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

Related posts:

1. Hotel Albion, Port Melbourne – Great Bar-Food and Good Value Nights.
2. Cricket Club Hotel South Melbourne – ideal eating on a cold night
3. Station Hotel, Napier Street, Footscray – lunch in their European-style dining room.

It is the the experience of watching the team at Andrews cooking them.  They make it into an art form.

Order your burger from the blackboard menu then hang around and watch. There are a few stools but even if these are taken stay there, don’t wander off.

Watch the crew as they work behind the counter –which is in front of the cooking area. This is a small, narrow shop and space is at a premium.  There is at least four and sometimes five short order cooks working in a space that is no wider than the hallway in a single fronted Victorian terrace house.  They work together like dancers who have had their entire moves choreographed. They don’t back into each other or step on each other’s toes.  They side-step , take orders, place eggs, tomatoes, bacon and onions on the grill, toast the buns, fill the buns and  put the finished product in their greaseproof-lined bags.  There is never a false move.

It is fascinating to watch.  And it is a puzzle to know which cook does what.  Just when you think you have it sussed one of the cooks does a different job and you find you got it all wrong. Then suddenly your name is called and without you realizing it your hamburger has been prepared bagged and ready to go.

It is a beautiful performance so it is not a surprise to find the hamburgers sublime.  Making them is an art and eating them shows how perfection can’t be beaten.

The menu is on the wall and it is extensive but it is of no interest to me.  I always order ‘The lot’ for $9.50.  – Ground beef, egg, bacon, cheese tomato, mayonnaise and a delicious bun spread with tomato sauce.

They have a web site Here.

Where:-
Andrews Hamburgers
144 Bridport Street
Albert Park
Phone:- 9690 2126

Opening Hours:- Monday to Friday 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.00pm – 9.00pm
Saturday 11.30am – 3.00pm. 5.00pm – 9.00pm
Sunday Closed

Getting there:-
Tram 96 Light Rail to Albert Park Station
Tram no 1 get off at the corner of Bridport and Montague Streets

Related posts:

1. The Good Life, and Good Food at Albert Park Lake
2. Albert Park Lake and a new generation of swans – it has to be spring!
3. Lunch at Hotel Nest – Albert Park

Albert Park and Albert Park Lake have moved into spring with the cutest and most  beautiful baby swans (cygnets) sifting through the grass and gliding around on the lake. Some are very young – just balls of pale grey fluff and it is amazing to see them staggering about on their little legs.

One family of five looked much more graceful floating on the calm waters of Albert Park  Lake.  They appear older and more sophisticated that their cousins who are still on land.  When they see you they swim over and then float near the edge – to be admired or hoping for some food? It is hard to know.  I didn’t have any food with me and they are very beautiful.

Both the swan parents hover over them.   It is lovely to see Dad doing such a good job of parenting.  It is said that swans mate for life and that they are very faithful and loyal.  I’m curious to know where the  families with very young babies  sleep.  The up-grade to the park has fenced off great chunks of grass.  Some of the older ones seem very happy to get some sleep-time during the day while they float about.

It is always busy around the Albert Park Lake with walkers and joggers but this year it is a construction zone.  The area near the Carousel is being up graded.  The new swan parents are taking this in their stride.  They seem in no hurry to move their young out of the way.

Now is the time to see these young cygnets – they have the magic that all the very young have.  They are cute balls of the softest feathers. But they grow quickly.

I found the best place to get close to them was near the Carousel.  I photographed these ones there. The cafe at the Carousel is a pleasant stopping off point.  See my previous positing about the Carousel’s food – nothing has changed.

Getting There:-
The Carousel, (where I took these photos) is at  22 Aughtie Drive,  Albert Park Lake.

The easiest way is by car and as a bonus it is $2.00 for all day parking in the weekend. This is not the same during the week.  Be prepared to pay more.

Tram 96, the light rail, takes you along the back of the Park.  Get off at the Wright Street station and walk across Albert Park towards the lake.

You can also take any tram that goes down St Kilda Road as far as the St Kilda Junction.  Get off at High Street and walk to the park from there. As High Street crosses St Kilda Road, it becomes Lorne Street.  You walk down Lorne Street to the Park and the lake. The Carousel is on the other side of the lake.

Related posts:

1. The Good Life, and Good Food at Albert Park Lake
2. Railway antiques, restored furniture, coffee and cakes at the Albert Park Station.
3. Lunch at Hotel Nest – Albert Park

As a by-product of local advertising I found myself there on a cold winter night because a friend reads the back of her super market dockets.  A deal gave two meals for the price of one.  She suggested we “give it a go”.  In view of the wintery weather a pub meal seemed like a good idea.

