under $20

Portabello Bride Boutique Wedding Market giveaway

March 21, 2011 ⋅ 11 comments

Happy Monday! What did you get up to on the weekend? My weekend was full of weddings. On Sunday it was my one year wedding anniversary and RM and I had our first baby-free evening out, although we still had dinner at the parent-friendly hour of 6:30pm. Thank you Kat’s Cakes for our unexpectedly large one year [...]

HOT: Le Cellier, Shop 2, 231 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

March 1, 2011 ⋅ 4 comments

The Age recently ran a story about the rise of the gourmet sandwich and one of the places which was omitted from the article was Le Cellier. This cosy nook is an outpost of the slice-of-Paris restaurant next door, Madame Sousou. It shares the same provincial French outlook – cane chairs, gleaming copper features and Edith Piaf [...]

HOT: The Estelle Bar & Kitchen, 243 High St, Northcote

February 16, 2011 ⋅ 5 comments

Some people have strange hobbies. And I came across a particularly strange hobby when I visited The Estelle and discovered that one of the owner’s family friends knits smallgoods. As in, create objects d’art like sausages and a leg of lamb from knitting needles and wool! The Estelle is a quirky bar/cafe in the vintage shop-baby [...]

HOT: Fitzroy Curry House, 240 Johnston St, Fitzroy

February 15, 2011 ⋅ 3 comments

Righto. This baby is now past its due date. I’ve started read articles with titles like ‘natural ways to bring on labour‘ and one of the suggestions that seems to crop up is to eat curry. I can do that! I have Fitzroy Curry House close by and the last thing I feel like doing [...]

NOT: Misuzu’s, 7 Victoria Ave, Albert Park

February 8, 2011 ⋅ 8 comments

I wanted to like Misuzu’s, I really did. Out of all the cafes and restaurants in the Victoria Avenue strip, I thought that Misuzu’s sizeable crowd of alfresco diners signalled that the kitchen must be producing something good. Also, the restaurant was rated second on Urbanspoon for the best Albert Park restaurants. On entering, I [...]

HOT: Hausfrau, 123 Bridport St, Albert Park

February 3, 2011 ⋅ Post a comment

Albert Park is surely the ultimate suburb to find glossy blonde ladies-who-lunch, so what better place to set up a cafe called Hausfrau? Hausfrau Albert Park is the sister cafe to the original Hausfrau in Yarraville and it opened two weeks ago. The cafes look similar with their quaint tea salon decor, except that the [...]

HOT: Noisette, 84 Bay St, Port Melbourne

February 2, 2011 ⋅ One comment

Noisette is reknowned for its French-style cakes and pastries and no doubt you would have eaten its products at many of Melbourne’s restaurants and cafes (such as Coin Laundry and Hausfrau). Their cafe and retail store is located in villagey Bay Street and attracts a steady clientele of pastry fanciers and coffee drinkers. By the [...]

HOT: Jock’s Ice Cream and Sorbet, 83 Victoria Ave, Albert Park

January 31, 2011 ⋅ 4 comments

Given the far-reaching reputation of Jock’s Ice Cream and Sorbet, I was surprised to discover that it occupied such a small space on Victoria Avenue. But the unassuming storefront belies the high quality icecream made daily (by Jock!) offered inside. Anyway, there’s no way you can miss the store, as the heat of summer brings [...]

HOT: Mixed Business, 486 Queens Pde, Clifton Hill

January 27, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

After what seemed like endless weeks of packing, I’ve finally moved into a new house. As we boxed up our worldly goods, I cursed RM’s penchant for book-buying and RM banned me from buying any more kitchen gadgets. So even though I spotted a waffle maker for $20 recently, I resisted temptation. Which is a [...]

HOT: Babycino’s Garden Cafe, Northampton Place, South Yarra

January 18, 2011 ⋅ 2 comments

While I don’t yet have kids, there is a baby boom happening with my friends and acquaintances such that I increasingly have to consider whether or not a venue is kid-friendly when I suggest meeting up. If you’re in a similar situation, then I highly recommend Babycino’s. Nestled in the back streets of South Yarra [...]