They don’t always change weekly but another view gives another perspective and sometimes I miss something on the first
viewing and even on the second.  These objet d’art and the style of the interiors they suggest, are a sort of industrial meets the….  well the
macabre.  They may not be everyone’s idea of home sweet home but it is great fun to view.

The windows vary which is what  makes them so fascinating.  These colourful wool rugs appeared during the cold winter months.

William Tarlo and Philip Graham opened their shop about 6 years ago.  They said in a recent interview that their aim was to provide an exciting and stimulating environment focusing on the unusual, exotic and collectable. Check out their website to see what they mean.

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
79 Tram:-
This tram runs from St Kilda East to Richmond along Chapel Street.

Website:-

http://www.tarloandgraham.com/home.html

Related posts:

1. Trash, Treasure or vintage? It is hard to decide in Womango, 47 Chapel Street, Windsor/Prahran.
2. Chapel Street – They Funky End at Windsor
3. Cakes and coffee at the Special Cake Shop – Chapel Street, Prahran

It is mind boggling to think how many watering holes were needed to supply liquor to our forefathers.

The Wayside Inn Hotel has recently come under new management with a new cook.  They describe their food as having a  ‘Rustic Italian’ influence.  The meal we had on a recent Thursday evening bore this out.
We arrived straight from work on a cold wet evening at around 6pm.  They have a flexible finish time for happy hour and our glasses of a house Margaret River Merlot were still the Happy Hour price of $4.00 –  exceptional value at $4.00

On Thursday they serve a $15.00 steak  and it came with Caponata a Sicilian vegetable stew.  This was delicious.  The Caponata has a sort of sweet/sour taste ( nothing like a serving of Chinese sweet and sour sauce).  It was a subtle but unique taste to me and it went perfectly with my steak that was cooked to perfection.

The menu is small and I believe it changes. For desert there is no menu.  There is one choice.  On that Thursday it was Panna Cotta with caramelized figs and syrup.  Perhaps it is always Panna Cotta.  As Pana Cottas go this was up with the best.  I’d go back for the Pana Cotta and coffee.

The interior is smart with a hard edge.  The heaters warmed it, the nosh and the wine were good – not a bad way to spend time on a winter evening.

There is a beautiful garden room that makes me think even more of summer.

The bar is cosy with a fire in one corner and comfortable couches around it.  You can also eat in the bar.
The staff were wonderful and the cook popped out to discuss the Caponate with us.  I was surprised at how few people were there that night.  However I’m told that Karaoke Night on Friday draws crowds. Ir begins at 9.00pm.  Karaoke isn’t my thing but I will be back for the food.  I can see that the garden bar will be a good place for idling time on  a warm evening.

The web site www.waysidehotel.com.au gives a menu but it differed from the own we saw.  I like the idea of the menu being flexible  and depending on the cook.

The Wayside Inn Hotel
446 City Rd
South Melbourne VIC 3205
Phone (03) 9699 8469

Opening hours:-
12.00  noon until late.

Getting there:-

Trams:-
Tram 112 from the CBD goes along Clarendon Street.
Get off at the corner of Market and Clarendon Street and wander along Market street until it joins City Road.  The Wayside Hotel is on the corner of City Road and Frerris Street.
Tram 96 (light rail) Get off at the South Melbourne Station and walk along Ferrars Street to City Road.

Car:-
There is parking in Ferrars Street

Related posts:

1. Cricket Club Hotel South Melbourne – ideal eating on a cold night
2. Red Star Cafe right opposite The South Melbourne Market, Clarendon Street
3. Gas Eateries and Supply Cafe – South Melbourne

You can see it yourself as you head along Cecil Street away from the South Melbourne Market.

It is wonderful to be able to see such eye catching pieces of art during an every-day shopping excursion or a walk around the local streets.  Frank Malerba was commission by the developer and the commission was approved by the Port Phillip City Council.

He says he drove around South Melbourne for a few days, “To see what it was all about.”

When you look at the art work does it say South Melbourne to you?
It has been up for over a year and looks exactly the same to me now as it did when I first saw it, months ago.  No deterioration.  Frank Malerba knows what materials to use for durability.

I wish more developers would think of the public and how we need visual feasts as we travel around our city.

