Melbourne Places » Melbourne CBD

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.

Australian Made: 100 years of Fashion at the Ian Potter Centre, Federation Square

Melbourne — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 23:02:09 +0000

This is an exhibition of frocks from 1855 to 1960. It is interesting to see how design and fashion has changed over those 100 years. Especially when you think it reflects enormous social and lifestyle changes for women.

Day dress 1865-1870 sold in Geelong

The exhibition focused on where the dress was made and sold – that is what department store retailed it.
What I missed was how they were made especially those from the 1850s. Very elaborate garments with tucks, ribbons, bows, flounces, puffs etc. Who cut the patterns and what sort of sewing machine sewed with such intricacy? How much was done by hand?

Handmade dress 1850s

We know that one garment was made completely by hand. When you look at the frock and think about that, it is awe inspiring to consider the skill and time needed. You would also need good eye sight – although I’m sure people wore glass in the 1850s.

We know that in the 1950s dressmakers used tissue paper patterns – they can still be seen in op shops and at markets but how did they cut the design in 1850s – the same way?

The bodice of a wedding dress 1907

It is interesting to note that the 1950s fashion was more restrictive and formal that that of the 1920s. The 1920s garments are free and fun whereas the 1950s are designed to a ‘female figure’ with emphasis on the waist and full skirts with stiff petticoats.

1950’s day dress with stiffened petticoat

A disturbing item in the exhibition is the cape made of platypus fur. I worked it out that several of those charming beings gave up their life to make this cape.

Cape of platypus fur 1890

There is also a glass cabinet of accessories with descriptions of each one.

Perhaps the success of an exhibition is that when you leave you want to know more – your interest has been roused. I want to know more about the early frocks and how they were designed and how they were made. I want to know what the very early sewing machines looked like and easy they were to use.

What:-Australian Made 100 Years of Fashion.

Where:- The Ian Potter Centre: NGV, Federation Square

Opening Hours:- 10.00am to 5.00pm daily, until 23 Jan 2011

Admission:- Free

Sticky Institute for zines, creativity and the rumble of trains

Melbourne — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 22:21:35 +0000

The Sticky Institute was a great Melbourne Place to find. I came across it one day when I was hurrying through the underpass from Degraves Street to Flinders Street Station. I ducked into the subway under Flinders Street to speed up the journey and came face to face with the sign. I pulled up short, stared and trotted in and was so absorbed I missed my train.

I hadn’t heard of a zine before. It is pronounced ‘zeen’ and is a small, self published magazine with a small circulation and is usually reproduced by photocopier.

You can make your zine at the Sticky Institute. I haven’t made a zine yet but I enjoy browsing though the dozens on display and always buy one or two. For a couple of dollars, and that is all they are, you can share someone thoughts and get a peep into their world. The zines come in all shapes and sizes and they are a personal publication straight from the author’s mouth as it were – there is no editorial input. The ideas, the style of presentation, the layout and illustrations are the authors. Zines give complete freedom of expression and allow anyone to express themselves.

This is called ‘Mixed up Files of an Unusual Teenager’s Brain’ and made at the Sticky Institute. It comes with a badge which was also made at the Institute.

This is an American zine ‘Love Letters to Monsters #2′ and sold here in Melbourne.

Zines can be any size or shape you like. This is locally made zine is called ‘ The Day of the School Bag.’

Anyone can use the The Sticky Institute’s shop/workshop to make their zine or badge. You can also spend as long as you like browsing and reading and when you feel the creative urge talk to the staff. They are mostly volunteers and of course love the world of zines.

The most you pay for a zine is $5.00 but many are just $1 or $2.

The Sticky institute is alive with creative energy and music. This is often intensified by the rumble of a passing train, just to let you know you are underground.

The shop/work space has been around since 2001 so it definitely works as a creative space . On the shelves you can find zines from all around Australia and the world.

Getting there:-
Shop 10 Campbell Arcade
Degraves Street
Melbourne Phone 9654 9559

If you are getting off the train use the center stairs and find the exit to Flinders Street.

If you are on Flinders Street duck down the subway, opposite the side entrance to the Flinders Street station, at the end of Degraves Lane – there are two entrances.

Opening Hours:-
Monday to Friday
12.00 (noon) to 6.00pm
Saturday 12.00(noon) to 5.00pm
Sunday closed
CAMPBELL ARCADE IS CLOSED ON SUNDAY.

