Melbourne Places » cakes

Melbourne Botanical Gardens and the Terrace Cafe on a wet day

Melbourne — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:30:20 +0000

I joined friends for lunch at the Terrace Cafe in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens on a wet weekday morning. It was a long standing date and we went despite the rain.

The easiest way to reach the Terrace Cafe that overlooks the ornamental lake is to enter the gardens from the corner of Anderson Street and Alexandra Parade. The paths are lined with trees which shelter them from too much rain.

The entrance on the corner of Anderson Street and Alexandra Parade

The gardens are different in the wet. The first sound we noticed was the pure ringing note from the bell birds. They appear to like warm, wet, still days.

As we walked moorhens scooted around us giving their high pitched squawk, the earth smelt of vegetation and the noise from cars in Anderson Street was deadened.

Friendly Moor Hens

We passed this notice.

I always look for turtles but I have never seen one even on a wet day like this one. I wonder if they are real and if any one has ever seen one.

It is quiet expect for the birds, the sound of rain on the leaves and the voices of visitors. Even voices seem to quieten on this moist day. It was peaceful and relaxing wandering along to the Terrace Cafe.

The cafe was restful too. We sat outside at the back completely protected from the rain and with glimpses of the lake. For a wet day the Terrace Cafe was busy, couples chatted over coffee, singles read, someone wrote and a group of mothers met there with very young and quiet babies. The voices came from the mothers in animated conversation.

The ornamental lake in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens as seen from the Terrace Cafe
The cafe is known for its scones, cream and jam. It is the one of the best places to have a Devonshire tea. The scones are so good you want to go home and try making them so you can keep indulging.

Scones cream and jam at the Terrace Cafe

Lunch is fairly simple.

Baguettes with a variety of fillings. These ones are smoked salmon and avocado.

Thai chicken pie.

The chips were excellent. If you like chips order a serve to have with your coffee if you just want a snack.

Presentation is tops. One of our group brings her own bread to have sandwiches made to order. This is what they created.

To cleanse your palate the fruit salad not only looks good but is refreshing. I like the way they write on their white plates

Rain or shine the Terrace Cafe is a relaxing place to be with good simple food. There is a garden shop next door with some interesting items including a very beautiful umbrella covered in pansies. Too beautiful to use – a beautiful present, perhaps.

Getting there:-
Tram No 8 get off at the corner of Domain Road and Park Street.
Enter the gardens from there and follow the signs.

Parking:-
There is 3 hour parking in Anderson Street and 2 hours on Domain Road.

Opening Hours:-
The Royal Botanical Gardens:-
Every day of the year from 7.30 to sunset.

The Terrace Cafe:-
9.45am to 4.00pm, May to September
9.00am to 5.00pm, October to April

Suzuki Night Market is a popular place on Wednesday evenings in Melbourne

Melbourne — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 21:34:38 +0000

The smell of food cooking leads you to the Suzuki Night Market. The smell is delicious with the main ingredient being the aroma of barbecuing. This is strange because when you get into the market there is an incredible selection foods – a chance to eat your way around the world with food from many countries.

This market is held every Wednesday until 2nd of March on the Queen Victoria Market site. It has been operating on this site for a number of years and has built up a strong following.

In the unusual weather we are having this summer the evening I went was the first sunny Wednesday for a few weeks. Not that rain really matters because most of the stalls are under cover. The market opens at 5.30pm and this is the scene at 5.45pm with the crowd flowing in. In the fine weather this is where the entertainment is.

There are a numerous stalls but with the stomach-rumbling smells that meet you on Elizabeth Street most people head to the food section. There are two food areas both on the right of the walkways. This gives you some an idea of the fare on offer.

Nepalese food – Chicken Sekuwa

African curries

Australian eating – Ostrich Burgers – Croc Burgers – Roo Burgers

Korean tornado potatoes – these were a hit with queues waiting to be served

Beautiful cup cakes to finish you eating experience.

Prices are good for the food – mostly $10.00 or under with the Korean Tornado Potato at $5.00

Food is not the only interest. There are numerous stalls of clothing, jewelry, crafts and an area for tarot reading, massage, reflexology – all good things for the spirit.

Hair Sticks

coconut watches

Locally designed clothes

While all this is happening there is entertainment. Check the web site here for further information on who is performing.