My thought when I first saw the mural was, “Who is the lucky person who owns it?”

I assume if you own the unit it is attached to, you don’t own the art work.   And that you can’t sell the unit and then pack up the Malerba panels and take them  away with you.

I guess that can’t happen but it makes me ask who does own it and who is responsible for maintaining it?  The Port Phillip City Council?  Or is it the Owners Corporation’s responsibility? Perhaps someone will know.

One thing I do know is that it is wonderful to see such interesting art, by a well-known local artist, for all of us to view.

Developers:-  how about more of this?

To view Frank Malerba’s urban art on the corner of Cecil and Dorcas Street:-
Tram 96:-  (light rail)  to the South Melbourne Station.  Head for the Market.  Cecil Street runs from the  roundabout.

Tram 1:- get off at the corner of Cecil and Park Street and head to the market. – check out Dorcas Street when you cross over it.

Related posts:

1. Red Star Cafe right opposite The South Melbourne Market, Clarendon Street
2. The Wayside Inn Hotel South Melbourne – good eating – with a new cook and new management.
3. A touch of France on Park Street, South Melbourne

The ambiance in the Alistair Clarke Rose Garden is different at this time of the year. The roses have been pruned – the green and the flowers have gone and the canes are stark against the mulched ground.

I am interested in their pruning style.  When I studied the canes and what was left after such abundant growth earlier in the year I realized that I had been very timid when I pruned my few roses.  The gardens have cut them back severely.

I am looking forward to seeing how these canes sprout and how quickly the flowers come.  Last season they were beautiful.

The grass is very green after all the rain we have had and bare branches of the deciduous trees stand out  against the sky and the luscious green of the Macrocarpa hedge that protects the rose garden.

There is a lot to see at this time of the year.

Getting there:-
96 Tram to the terminus the end of Acland Street. Walk up Blessington Street – on your left.
Trams 67, 3 or 16 to the corner of Brighton Road and Carlisle Street and walk along Blessington Street – Blessington Street is on your right when you get off  the tram.

Related posts:

1. Alister Clark Rose Garden – Botanical Gardens St Kilda.
2. Chess at St Kilda Botanical Gardens – St Kilda
3. Alister Clark’s Rose Garden in Full Bloom

The Garden of Eden Nursery in Albert Park is a Melbourne place where you can recharge your batteries and dream about what you could do in your outdoor space.

It  is a place to stop off, wander about and dream.  For a while you can imagine that the winding paths and the secluded nooks are your own.

The staff will talk to you about the plants and they are knowledgeable and know what they are talking about.  They also let you wander and daydream.

The building is part of the old Albert Park Railway station so while your musing on how to get that metal arch onto your balcony and then entwine the structure with plants, the 96 tram will slide into the station, doors open, then close again and take off . You have seen nothing because a block of wonderful trees and bamboo has obscured the mundane from view.

When I work in the area and need time out I pop in and soak up the atmosphere.  And sometimes I find it pleasant to get off the tram, browse and then pick up a later one.  They run frequently on the 96 route.

The Garden of Eden has been there for about 20 years so it is no wonder there are some well established permanent plants.

The staff is interested in sustainable gardens and drought resistant plants and there is a home-ware section in part of the old station that they share with the Railway Antiques and cafe.

I like their garden sculptures and the way they display them making this Melbourne place an oasis in which to escape the everyday world.

The soul soothing experience of the Garden of Eden nursery is free – you can just wander about.  It is of course a  commercial enterprise but no one stops you absorbing the ambiance.

Garden of Eden
365 Ferrars Street,
Albert Park
Phone 9696 0551

Opening Hours:-
9.00  to 5.30 daily

Getting there:-
The 96 tram to the Albert Park Station

There is free parking on Ferrars Street
You will recognize The Garden of Eden by the bright coloured buckets hanging outside.

Related posts:

1. Fitzroy Nursery – Garden Oasis in Fitzroy
2. Railway antiques, restored furniture, coffee and cakes at the Albert Park Station.
3. Lunch at Hotel Nest – Albert Park

From the platform you walk into the old, red, brick station building left over from the time when this was a railway line.  It houses railway memorabilia.

