Zi, Duck Bean Curd Wrap, Northern Chive & Prawn Dumplings.

Vegetarian Jiao Zi

Prawn & Crab Dumplings

For desert we had Red bean and Custard sweet buns.

These Red Bean sweet buns were delicious.

In fact all the food was good and I thanked my colleague for the recommendation that took us to the Red Door.  We will be back.
Red Door:-
1  McIlwrick Street,(off Chapel Street)
Windsor
Phone 9510 9658

Opening Hours:-
Monday:     Closed
Tuesday:    Dinner only  6pm-10pm
Wednesday to Sunday:  Lunch 12pm-3pm  Dinner 6pm-10pm

Web:-

http://reddooryumcha.com/r/

Getting there: -
Train:-
The Sandringham Line to Windsor Station – McIlwrick Street is opposite the station.
78 Tram:-
This tram runs from St Kilda East to Richmond along Chapel Street.

There has been some water seepage from Guilfoyle’s Volcano.  To address this, the water has been drained and a new liner on the bluestone wall is being installed.

At the time of writing this – mid July -it is a chance to look inside the crater of this folly and see what an enormous space it is.  It is mind boggling to think of the amount of water that it will take to refill it.

Guilfoyle’s Volcano is part of the water management plan which enables The Royal Botanical Gardens to improve the use and management of water.  So this huge reservoir of water is put to use.

When these repairs have been finished the floating islands will be restore.  I guess they will be start from scratch and it will take time for them to become established again.

It was interesting to return to Guilfoyle’s Volcano again and of course fascinating to find it empty.  It is about 15 months since it was established and I first saw it. See here

The plantings have grown. Most of the species have taken to their new home with love and have flourished.  They help to create an architectural structure to the garden.  This gives a strong visual impact.

Getting there:-
Tram 8 will take you almost to the Volcano. Get off at the Corner of Domain Road and Park Street and walk into the gardens. It is right there.
The Botanical Gardens can also be accessed from St Kilda Road – follow the signs to Guilfoyle’s Volcano.
Parking:- 1 hour free in Domain Road. Paid parking in Birdwood Avenue.

Opening Hours:-
The gardens are open from 7.30am to sunset every day of the year.

Tours:- can be arranged by calling (03) 9252 2429

The Grosvenor Hotel was lit up on a cold rainy night and on a whim we went in for an early meal.

Grosvenor Hotel

We arrived shortly after 6pm and for a good three quarters of an hour we had the Bistro to ourselves and the waiter’s full attention.  We needed this attention.  The Bistro has an Italian flavour and lacking knowledge of the Italian language we found some of the expressions and words on the menu confusing.   The waiter who had memorised the daunting number of specials was able to explain what we needed to know.   It makes for secure dining when your waiter knows what the food is all about.

Bistro – Grosvenor Hotel

One of the group chose ‘Durum wheat fusilli, almond, chilly and parsley pesto from Trapani with pecorino pepato’ This was listed under pasta and that, of course, is what it was.

Durum wheat fusilli

My other companion and I ordered ‘Kid goat slowly roasted in wood fire oven with peas, potato and five herbs’.  This was much the better choice.  It was delicious and the meat just fell off the bones.

Kid goat slowly roasted in wood fire oven

My friend who had the pasta felt it was a little bland and wasn’t hot enough.  She believes that they served it early and kept it waiting.  When she mentioned that she would have liked it hotter it was explained that was how it should be – something to do with the cheese.  So if you like your pasta steaming hot this isn’t the dish for you.

There is an array of desserts.  Our table had ‘Tiramisu al Fruiti Di Bosco’ which tasted good but unlike your average Tiramisu but none the worse for that.

Tiramisu al Fruiti Di Bosco

And ‘Buffalo Panna Cotta with cantucci crumble, orange and vin santo syrup’,

Buffalo Panna Cotta

We shared a bottle of Merlot Çhurchview ‘Silverleaf’ Margaret River $26.00.  Very good drinking especially with the goat.

Seven o’clock appears to the magic hour for dining in St Kilda and when the clock hit seven the restaurant began to fill up.
The food was interesting with the goat being outstanding  for a cold winter’s night.

We plan to return and try the bar food menu.  It is opens for lunch so that could be an option.

The menus are available on line here and I suggest you have a look at it before you go.  That would have served us well.  We could have given more attention to the specials and with so much to ponder I missed an entree that I later wished I had tried ‘stuffed zucchini flowers with ricotta and pecorino pepato mousse, fregola salade’.