The Cricket club hotel has been in operation at the Albert Park end of the Clarenden Street since 1870. I’m told it is the nearest pub to Albert Park but I haven’t checked this out. It has had many face-lifts since 1870 and I understand that the most recent was in 2007.
The two for one meal is obviously trying to drum up custom.  This could mean anything and we prepared ourselves for hot food on a cold night but without any great expectations of quality.

We arrived at 6pm and found our way through two bars, one with a large TV screen and the other with a charming nook for a bit of time out.

We were first in the dining room and they turned on the heat and settled us by the fire.

There is small menu of standard fare.  M ordered corned beef and I had a chicken parmigiana.

Chicken parmigiana

Corned beef

This food was excellent M said it was the best corned beef she had.  I said the same about my parmigiana.  It was delicious.  Not as big as some servings are but quality.

This part of the meal was so good it was a pity the choice of wines by the glass was so limited.  I had a glass of Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2007.  The 2008 is on sale for $10.00 in my local bottle shop.

The desserts weren’t of the same standard as the main course.  A sticky date pudding was okay but the rhubarb and pear crumble served in a ramekin lacked the crumble.  The thin oat mixture on the top was soft and lacking flavour. I look for a crisp crumble that has a rocky road surface.

The dining room filled and warmed up.  The service was friendly and attentive.  I was grateful for having a friend who reads the back of the super market dockets and suggested she kept reading them.  We will back.  We may give the dessert a miss but the main course even at the full price is good value.  Prices are the usual pub prices.

Where:-
The Cricket Club Hotel
435 Clarendon Street
South Melbourne
Phone 9690 5941

Opening Hours:-
The dining room is open every day
Lunch 12.00 to 3.00
Dinner 5.30 to 9.00

Getting There:-
Tram no 112 travels along Clarendon Street and turns into Albert Road.
Get off at the stop before Albert Road
Stop no. 130
Tram no 1. Get off at the corner of Clarendon and Park Streets.
Continue walking along Clarendon Street towards Albert Park the Cricket Club Hotel is on you left.

Related posts:

1. The Wayside Inn Hotel South Melbourne – good eating – with a new cook and new management.
2. The Wayside Inn Hotel South Melbourne – an up-date
3. Lunch at Hotel Nest – Albert Park

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

The people with me have been to Cafe Saigon several times and knew exactly what they were going to eat. I was new to the cafe and I expected Vietnamese.

I have seen the restaurant many times before.  I used to work not far away and I have admired the building – all that bluestone makes for an attractive facade.  It was nice to get a chance to eat there.

Walk through the entrance and there is a small shrine to Buddha that creates an immediate ease to the day’s tensions.

On your left is the bar and to your right the large dining room.  It has a decor that  is cool and minimal with bricks and concrete.  It represents no particular style and somehow this makes it easy to feel comfortable and at home.

As I said I was surprised to find the menu covered dishes from other Asian countries including Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and Pad Thai Rice Noodles.

We ordered a serving of Vietnamese spring rolls and also Vietnamese vegetarian rice paper rolls.

Spring rolls

Vegetarian rice paper roll

Of the two dishes the rice paper rolls were far the superior and had a sauce that owed a lot to Hoi Sin Sauce.  The waiter told us that the sauces were all made on the premises.

Two of us travelled south from Vietnam and ordered Singapore noodles.  Good choice.  The dish had just the right amount of heat for me and I got the other diner’s serving of prawns.

Singapore noodles with extra prawns

The sizzling beef and vegetables was a tried and true favourite for my other table companion.  She suggested the restaurant so she could eat this dish.  It came to the table really sizzling and smelling delicious.

Sizzling beef and vegetables

The service was wonderful, friendly, efficient and careful.  That sounds a silly word to use but we felt  we were cared for and our pleasure was their priority.

The restaurant has been there for a long time and appears to have built up a following with the locals.

The food was good but not exceptional and the prices on the high side for Asian food but then we are in Albert Park just up from the beach so it is unfair to compare prices with prices in Victoria Street, Richmond.

I’d eat there again.  It’s a Melbourne Place that is worth going to.

There is a take away menu here. I can’t see that it is very different from the cafe Menu.

Cafe Saigon:-
159 161 Victoria Avenue
Albert Park
Phone 9696 3388

Opening Hours:-
Lunch 11.30 to 3.00 every day except Saturday
Dinner 5.30 to 10.00pm every day except Thursday Friday and Saturday when it stays open until 11.00pm

Getting there:-
It is just up from the South Melbourne Beach.
Tram No 1 to South Melbourne Beach it terminates at the beach at the end of Victoria Avenue
Get off at the second to last stop.

Related posts:

1. Lunch at Hotel Nest – Albert Park
2. Antarctica on display in the Foyer of Gasworks Park Theatre – Albert Park
3. Asia on Victoria Street in Richmond

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. Albert Park Lake and a new generation of swans – it has to be spring!