Find out more about the Sticky Institute from their web site here

Rupert Bunny Exhibition – The Ian Potter Centre – Federation Square – CBD

Melbourne — Thu, 13 May 2010 09:24:25 +0000

Rupert Bunny is an Australian Artist who having been born here in Melbourne left for the cosmopolitan world of London and Paris. You can imagine how different life in Europe was at the beginning of the 20th century to life in Melbourne or any Australian city. His paintings depict it.

Rupert had grown up in an affluent household and learned to speak French and German fluently. He became much better known in Paris for his art than in the country of his childhood. He made a good living in France.

The exhibition at the Ian Potter Gallery at Federation Square is a very comprehensive look at his work, covering the different styles that evolved over the years

Rupert Bunny has become a news item over the last few weeks. His exhibition opened at the Ian Potter Centre in Federation Square and a painting of Rupert Bunny’s that was stolen 19 years ago was found in a house in East Malvern and was seized by the police during an early morning raid. The painting is called Girl in Sunlight and it belongs to my favourite era of his paintings – the Belle Epoque - meaning beautiful era

He excelled at painting beautiful women in beautiful frothy clothes showing a graceful and languid life style with a background of colour, texture, light and warmth from the Belle Epoque period.

These are the paintings I enjoyed. These are the paintings I bought post cards of. The NVG shop on the ground floor has a French inspired display in their window and you can buy a rose or poppy parasol/umbrella.

Those of us with a touch of the Francophile in us can’t resist.

A bag decorated with poppies is just another beautiful reminder of that time and place in history.

Here is an example of a completely different style that he painted. It reminds me of some of the Indian miniatures I have seen.

Rupert Bunny Exhibition:-
The Ian Potter Centre
Federation Square
CBD Melbourne

Opening Times:-
10.00am to 5.00pm Daily
The Exhibition lasts until July 4th

Admission:-
Adult $15.00
Concession $12.00
Child (ages 5-15) $7.50
Family $42.00
NGV Member $7.50
NGV Family $21

Eating Korean at Dae Jang Geum Korean BBQ – Korean Food, Melbourne’s CBD

Melbourne — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 22:12:11 +0000

Recently, I scrolled through some of the blogs I follow and read a review of the Dae Jang Geum Korean BBQ. We decided to try the restaurant.
When I mentioned at work that I would be lunching at a Korean Restaurant everyone said,

“What’s Korean food like?”

It is a good question. We know so much about other Asian cuisines but what do we know of Korean? We eat regularly Thai, Chinese, Indian and Japanese. We grab them as take-aways, we read about them on the food pages of magazines and newspapers. But Korean food? When did you last discuss Korean food with a mate?

The Dae Jang Geum Korean Barbecue restaurant is a great place to get acquainted with the cuisine.

Dae Jang Geum Korean BBQ is upstairs in Little Bourke Street, just around the corner from Swanston Street. You can’t miss it. There are large garish pictures of some of the dishes severed on either side of the wide entrance stair case.

As we know so little about Korean food I think this is a good idea. It shows us what we can expect to eat before we climb the stairs. The menu also has a picture of each dish. I found all these pictures helpful.

I have been to Korea and I had a couple of dishes in my mind that I remembered I liked and haven’t eaten since. I also remember the blistering heat of ‘kimchi’ that was added to everything, including soups.

Upstairs

The room is large and feels like any Asian cafe that is about the food and conversation not the decor. One feature wall is interesting. It is covered in Korean writing. When you look at it closely you can see how it differs from Chinese or Japanese. We wondered what it was saying. Dae Jang Geum over and over again??

We ordered a glass of white wine to sip while we made food decisions. White wine is the only wine by the glass and it is what it says, white wine. For $4.00 you get a full glass of drinkable dry white. I have photographed it because I wanted to prove the value!

The tables are set up for a tradition Korean BBQ, with a gas ring in the centre.

We ordered a plate of dumplings to share

They came with mild flavoured dipping sauce and the spring onions that gave them a fresh taste. We enjoyed them.

The seafood noodle soup with a couple of side dishes was very good. It was large and had plenty of seafood.

I ordered a seafood pancake. I remember eating these rather starchy pancakes when I was in Korea. They were often pleasant and mild without too much heat in the mixture. This one came with two side dishes neither very hot but added to the overall flavour.

Side dishes are part of the Korean cuisine and each order came with its own side dishes.

We plan to return for an evening meal and to have the traditional barbecue. We want the fun of our own gas ring and the chance to cook our own food Another dish we want to try is a soup that is served in a stone bowl with a raw egg on top that you mix in and it sort of cooks with the hot soup.