Where:-
Suzuki Night Market
Queen Victoria Market
Corner of Elizabeth and Queen Streets

Hours:-
5.30pm to 10.00pm
Every Wednesday until March 2nd
Further information

Getting There:-
Tram: Any tram that goes up Elizabeth Street or the Free City Circle and get off at Queen Victoria Market
Train; Get off at Melbourne Central

Web site:-

http://www.qvm.com.au/snm/snm_home.aspx

Acland Street, St Kilda, buzzes when the rest of Melbourne is on holiday

Melbourne — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 23:50:17 +0000

Acland Street is a street alive with people and activity. When you’re in Acland Street the vibes are positive and you know that the world is still revolving. Acland Street is a street that brings you alive. That’s how I feel about Acland Street.

My first visit to Acland Street was about 10 years ago. I was a tourist and like so many tourists to Melbourne I made a pilgrimage to St Kilda. The day was perfect, the sea was calm, it was ideal for exploring Acland Street and eating a cake with coffee. The place was alive.

That was the time of the ‘Secret Life of Us’ on TV and St Kilda had an aura of excitement and expectation. It was a place where anything could happen. I still see it like that – alive to possibilities.

Acland Street has changed in those 10 years. I read articles where lovers of the area lament the changes but to me this is part of life – everything evolves.

However some things have stayed the same. The cake shops are still there as they have been for decades and I can’t see that the cakes themselves have changed – the same recipes. Hairroom the hair salon with the wonderful roof – top decoration where once I had my hair styled by a New Zealand hairdresser from Palmerston North has stayed. The book shop still hums but it is now Readings and not Cosmos.

This sculpture is on the roof of Hairroom

Remember to look up! This roof sculpture is opposite Hairroom.

What time does Acland Street wind down? I ‘m not sure but at some time the place quietens and in the early mornings it takes a while to wake up. This photo of the palm trees was taken on the Readings/ANZ corner at 8.ooam

By the mid morning the cafes are full. Some like Vibe and Big Mouth I remember from ten years ago. Others are new. The ice cream shops have multiplied ( and I see there is another about to open) Sheherazade has gone and so has La Porchetta. La Porchetta is a place I miss. The first Pizza I ate in Melbourne came from there. The Vineyard, after a number of battles with council, is still there.

During the quiet and peaceful time in the surrounding suburban street over the Christmas and the New Year break Acland Street has shown that world is still humming. I walked down there to check this out and the vibes can still make me think I am in the centre of the world and there is nowhere else to be.

Acland Street is worth visiting again and again – this is a place to feel alive and to feel that you are part of the pulsating world of action. It give us the chance to rejoice in being a city dweller. And it keeps on keeping on. If one business goes another takes its place – the street stays alive.

Getting there:-
Trams:- 16 and 96 and No. 3 in the weekends

Georgios-A meeting place at 1235 High Street, Armadale

Melbourne — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 09:39:32 +0000

Georgios has been there forever. That is probably too grand a statement but I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t there. During the years I have known it, it has remained the same and become an Armadale icon if not a Melbourne icon. The decor is rather like a sophisticated cafe and doesn’t appear to have changed either over the years. It is pleasant and relaxing and always buzzing. It’s a great place to meet friends – everyone knows it or if they don’t they can find it easily – the corner of High Street and Glenferrie Road opposite the Malvern Town Hall.

I worked in Armadale a couple of years ago and once a month we had a breakfast meeting in Georgios. After a while we thought the food had gone off and we found other places. Thinking back I believe we needed a reason to explore other places – we wanted change. Georgios had stayed the same.

Recently a friend said she was meeting her friend there and she would give me a report if I was interested. I jumped at her offer. “Yes please”, I said. “I want to know: is the food still good? Did you enjoy it? What about service? And why did you choose Georgios?

This is what my friend e-mailed to me.

“The reason we chose Giorgio’s is because it is well known which makes it a great meeting place. The atmosphere was humming without being too loud and the service was flawless.

The outside tables were not in use as it had been raining but you could imagine on a summer’s day they would all be full of life.

I had the warm spicy tea.

Then for my meal I had “avocado toast” It was delicious. Two slices of honey and sesame toast with sliced avocado, topped with tomato and crispy bacon and a side of rocket and feta.

My friend had the egg-white omelette. This was on rye bread and the omelette was filled with feta and chopped tomatoes. For an egg-white omelette she said it was very tasty. This came with a grilled tomato on the side”.

Giorgios has a dining area, a large outdoor terrace, wine bar, private function room and a semi-enclosed fully heated outdoor area.