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. Hot Honey cafe in Armstrong Street, Middle Park, serves one of my favourite breakfasts.
2. Cafe Racer, St Kilda Beach
3. Railway antiques, restored furniture, coffee and cakes at the Albert Park Station.

This photo of penguins in Antarctic by Lisa Davidson is on display in the Foyer of the Gasworks Theatre, Albert Park.

There are two galleries in the Gasworks Theatre.  The foyer of the theatre is used for exhibitions and then there is the Angela Robarts-Bird Gallery.

The exhibitions in the foyer rotate regularly usually about every two  weeks so it is easy to miss something on the other hand there is always something new to see. The ones in the Robarts-Bird Gallery often last longer. The exhibition at the moment is called Nordic Ecolog, interesting but not as striking as Lisa Davidson’s photos.

Lisa Davidson’s  photos were taken on a recent trip to the Antarctic.  She traveled there with her mother after her father died of cancer to honour his memory.  He had worked as an engineer in that frozen continent in 1970.

The photos fill the theater foyer and are wonderful;  evocative of the area and reflect a certain magic which must have been part of the photographer’s experience.

The photos are framed and can be bought framed or unframed with the proceeds going to the cancer foundation.

I particularly liked the way some of them are framed – those I have displayed.  The weathered wood some stained and some natural enhances the natural beauty of  that  untamed  environment.

Lisa Davidson has a charming business card featuring a seal – lisadavidson82@gmail.com is a contact for her.

Opening hours 9am to 5pm daily

For gallery contact – Sarah Rainbird
Visual Arts Manager
t: 03 8606 4206
e: sarah@gasworks.org.au

Getting there:

The Number 1 Tram, going to South Melbourne Beach. Get off at the corner of Richardson Street and Victoria Ave, that’s at the Avenue Cafe. Face the beach and walk to your right along Richardson and you’ll be at Gasworks Park in a couple of minutes. To get to the gallery you need to walk to the otherside of the park that is on Graham Street.

Graham Street runs through  from Victoria Avenue but only for foot traffic – if you are driving you have to use Pickles or Richardson Street

Related posts:

1. Gasworks Art Park, Port Melbourne
2. Lunch at Hotel Nest – Albert Park
3. Cafe Saigon, Victoria Avenue, Albert Park

The main venue is used for wedding receptions and other catered-for events.    The entrance to the building is imposing.  That’s the reception entrance.  I am writing here about the café with the entrance tucked around the side.

The café is popular in the weekend.   Everyone pitches up here; bikes, joggers, walkers, families out for a stroll and breakfast groups. There are no bookings for breakfast so you front up and get your name written on the window in texter with the number in your party.

Last Saturday our party arrived and we were written on the window with a number 5. We hung around outside with the dogs and visualized empty tables.  It was cold enough for us to visualize the empty table being inside which was a pity because when it arrived the table didn’t have a view. There is an open deck in front of the café and on a warm day the windows are opened up, so if you are inside, you get the feeling of being outside

The coffee is very good and it made up for the cold wait outside and by then we were ready for breakfast.  The food is fine.  Not great but good enough to go back.  A nice touch is having a water jug with mint and lemon left on the table.

The jug of water adds style to a Carousel Breakfast.

This is ‘The Carousel Breakfast’. The mushrooms have flavour!

The muffins are worth trying especially if you arrive when they still warm from the oven.  This one is Blueberry and white chocolate.

The Carousel is quieter during the week.  This makes it more relaxing and there is no need for the texter and the window.  It is a place full of light with some of the best views in Melbourne.  It’s worth going for the views and of course a walk in the park.

Swans wander around chewing the grass.  As you can see in the photo they are numbered with a wide band around their neck.  Can any one tell me why?  It looks very uncomfortable for them.

Getting There:-

The Carousel,  22 Aughtie Drive,  Albert Park Lake, is open from 8am every day and shuts around 3.30 to 4.00pm

The easiest way is by car and as a bonus it is $2.00 for all day parking in the weekend. This is not the same during the week.  Be prepared to pay more.

Tram 96, the light rail, takes you along the back of the Park.  Get off at the Wright Street station and walk across Albert Park towards the lake.

You can also take any tram that goes down St Kilda Road as far as the St Kilda Junction.  Get off at High Street and walk to the park from there. As it crosses St Kilda Road, High Street becomes Lorne Street.  You walk done Lorne Street to the Park .  Remember you have to walk around the lake to get to the Carousel.

Related posts:

1. Albert Park Lake and a new generation of swans – it has to be spring!
2. Railway antiques, restored furniture, coffee and cakes at the Albert Park Station.
3. Cafe Saigon, Victoria Avenue, Albert Park