I am puzzled about the lack of chilli in the food. No one discussed heat with us. We were the only westerners in the restaurant that lunch time and I wondered if the cooks made a decision on our behalf and cut the heat or have we struck a regional fare of Korea that is not hot?

Another question that was asked at my office is why Korean food hasn’t taken off like other Asian foods? I have no answer to that question. Perhaps you have.

Where:-
Dae Jang Geum Korean BBQ,
Level 1, 235 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD
Phone 9662 9445

Opening Hours:-
Open 7 days a week
Sunday to Thursday – 11.30am to 10.00pm
Friday and Saturday 11.30am to 11.00pm

Getting there:
Any tram that goes along Swanston Street and get off at Bourke Street. It’s about 20 metres along Little Bourke Street towards Russell Street.

Guifoyle’s Volcano overlooks Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens

Melbourne — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 04:09:09 +0000

Guilfoyles Volcano sits on top of the highest corner of the Royal Botanic Gardens and from here you can look over the rest of the gardens and to Melbourne’s CBD.

For years this strange wonder was hidden under an uncared for wilderness.
It was built in 1876 by William Guilfolye, who is quoted as saying, “ Combine the useful with the ornamental.” Originally it was a reservoirs and Guilfoyle’s folly. The restoration has made it into a reservoir again – combining the ornamental with the useful.

It has been restored with a path winding to the crater lake and a water resistant garden of cacti and succulents. The plantings are startling and it gives a weird effect of a planted moonscape.

The red areas represent the lava flows – they are planted too.

I found the cacti fascinating and felt impressed with the production of so many perfectly round bright green cacti that look almost as if they were on the move. They are called Golden Barrel Cacti ( Echinocactus grusonii)

The recent hail has damaged some of the succulents and the pole cacti. Some of the pole cacti are now staked and one is preparing to produce a couple of large flowers.

Numbers can be interesting and daunting for example; approximately 17,000 plants of 250 different species have been planted, of those species 97 are native to Australia. There must be hundreds of these round cacti and I managed to let go of my urge to count them.

The lake in the crater is full. The idea of looking into a crater lake creates an expectation of seeing steam rising or a few bubbles coming to the surface. It is a slight let down when nothing of the sort happens. Instead there are floating islands. These are to improve the water quality and in time this water will be used to help irrigate other areas the gardens.

The garden is new as are the floating islands and it will be interesting to see how the area looks when everything has become established. If all these pole cacti flower it will be a startling and beautiful sight.

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 Guifoyle’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

Mary and Max Exhibition – see their miniature world FREE at ACMI Federation Square.

Melbourne — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:18:32 +0000

Mary and Max! Did you see the movie ‘Mary and Max’? It is an animation classic that tells the story of two unlikely pen pals. Mary from Mt Waverley Melbourne is 8 when she writes her first letter to Max. He is a chubby 48 year old Jewish man with Asperger’s Syndrome living in fast paced New York. It is a story about friendship.

Mary

Max

The letters cover 20 years of their lives and as the film progresses you become part of their lives. If you have seen the film the miniature world you step into at the Mary and Max Exhibition at Melbourne’s Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) is full of friends.

You don’t have to have seen Mary and Max to find the exhibition fascinating. It gives an intriguing insight into how such animation movies are made. If you have ever wondered what happens behind the camera this is the place to find out.

Mary at home.

Max at home
You walk into a darkened gallery – a little disconcerting until you realise that this lack of light enables you to see the audio visuals. These bring you up-to-date with the story and show all the behind the scene activities that went into making the film. There are interviews with the crew who describe their part in the process and take you step by step through their jobs.

The process is painstaking and exact. The models and all the props like the old typewriter are perfect.

Max typing his letters to Mary

There are the letters that Mary wrote by hand to Max, the toilet in Max’s home that has the old chain-pull. I could go on and on. It is intriguing and it held me entranced for a long time. With this new insight and knowledge of how it was all put together I plan to see the film again. It is out on CD and available at all Video Stores.

Mary’s pet rooster Ethel.

Information:-

Mary & Max: The Exhibition Runs until 6th June 2010 at the ACMI Gallery 2 Federation Square.

Getting there: Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne. Follow the signs to the ACMI. There are usually volunteers just inside the door to direct you.

In the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne there is a place to pay homage to the wind.