Wader around and you get to absorb the experience of travelling along route 96  when the journey was taken by train.
There is much old railway paraphernalia to browse through and also, beautifully resorted and polished pieces of furniture.  Some of the pieces are huge and hidden under smaller things. It takes ages to see what is there.

A nice touch, as you walk up the concrete ramp from Canterbury Road into the quaint red brick building, is the ticket dispenser still holding those old cardboard tickets.  It is as if you should take a ticket to continue your journey though the building.

Some of my favourite pieces:-

Station clock.

Station trolley

A small back door from the store leads onto the light rail platform and the other end of the long narrow building becomes a coffee shop.  This is a relaxed and friendly place. The word homely could describe it.

It is an odd cafe to find in sophisticated Albert Park.  It is like wandering into someone’s kitchen and asking for a snack.

The kitchen runs behind the counter and if you arrive at the right time you can see the cook cum barista cum waitress taking a cake from the oven.  She makes all the food. The menu is simple, toasted sandwiches, cakes, biscuits, some large and beautiful meringues served with cream.

The coffee is good and the baked cheese cake one of the best around, there are papers and magazines to read, an open courtyard with more railway artefacts and the sound of the light rain swishing past to let you know that this is a station.

Coffee at Albert Park Station – Tram route 96

The Railway antiques are open daily 9.30 to 5.00pm

The coffee shop is closed on Mondays

Getting there:-
Ride the 96 tram to the Albert Park Station stop

Related posts:

1. The Good Life, and Good Food at Albert Park Lake
2. The Garden of Eden in Albert Park
3. Mart Cafe – Tram route 96 Stop 130 Middle Park

The cafe is long and narrow with a courtyard at the rear.  The red chairs are for outside, only.  Inside is cool and more sophisticated with a polished concrete floor and dark wooden tables and chairs.  The tables come in various sizes including a long communal table.

One wall is covered in posters advertising up-coming events and happenings, there is their organic coffee for sale and there are plenty of papers and magazines to read. It is a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere.

Breakfast is served all day.   We ordered one breakfast and two lunches.

The Nasi Goering looked good, the egg was perfectly done, the flavour everything it should be. $15.50

The beef hamburger had plenty of bacon and the egg just right but the beef was a little over cooked and on the dry side.  It  came with a side serving of caramelized onions and tomato sauce. $16.90

English muffin, bacon, egg and tomatoes was a  breakfast special  for $8.00 and was good value for the price.

There were fruit muffins available and cakes for afternoon coffee – the milk in the flat white coffee was silky but I like mine a little stronger, however you can’t please everyone and I didn’t ask for strong.  If you like it strong that would be the way to go.

Service was friendly and attentive with the waitress saying ‘enjoy’ when she delivered the food.  I found that rather endearing.  The Red Star Cafe, on the corner of Ward Street and Coventry Street, is a great place to sit and  view the action around the South Melbourne Market.

The Red Star Cafe opening hours:-
Mondays CLOSED
Tuesday to Thursday 8.00am to 4.00pm
Friday to Sunday 7.30am to 5.00pm
They serve organic fair trade coffee

Getting There:-
Tram:
96 (Light Rail) from Bourke Street, and get off at the South Melbourne stop. The market is about 2 minutes away.
112 Tram from Collins Street, get off on the corner of Clarendon and York Street.
Driving:
Melway:       Map 1C Ref E11
There is parking on top of the South Melbourne Market and some parking in the neighbouring street ( alot of street parking is Permit only, so watch out for that)

Related posts:

1. Gas Eateries and Supply Cafe – South Melbourne
2. A touch of France on Park Street, South Melbourne
3. Prahran Market –the food lovers market in South Yarra

That Sunday was the ideal day with the beach and the boardwalk in front of  the Sea Baths crowded with people taking advantage of the warm autumn weather. The buskers also entertained patrons at the Beachcomber and Republica restaurants.

Next Sunday and for every Sunday until 23rd of May the buskers will jostle with the usual crowds for space in Acland Street as the street becomes a live stage.

If you are heading to St Kilda for the Esplanade Market or to indulge in the Acland Street cakes remember the festival.  The buskers are entertaining from 1.00pm to 4.00pm.

There is a very  good human statue, too  I found the statue outside Luna Park on Lower Esplanade.  As he is a ‘statue’ he may be fixed in that spot and not move with the timetable.