Where:_
Georgios
1235 High Street, Armadale – on the corner of Glenferrie Road
Phone 9822 4664
Opening Hours:- every day from 7.00am to 1.00am

Getting there:-
Tram N0 6 to Glen Iris goes down High Street. Get off at the corner of High and Glenferrie.

The Melba Room at the Langham hotel-a return visit and another great eating experience.

Melbourne — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:22:25 +0000

Last week I had lunch at the buffet in the Melba Room at the Langham Hotel, Southbank, for the second time. It proved to be as good as my first visit about nine months ago.

The grand staircase leading to the Melba Room.

On this cold, bleak, winter Friday the dining room was almost full. Proving what I have always thought; a cold bleak day is an ideal day to spend eating.

This trip empathized just how great and varied the food is at the Melba Room buffet.

The Melba Room opens at noon and steadily fills up.

To me the lunch time buffet in the Melba Room is all about eating. The light, bright and elegant dining area is heavy with food and it needs to be eaten.

As we had been before and knew what was available we decided to plan our meal. That is, put some order into our eating and treat it like traditional feast with numerous courses.

I decided to pass on the soup – it was vichyssoise (leek and potato) which I make myself.

I began with hors d’oeuvres and headed for the cold meats and salads – delicious.

Then on to the fish course – prawns and crab and I added sushi to this course as a sort of sub course.

The sushi is made to your own personal order. The more knowledgeable about sushi you are the more you can vary what ends up on your plate.

I liked the idea of a stir fry for the next course, it was light with rice noodles available and scallops. The scallops were for use only by the stir-fry cook, not to be confused with the fish course– again we chose the ingredients.

You may think by now enough food has been consumed but think on those long Italian Lunches; course after course comes from the kitchen to the table and into continually munching and talking mouths.

It was now time for roast beef and the wonderful roasted vegetables – a sort of heavy main course. It lacked Yorkshire pudding. I wonder if the cooks can cook Yorkshire pudding. Has it gone out fashion? My mother always cooked it with roast beef.

By this time a good two hours had gone by and it was time for deserts.

Each desert is a perfect miniature

This slice was a work of art – as nice to look at as it was to eat.

Finally coffee and cheese.

We will be back and then I’ll try the curries. What course in a great English feast would include curry? And I missed the Chinese dumplings on this visit…………there is still more food to sample.

Times:
The Melba Room starts serving luncheon at noon, the hot food is removed at 2.30 and the restaurant closes at 4.00 to prepare for dinner.
Costs:
Monday to Friday $49.00.
Prices in the weekend are higher
Saturday $75.00
Sunday $84.00
It is suggested you book especially on Saturday and Sunday when it can be very busy.

Getting there:
The Melba Room, The Langham Hotel, 1 Southgate Avenue, Southgate 8696 8888.
You can enter from The Southbank Promenade along the river or it is just off St Kilda Road, in Southgate Avenue

Trams:
Any tram that goes to Federation Square or Flinders Street Station will get you there.

Cars:-
There is parking underneath – remember to get your parking ticket validated when you pay for your meal.

Railway antiques, restored furniture, coffee and cakes at the Albert Park Station.

Melbourne — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:05:46 +0000

You don’t have to be a railway buff to enjoy a stop at the Victorian Railway Arts and Antiques – the place that is like a museum.
Ride the 96 tram that’s the light rail, to St Kilda and get off at the Albert Park Station.

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

Red Star Cafe right opposite The South Melbourne Market, Clarendon Street

Melbourne — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:02:00 +0000

Sunday. The sun is shining and the part of the world that is South Melbourne is buzzing. A good place to take in all this buzz is at an outside table at the Red Star Cafe. On a cold day a window table inside would do just as well.

This cafe is right opposite the main entrance to South Melbourne Market so the action is all in front of you. The market is very popular with locals on Saturday and Sunday. If people watching is your sport this is a good spot to do it.

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)

Cakes and coffee at the Special Cake Shop – Chapel Street, Prahran

Melbourne — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:54:34 +0000

The Special Cake Shop at 207 Chapel Street, Prahran is an institution in the area.

Over the years Prahran cafes and food outlets have come and gone but not the Special Cake Shop. It just keeps on keeping on. It was opened in the mid 1950s by a Greek Immigrant and then bought in 1976 by its current owner George Seherlis.

The Special Cake shop is in one of these charming old buildings that are fast disappearing from along Chapel Street

The shop has stayed the same. The inside, which hasn’t changed since I have been buying from it, looks a bit retro but I think it is one of those places that fashion has gone the full circle and is back with it.