The wines on the wine list are all available in the drive through bottle store at $10.00 less than the wine menu price. So if you liked your choice you can grab a bottle on your way out, knock $10.00 off the price and drink more at home.

The menu identifies dishes that are gluten free and vegetarian.

Where:-
Grosvenor Hotel
10 Brighton Road
St Kilda East.
Phone: 9531 1542
Web: http://www.grosvenorhotel.com.au/

Opening Hours:-
The Bistro opens for dinner from 6pm
The Wine Bar is open all day from 12 noon.

Getting there:-
Tram : 67 tram stops out side
Car: There is a  parking space behind the hotel with the entrance off Grosvenor Street and street parking in the side streets – try Brunning Street

The door to the Butterfly House

The butterfly house at the  Melbourne Zoo is one of the nicest places to be on a cold winter’s day.  In the summer it has charm but it is in the winter that it is magical – a place where everyone quietens and move slowly.  Boisterous school parties loose their bounce as they enter and their voices lower.  We talk softly to each other in the Butterfly House.

The atmosphere is tropical and  heavy and in this atmosphere the butterflies flit about.  They are delicate and  fragile, quick and beautiful – hard to catch on camera.

There are feeders for the butterflies to sustain themselves.

Stand still and they settle briefly on your head or arm.  There is a faint and gentle pressure when they alight on a bare hand or arm.

The butterflies charm and entrance and to be entranced you have stop and pull back.  There are a few seats and they are always occupied and people stand and lean on the railings.

It is possible to  name most of the butterflies from the identification boards but somehow that doesn’t matter.  Just saying,  “Did you see that blue one?”  is enough.

A butterfly identification board

I am sorry that there isn’t an independent butterfly house we can visit on it’s own. I would like to see one in the Melbourne CBD.  It is a place to be soothed and I could see myself popping at lunch time after a trying morning.

Nonetheless the zoo is always interesting and in a strange sort of juxtaposition of  huge and fragile  the elephant enclosure is by the butterfly house.  This give a chance to watch the elephant family lumbering along as they go about their daily routine.  Mali mentioned here in a previous post is grown but is not keeping pace with the younger male baby.  He is going to be a much larger elephant as all bull elephants are.  Watching the elephants and then stepping into the Butterfly House is an unique experience.

Melbourne Zoo opening times:-
Daily 9.00 to 5.00pm including Christmas Day

Phone:-
(o3) 9285 9300

Web Site-

http://www.zoo.org.au/MelbourneZoo

Getting There:-
Tram – No 55 runs from West Coburg through to William Street in the city and stops outside the zoo.

Train- Upfield Line from Flinders Street to the Melbourne Zoo Station (Park Royal Station)

Brighten up a grey winter morning and take in the Graf Art  as you stroll  along Chapel Street, Windsor.  Of course it doesn’t have to be the morning, anytime during the day will do.  But the  in-your-face colours gives a me lift on a grey morning.

The corner of McIlwrick  and Chapel Streets (at Tarlo and Graham)

Most of the art is just around the corner off Chapel Street where there are big flat walls to the sides of the shops.

A lane way off  Duke Street 5 meters from Chapel Street

On a cold winter morning it is a flash of colour to lift the spirits.  Take a look next time you are in Windsor – that is the strip of Chapel Street from the Windsor Railway Station to High Street.

As seen from Chapel Street

It is hard to know what to call this art.  I have heard it called Graf Art, Street Art, Urban Art and I rather like the idea of it being Public Art; that is art that is available for us see as we go about our daily business.  We have the chance to admire, criticize, discuss it and ignore it as we  walk on by.

Corner of Union Street and Chapel Street.

My only wish is that it could be changed more often – like a shop window.  However vivid the piece, you stop seeing it after a while and it becomes part of the background.   I want to be startled out of my morning-fog with something new.

There is also this in the way of public art. Check here I always enjoy this on my way to the South Melbourne Market.

Getting there:-
Windsor end of Chapel Street

Tram
78 runs from St Kilda along Chapel Street into Church Street and then to Richmond.
6 from CBD to Glen Iris runs along High Street cross Chapel Street.

Trains
Sandringham Line to Windsor Station

There is a little known beach between St Kilda Beach and Middle Park Beach called West Beach Reserve.  You can get away from the crowds here.  For some reason fewer people walk this way.

It is here that the City of Port Phillip are nurturing some of the indigenous plants of  the area .  This strip between St Kilda Pier and Fraser Street has all the right conditions for these plants to grow.  There is Scrub, Grassland and Saltmarsh, everything these indigenous plants need.

Most of the plantings are fairly recent as you can see and it is to be hoped that they take root and find that this piece of beach is where they want to live and multiply.

