The Hardware Societe, Melbourne

Sleep-ins. They are not supposed to exist in the Empty Fridge holiday schedule. Not even when your flight arrives Melbourne at 10pm and your roam the streets until you find a wine bar than make friends with a bottle of red until 4 in the morning.Why are sleep-ins the enemy? Because in most cases they make you miss the breakfast menu.

I love sleep more than anything but when in a different city where there are streets to roam, I feel a bit guilty for not being out and about. This shits Demos to tears and this is the reason why we have never had a "relaxing" break. I try to fit in as many activities as humanly possible. 

After few late night cheeky drinks at our favorite Melby rooftop bar Siglo.. we stumbled back to our temporary hotel home and ready made bed. I already had my heart set for Breakfast at Hardware Societe.

And then the unthinkable happened. We didnt forget to deactivate our alarms. There were no noisy hotel neighbours. The curtains blocked out sunlight. The pillows were ridiculously comfortable. We slept in, and I missed my Hardware Societe breakfast menu. 

After a short stroll to Hardware Lane, we found that 11:59 am was close enough to midday so ordering some of their sweet homemade ciders were totally acceptable. A glass of pear and another glass of apple - these ciders were so refreshing. We were able to miss the early breakfast crowd and perch ourselves on the barstools by the busy kitchen.

As this was a weekday, Breakfast was on from 7:30 am to 11:30 and then its lunch all the way to 3pm. Now try and say no to an empanada on a chilly morning.

Sassy's Red, Westfield Sydney

Exhilarating. Now that is one way to describe a lunchbreak right?

When your venue of choice is the food court at Westfield Sydney it surely is an exhilarating experience. One would think that all the hoopla would have died down but day in and day out that level 5 food court is bustling and hustling away. Its a one stop food wonderland, what ever your craving or your state.

Amongst the Burgers, The Sushi, The Snags and even the Spit Roast above - Sassy's Red has been holding its own among CBD dwellers, fixing everyone with their delectable Malaysian offerings. Located in a back corner of the food court the vibrant red walls, neon signage and almost kitschy asian decoration is quite eye catching. Sassy's space is a treasure trove in itself with the walls lined with colourful bottles of sauces. It is a break from the standard marble and leather set combination within the food court.

Oh look, a door in the ceiling. Standard. Which is why Sassy's is such a quirky lunchtime escape on its own. Owner Simon Goh's (Of Chinta Ria fame) elegant but fun touches are all around.

My go to dish at Sassy's is Donny's Chicken Rice. Donny's identity is somewhat of a mystery but this chicken rice of his is a gift to the masses. Nothing quite comforting like a serve of this and lucky for us Sassy's dont skimp on portions. The fragrant ginger rice is generously topped with pieces of juicy chicken with a crisp skin and the ginger throughout the dish cures every lunchtime ailment.