Melbourne — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:42:12 +0000

A summer’s day and the heat is up. You pant a bit then fan yourself with your hand, a light wind wafts around. It is refreshing and with it comes an instant love of this movement of air. It is easy to worship the wind on such a day.

In the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne there is The Temple of the Winds. It is an ideal place to give thanks for that wind.

Temple of the Winds

The temple was built in 1901 and sits on a hill overlooking The Yarra River.

This is an elegant structure. It is built in grey masonry, is circular and has 10 columns to support it.

Its symmetry is beautiful.

Temple of the Winds

At this time of the year the trees along The Yarra and Alexandra Avenue block some of the view. Iin the winter when the leaves have gone you can see The Yarra, across to Richmond and beyond.

The steps around the base are an ideal place to sit, take in the view, meditate, think on the winds, relax, contemplate life and on a hot day ask for a cool breeze.

Getting there:-

The Temple of the Winds is at the Alexandra Avenue side of the gardens. Enter through Gate A on the corner of Anderson Street and Alexandra Avenue and follow the path that runs parallel with Alexandra Avenue until you come to some wide steps. Climb them. The Temple to the Winds is at the top.

Steps to the temple

There is three hour free parking along Anderson Street.

If you approach from the St Kilda side of the Botanical Gardens you need to find your way to the other side of the lake. Then follow the signs

Opening Hours:- 7.30am to sunset every day of the year.

More information on the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne can be found here

Ron Mueck’s Sculptures at the NGV – a confronting and haunting experience.

Melbourne — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:18:53 +0000

Be startled, amazed, awed, moved or just plain gob-smacked. This is an extra-ordinary exhibition. Viewing twelve pieces of Ron Mueck’s work at one time leaves a lasting impact.

The pieces are either over sized or under sized. For example there is the ‘Old Woman in Bed’.

A perfect representation of an old lady asleep – a tiny form curled up under a blanket. It is poignant and touching at the first glance. Then when you stand and look at it for longer it becomes quite heart breaking in all it says about ageing. This is my favourite piece in the exhibition.

Most of the sculptures in the exhibition are of naked figures but one of the few clothed is ‘ Two women’

Even the details of the clothes add to the overall effect. Take a look at the hem on the brown coat. The wrinkles and expressions on their faces draw you in. You want to hear what they are gossiping about.

You enter the exhibition and meet Dead Dad. A small naked figure of an old man with his eyes closed. An endearing look at death- it is peaceful. The first real shock is ‘ The Girl’, one of the super sized pieces; a baby girl immediately after birth complete with the umbilical cord and streaks of blood.

I read on the internet that Mueck was inspired to make her so large because he had recently had a new baby and the baby took on this huge presence in the house.

This information was not supplied by the NGV. No information in given on the background to the sculptures. The idea being, I imagine, that you take from each piece what you can or what you need to. Sometimes this lack of information doesn’t matter because the subject immediately speaks to us as with the old ladies. But I couldn’t get anything from a naked girl carrying a bundle of sticks.

I believe the curator would have greatly added to our appreciation by giving some background notes to each piece.

The information that is supplied is a list of materials used to make the sculpture, for example ‘Old Woman in Bed’ was made from resin, fibreglass, silicone, polyurethane, synthetic hair, cotton, polyester. These materials with slight variations were used for all of them.

The details on the sculptures are extraordinary – every pore, each hair, veins, blood, wrinkles – even to the wrinkles on the baby’s feet and the legs hairs on the ‘Wild Man’, everyone one of which appears to have been put in individually.

Go to the exhibition if you get a chance. It is fascinating but my suggestion is to read up on Ron Mueck and get some background on his work before you go.

After you have seen the exhibition the obvious question is how does he make them. This article by Brian Kennedy, who visited Mueck’s studio in London, describes the process.

Getting There:-

National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is at 180 St Kilda Road, just across the Yarra River from Federation Square

Open Times:-

The exhibition runs from 22nd January to 18th of April 2010 in Melbourne.

The gallery is open every day from 10.00am to 5.00pm except for Tuesday when it is CLOSED

Prices:-

Adult $15.00 Concession $12.00

It opens at the Queensland Art Gallery on 8th May to 8th August 2010

The Myer Christmas Window Video

Melbourne — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:59:26 +0000

I was looking up the Olivia helps with Christmas story and came across this video of the Myer Christmas window. If you can’t make it down this year here is the next best thing.

The Myer Christmas window video, staring the book Olivia helps with Christmas