2009 July | MEL: HOT OR NOT

HOT: Mediterranean Wholesalers, 482 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

July 13, 2009 ⋅ 6 comments

I think the best way to navigate Mediterranean Wholesalers is to bring your own Italian nonna. Really, they should offer a No-Nonsense Nonna rental service along with the shopping trolleys. Since no such service exists, I was left to face the fomidable rows of dried pasta shapes on my own. The supermarket also sells pallets [...]

HOT: A1 Bakery, 645 Sydney Rd, Brunswick

July 13, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

I remember my first visit to A1 Bakery and being astounded by the cheap prices for the freshly baked lebanese pizzas. Well, amost 5 years on and it’s still dirt cheap, mostly hovering around the $3 mark. My zaatar pizza ($1.50!) consisted of a soft pillowy base, the complete opposite of a crispy Italian crust, [...]

HOT: Hausfrau Bakery and Cakes, 32A Ballarat St, Yarraville

July 12, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Hausfrau is a cute bakery cafe styled with kitsch 50s-style laminate, enamel jugs and crockery of bright blooms which serves an array of savoury and sweet treats as well as selling loaves of bread. Its warm cosiness was very popular when we popped in for a movie post-mortem so we had to wait a while [...]

HOT: Coco Avant Chanel, Sun Theatre, 8 Ballarat St, Yarraville

July 12, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Gabrielle Chanel wasn’t just a seamstress who made pretty clothes. She deserves respect for being a canny and ambitious businesswoman who freed generations from corsets, crinolines and big patisserie hats. By doing so, she also helped bring forth the kind of feminist thinking that was ahead of her time. Coco Avant Chanel covers the beginning [...]

HOT: Alice in Wonderland, Cafe Vue, Little Collins St, Melbourne

July 10, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

As I mentioned before, my birthday treat from my parents was dinner and drinks at Cafe Vue. It wasn’t as busy on Friday night as I was expecting, so we had our pick of the outdoor tables (with overhead heaters). For the next three hours, we tripped through Alice in Wonderland with drinks in hand, [...]

HOT: Gertrude Street Projection Festival, Gertrude St, Fitzroy

July 9, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Like High Street Northcote, Gertrude Street is a creative hub which runs an arts festival in partnership with residents of the street. The annual Gertrude St Projection Festival exhibits projection art onto shops, restaurants and pubs and this year artists had to interpret the theme of ‘dream’. On a wintery Thursday night some of my [...]

HOT: Stephanie Alexander, NGV Australia, Federation Square, Melb

July 9, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

I come from a family where food is what binds us together. We reminisce about food we’ve eaten, anticipate the food we’re going to eat, compare cooking methods, discuss Masterchef and take family outings to farmers markets. I think I’m very fortunate that my upbringing has taught me how food gets to my table, the [...]

HOT: J Cafe Restaurant, 167 Exhibition St, Melbourne

July 9, 2009 ⋅ One comment

The Japanese are reknowned for their quirky mash-ups of Eastern and Western culture, from costume-play to J-pop. So it’s no surprise that someone thought “Hey, I like burgers, I like sushi – I know! A sushi burger!” This bizarre sounding ensemble consists of two sushi rice patties, special sauce, lettuce, no cheese or pickled onion, [...]

NOT: Gigibaba, 102 Smith St, Collingwood

July 9, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Today I welcome my first ever guest blogger, Tranzie. The binary rating system is catching on! Here’s her potentially controversial NOT for Gigibaba: hey, we tried gigibaba last night and the food was so delicious, the atmosphere was great and they had a great wine list (where you could buy your wine in odd portions, [...]

HOT: Vinnies Centre, 121 Johnston St, Collingwood

July 8, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Yesterday a thought popped into my head that I should buy a baking dish. Today I spotted the perfect dish in the window of my local Vinnies Centre. It was meant to be – a $2 white Corningware dish! My charitable contribution to St Vincent de Paul Society also extended to: one clip-lock plastic container [...]