Getting there:-
Trams 16, 3A, and 96 ( the light rail) to the corner of Acland and Carlisle Street

Where:-
Acland Street, St Kilda: 25th April, 2nd May, 9th May, 16th May, 23rd May.

Finding out more:-
www.stkildabuskingfestival.com.au/

Related posts:

1. The Esplanade Market, St Kilda is worth a visit
2. Cafe Racer, St Kilda Beach
3. St Kilda Beach Night Market – Thursdays

I knew nothing of Rocco Pantaleo on my first visit there and have subsequently eaten there on a number of occasions still not realizing why it was decorated this way.   I ate there because I liked the atmosphere and the pizzas.

I understand now that this was Mr Pantaleo’s flagship – his first restaurant. And  I see why it is full of motor bikes and racing memorabilia. This was his passion.  I’m told he was often in the restaurant so I may have seen him without realizing who he was. I believe many of the rich and famous have eaten there including Bill Clinton.

I live near the St Kilda Junction where he was killed on his way to the Grand Prix.  I will never pass that way again without thinking of him and La Porchetta in North Carlton.   I plan to visit the restaurant  next week so I can eat another delicious pizza and raise a glass of red to memory of Rocco Pantaleo.

La Porchetta

392 Rathdown Street

North Carlton – Phone 9347 8906

Getting there:-

Tram 96 to East Brunswick.

It runs along Nicholson Street. Get off at Curtain Street and walk left, through to Rathdowne Street.

Related posts:

1. Motorbikes at La Porchetta Carlton North
2. “Little Italy” – Lygon Street – Carlton
3. The Good Life, and Good Food at Albert Park Lake

This cafe is right on the tram stop – platform 2.  Notice the name – tram backwards.

In the summer I wander in early and make my way out onto the covered verandah at the back.  I use the somewhat old fashioned word veranda because this cafe is in the old station master’s building.  Some of the vintage pieces that decorate the white  interior reflect this.

The verandah at the back could be described as a covered deck.  This is my favourite spot.  I like to sit at the bench overlooking Albert Park and the tennis courts.  On a summer morning the sun hasn’t reached the verandah so it is cool and a gentle breeze wafts around to give a hint of a hot day to come.  Then there is the thwack of the tennis balls, the occasional shout from the tennis court and the rumble of a passing tram.

The bench has room for the Herald Sun and the railing has a flat top  so you can put your coffee out of the way of the paper and still have access to the paper and the coffee.

I am going on about the location but it is the location as well the food that sells it to me.  I can think of no pleasanter way to spend an hour or so than sitting at the bench browsing the paper and looking across the park.

Tables outside in the front of the station master’s office are on the edge of Platform 2.  From there you can watch the trams and the travelling public.

The clientele is an interesting mix of people.  It is child friendly and Mums and babies turn up about mid –morning and so do people conducting business. The tables are big enough for a few papers and laptops.

The Food!   It is good.  I always have the same breakfast – the corn fritters.  The corn has been oven roasted and has a slight crunch, and then there is the bacon and the sour cream.  I sometimes find myself obsessing about these fritters and I have to go back for a fix.  They are always good the quality doesn’t vary.

Also on the menu is home-made Bircher Muesli , French Toast and various varieties of eggs with add-ons.

The muffins are good too, if you are wanting a mid-morning snack.  Lime and coconut last time I had one – different and delicious.

For travellers on the 96 tram (fast rail)  to St Kilda this is a great place to get off, experience the ambiance and the food, then head on to St Kilda.

Getting There:-

The Mart 107A Canterbury Road, Middle Park. – Phone 9690 8831

Tram 96 from the CBD to St Kilda, The Middle Park Stop,  number 103

There is parking for 1 hour along Canterbury Road or in Armstrong Street.

Opening hours:-

7.30am to about 4.00pm.  closing does depend a little on the time of year and the weather.

Things you should know:-

They DO NOT take any plastic – you need to make sure you have cash.

There is CBA cash machine in Armstrong Street about 200 meters away

Related posts:

1. Cafe Racer, St Kilda Beach
2. Railway antiques, restored furniture, coffee and cakes at the Albert Park Station.
3. The Good Life, and Good Food at Albert Park Lake