The inside is divided into two parts with a wide opening between them. As you enter there is seating to the left, the retail counter to your right and the kitchen straight ahead. The windows are full of cakes and biscuits. They are not all Greek cakes. You can get an English sponge roll and lamingtons. There are some wonderful double chocolate biscuits.

I’m told that they are still making coffee in their 1960’s coffee machine. I haven’t checked this out. I have had coffee there. It was good but not the best I have had.

I usually buy and head for home. The Baklava is good – solid hearty Baklava with lots of nuts. Great for desert.

A few years ago they introduced a spinach and feta scone – if you think of ’scone’ in an English sense you’ll look for the wrong thing. This scone is about the size of a saucer and oozes spinach, onion and feta. They are usually in the window but you can buy them warm from the pie-warmer or if you arrive at the right time – late morning – they are warm from the oven.

This scone is my weakness. Every few weeks I begin to crave one and I need to have my fix.

The Special Cake Shop is a friendly place with family members working there. They are always helpful, pleasant and quick. Many of the customers are regulars and appear to be friends. It would be easy to fit into this companionable vibe. They also serve pies, sausage rolls, filled rolls and gourmet sandwiches.

Where:-
Special Cakes, 207 Chapel Street, Prahran Phone 9510 7689

Opening hours:-
Open every day from 7.00am to 6.00pm

Getting there:
Tram No 78 runs along Chapel Street to Richmond. Tram 6 to Glen Iris leaves from the CBD, get off at the corner of High Street and Chapel Street and walk North.

Trains the Sandringham Line to either Prahran Station or Windsor Station

Prahran Market –the food lovers market in South Yarra

Melbourne — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 23:16:25 +0000

The Prahran Market is a foodies market. It is all about food, preparing it, cooking it and eating it. If that sounds like you The Prahran Market is the place to explore. Take your recipes and search out those unusual ingredients.

I think it is best on Saturday. The produce seems to be fresher as if it was whisked from the soil or picked from the tree that very morning. It is also the day when the market is flooded with locals doing their weekly shopping – a great ambiance that is unique to this market.

Shopping before the Saturday crowds.

It’s good to be there early on Saturday and miss some of the crowd but on the other hand from about 10.30 onwards the place is full of free nibbles – you can lunch your way around the stalls eating a bit here and there. If you watch the shoppers you can see them sampling and snacking as they weave from stall to stall.

This is a produce market. There is a hardware stall but it is about food: fruit and veg, meat fish and poultry, delicatessens, coffee, flowers and a very popular organic stall (Ripe the Organic Grocer), selling everything including wine and cakes made with organic ingredients. It is not a market for clothes and bric-a-brac.

A good place to start is Cleo’s. It has an entrance off Commercial Road and a window full of bread. You can wander through the delicatessen and straight into the market.

From Cleo’s I head to stall 108, MJ Mow Gourmet Potatoes. Every variety of potato is available including the increasingly popular kipfler and one I had never heard of before, Purple Congo. This is good to mash and because of its colour good to use as a decoration. There is a flier available that lists 17 varieties of potatoes and their different uses. It is fun to experiment and I do but I love my old favourite the King Edward.

Stall 116 is Damian Pike the Wild Mushroom Specialist. Wild mushrooms are those that come up in a field after rain and have the best taste ever. There not always available – it doesn’t always rain. The stall is interesting not only because of the selection of mushrooms but for unusual seasonal items like flat peaches from China which they say they stock. I have never seen them but I believe they exist!

You can grab good coffee or dine on something more substantial in the Market Square which is partly covered and has a play ground for the kids.

Coffee in the Market Square.

Information:-

Damian Pike Wild Mushroom specialist Phone 0411 438 465

MJ Mow Gourmet Potatoes Phone 0417 382 354

Market Web site

Address:-

163 Commercial Road, South Yarra

Opening Hours:-
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday – dawn to 5pm
Friday Dawn to 6pm
Sunday 10am to 3.00pm

Closed:-

Monday and Wednesday

Getting there:-

Tram:- 72 and get off at Stop 30

Train:- Take the Sandringham Line to Prahran Station and walk to Commercial Road. It’s about 2 minutes walk

Mart Cafe – Tram route 96 Stop 130 Middle Park

Melbourne — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 10:13:08 +0000

One of my favourite places to breakfast in Melbourne is the Mart Cafe at Middle Park – Middle Park tram stop for tram 96 to St Kilda.

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