This one of my favourites.  It is a little silvery, springy type of bush and I am keeping watch to see just how it will take and how big it will grow.

Port Phillip City Council have constructed a walkway through the area and it is a very pleasant place to be on a sunny winter morning.  The path winds through the vegetation and there are seats so you can take in the view.

On a clear day the view is spectacular but even on an overcast day the colours can be interesting.

Getting there:-
Tram 96,16 or 3  to St Kilda . Then stroll along Beaconsfield Parade towards Port Melbourne.

This notice is in Tarlo & Grahm’s current window display – I hope you can read it.

Tarlo & Graham’s windows are always fascinating to me.  I have written about them before in ” Tarlo & Graham – view their windows”.

I don’t believe anyone else would decorate their window with objects burned in their fire.

This is their second window onto Chapel Street.

Tarlo &  Graham’s windows are one of the best reasons for a walk along Chapel Street, Windsor. They excel themselves with the strange, fun, wacky, ugly, weird, macabre – well you have to see them for yourself.  They never fail to raise a smile, a laugh, or a gasp.  Try to catch these ones before they change again.

Where:-
Tarlo & Graham
60 Chapel Street
Windsor – phone 9521 2221

Opening hours:-
Monday to Saturday 12pm – 6pm
Sunday 12pm to 4pm
Of course their windows are open for viewing 24/7

Getting there: -
Train:-
The Sandringham Line to Windsor Station They are opposite – on the corner of Chapel and McIlwrick Street
78 Tram:-
This tram runs from St Kilda East to Richmond along Chapel Street.

Website:-

http://www.tarloandgraham.com

The nice thing about doing this blog is that I keep learning more interesting information about Melbourne from the comments people leave on my posts.  I have written about this beautiful and tranquil garden before in the The Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden Post. Julie has left a comment asking about the  capsule that is underneath the sundial.

This is the result of a fund raiser for the establishment of the garden.  In the 1930s women paid one shilling to put their name or the name of a pioneer woman ancestor on a list. I have read that thousands of names – the exact number doesn’t appear to be recorded anywhere-  were collected and the capsule was buried under the sun dial with the supervision of the Unemployment Relief Programme.  Thinking on that it suggests that one shilling was a lot of money for people to pay.  There is a plaque.

Julie asks if there was a copy taken of the names and a record kept of them.  From what I can understand that wasn’t done.  I imagine that in the 1930s it wasn’t easy to copy documents.

Does anyone else have any further information?  It is good to remember the women who helped to make this country great.

Getting there:-
The Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden

Any tram from Federation Square that runs along St Kilda Road as far as the Domain Road Intersection, or if you want to get off in Domain Road and walk across the park lands from there catch the No 8.

There is metered parking along Birdwood Avenue and Linlithgow Avenue.

The corner of Hotham and Inkerman Streets seems an unlikely place to find a flourishing Op Shop.  None-the-less this corner is home to a Sacred Heart Mission Opportunity Shop.

It has been here for a couple of years and although there isn’t much foot traffic it is a busy corner for road traffic.  There is free parking in the local streets and this Op Shop appears to be flourishing.

The shop has become known locally for its stylish windows.  They are ever changing and they display someone’s skill at window dressing.

It’s not quite the Royal Wedding but it is very cute

A recent window as seen from Hotham Street.

I think the prices here are good, too  There have been complaints about the increase in prices charged by the Salvation Army shop now that it is in Carlisle.  See here. I think the prices in Inkerman Street are still reasonable.

For example the charming old dolls in the window display are $10 each.

It is crowded inside but the layout works.  Again someone with some flair has been at work here.

I suppose an increase in prices has become inevitable now that Op Shops have become more main stream – a place where everyone browses.  Real “finds” have become harder to come by.

A spin off from this maybe the enticing window displays.  In this Sacred Heart Op Shop everything in the window is for sale and you can collect your item when the window is dismantled. It is rather like putting a red sticker on a sold piece of art.  You leave your phone number and an assistant will ring you and hold the item until you can collect.

Where:-
Sacred Heart Mission, Inkerman Street Op hop
415 Inkerman Street, St Kilda East

Phone: Shop – 9536 8437
For donations – 9536 8437

Opening hours:-
Monday to Thursday 10.00 to 5.00
Friday            10.00 to 7.00
Saturday & Sunday  10.00 to 5.00

Getting There: -
Trams 3 & 16 take you to the corner of Carlisle Street and Hothman Street and you can walk along Hotham to Inkerman
Driving.  There is one hour street parking locally.