HOT: The Social Studio, 128 Smith St, Collingwood

Fitzroy/Collingwood seems to be the hotbed of social enterprise businesses in Melbourne (see my review of restaurant Charcoal Lane), and in late 2009 another one opened around the corner from me – The Social Studio.
The Social Studio is a non-profit fashion studio space staffed by approximately 20 young members of Melbourne’s refugee community and overseen [...]

HOT: Grace Darling Hotel, 114 Smith St, Collingwood‎

There was a time when the grungy Grace Darling was the kind of pub which you’d cross the road to avoid. Now the pretty brick and stone building has been given a good clean-up and on a sunny day you’ll find the pub full of youngsters spilling out on the pavement tables and filling up [...]

HOT: Trippy Taco, 48 Smith St, Collingwood

You want HOT? You got HOT!
At hippy Trippy Taco, you can get XXX HOT. Just pour some of the XXXtra HOT chilli sauce that’s provided at each table on top of your quesadilla, taco, taquito, burrito or nachos. It delivers nose-sniffling, mouth-numbing heat and is the perfect antidote for the drooping summer swelter.

Trippy Taco is [...]

HOT: Cibi, 45 Keele St, Collingwood

I have two friends who are a couple. J is Asian and would like nothing better than a bowl of rice or noodles for breakfast. B is Anglo and in the morning the most substantial thing he can deal with  is eggs and toast.
I think I’ve just found the perfect place for them to have [...]

HOT: 84 Smith Street, 84 Smith St, Collingwood

I love to catch up on my window-shopping at 84 Smith Street. This vintage collectables and furniture shop has a constant rotation of eye-catching items in its storefront, from a plastic drinks-serving robot to mid-century Danish dining chairs to old-fashioned metal filing cabinets. Wendy Dracoulis and her husband only sell pieces that they like and [...]

NOT: Cavallero, 300 Smith St, Collingwood

As regular readers will know, I’m a going-out-for-breakfast skeptic. I toast my own granola, soak my own bircher, bake my own bread and flip some pretty awesome pancakes (the trick is to separate the eggs). I get the weekend papers delivered to my doorstep and I have a large sunny balcony in which to read [...]

NOT: Authentic Thai Taste, 92-94 Johnston St, Collingwood

Authentic Thai Taste is renowned for being one of the best Thai restaurants in Melbourne – the full house of Thai people on a weeknight is evidence of that. So where did we go wrong?
We’ve had two attempts at weekday takeway from Authentic Thai Taste now and neither of the experiences have really encouraged me [...]

HOT: Wabi Sabi Salon, 94 Smith St, Collingwood

What happens when you gather two bloggers together on a blind friend date? You get three cameras, two iphones and lots of chat about writing, coding and stats.
But this post isn’t about the first meeting of Miss Kish and Jetsetting Joyce – it’s about the fantastical world of Wabi Sabi Salon. ‘Wabi Sabi‘ is the [...]

HOT Alert: Week of 9 November 2009

Jetsetting Joyce’s diary for this week.
Mon – blank
Tuesday – blank
Wednesday – blank
Thursday – blank
Friday – blank
Of course not! This week I’m searching for Beethoven, time travelling with Eric Bana, discussing acoustic folk pop with Anita George, going on a blind date with my new blog crush Miss Kish, listening to some stimulating and interesting talks [...]

HOT: Proud Mary, Cnr Stanley and Oxford Sts, Collingwood

Lena: Do you really not drink coffee?????
Jetsetting Joyce: Um, that’s right. I’m not a true Melburnian. Can you and James please come to Proud Mary with me? It’s reputed to have the best coffee in Melbourne and I’d really appreciate your expert coffee-drinking opinion.
James: Sure. I have been coffeeing a bit at Brother Baba Budan and [...]