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.

Mamasita, Collins St Melbourne

Hola amigos, who isn't always in the mood for Mexican. I mean, what could be better than downing some tequila and tacos. Have a second to think about it. I thought so, pretty hard to come up with anything better isn't it? Yes I know there is more to Mexican than tequila and tacos, however we have a soft spot for that special twosome. So one evening as we meandered about the streets of Melbourne during our last interstate visit we thought it was a good idea to have a bit of a snack revolving around that trouble twosome and ventured to one of the best Mexican spots in town, Mamasitas!

Up at the very top of Collins St it wasn't hard to miss Mamasitas despite its unassuming entrance, there was a line of people pouring out the door. We put our names down and waited in line as we were told the wait was roughly an hour. It was pretty early in the evening but it seemed bustling with activity as the noise filtered down the stairs. People were popping  in and out of the line but we persevered as the allure of Mexican food was too hard to say no to.
So upon surviving the line we made it upstairs where we could see why the wait was so long, it was packed out.  Our friendly waiter seated us by a window bench and gave us the menus to look at at and of course we said yes to the question it asked. Un Tequilla..Duh.?

Totopos - Tortilla chips with guacamole & salsa $8

To kick off proceedings we got stuck into the tortilla chips with the salsa and guacamole. So so good. The salsa had a nice spicy kick and the guacamole was incredibly smooth. Of course I couldn't resist napalming the salsa with some green and red habanero sauce, I can still feel that burn but so worth it. 

Having made plans to go out late in the evening we weren't really after a massive meal but we couldn't help ourselves so we ordered the filete de Cerdo Con Tamarindo $25. Pork fillet, tamarind chipotle glaze, braised cabbage, cranberries & apple pico de gallo. Really loved everything about this dish. It was presented on a slim wooden board and tasted as good as it looked. The pork was tender and the tamarind chipotle glaze was so tasty. The different combination of textures really worked well and just made us want to have more and more. No mucking around with bells and whistles, just plain and simple good food. 

What visit to a Mexican restaurant would be complete without tacos? None. So of course we had to order some tacos as well. We picked three to share; de Pescado $6 - grilled fish, lime, achiote paste & red onion salsa; de Chorizo $5 - chorizo, cabbage, chipotle, coriander & onion; de Frijoles con Nopales $6 - baked black beans, catus pico de gallo & queso fresco.

The tacos were soft and packed with flavour. They really didn't last long, a blink and they were gone. The chorizo was a favourite and of course had to have a bit of extra kick added. The habanero sauce available may seem like a good idea at the time; lets just say I'll leave it at that.

Brother Baba Budan, Melbourne

Coffee. We all know it and we all love it. With so many different types and combinations everyone has a favourite. Everyone loves coffee just ask them. If they don't... shoot them, they are clearly zombies and have lost all cognitive ability.  Drinking coffee is one of the more pleasant life experiences one can partake in as we  did at Brother Baba Budan in the beautiful city of Melbourne, synonymous with all things good. Especially coffee. 

There is nothing better than having the time to sit back and enjoy a cup of freshly made hot coffee, maybe even a bit of a sweet pastry. I'm a firm believer that coffee time should never be rushed. With nothing but time on our hands whilst on holiday mode and meandering through  Melbourne town we thought that a visit to Brother Baba Budan was warranted to get off to a good start to the day. Having been told that it was the place to have the best coffee in Melbourne we thought that it would be a crime not to visit. Didn't really need to twist my arm really but it had a cool name. 

Located in what can be described as adventure wear alley (because of the large amount of mountain climbing/trekking clothing stores around), Brother Baba Budan is quietly tucked away next to a lane way with walls covered in awesome graffiti. Blink and you will miss it. A small and cosy space with jars of cookies on display and where chairs adorn the ceiling. Pretty cool is what I say. Being a work day we were able to get a space and order our coffee staple, the piccolo latte. I owe this coffee selection to a close friend of mine who introduced me to it back in the days of university and have been drinking it since. Small enough to be served nice and hot and with enough milk to still deliver that caffeine punch. One of the favourites to drink when wanting to take in the surroundings. No cappuccinos here at the Empty Fridge, take your chocolate milk elsewhere. 

Brother Baba Budan is the sister cafe to Seven Seeds and is the name of the monk who smuggled the said 'Seven Seeds' to bring coffee to the world. Luckily he did because i'm sure the majority of the world would barely be able to function without. The coffee we had admittedly was very very good, one of my all time favourites. I don't profess to be a coffee snob but it was hard to find any fault. Not overly bitter, strong and flavoursome and made by a barista that clearly knows how to make coffee. With the team behind Seven Seeds running a cafe, roasting, research and tasting centre it's no surprise that the coffee at Brother Baba Budan is so good. 

Fog Bar and Restaurant - Prahran, Melbourne

Its never a relaxing holiday with us Empty Fridgers. My poor other half - he knows that there is no sleeping in, no lazing by the pool and no romance as such. Demos and I have travelled together on mini breaks but we have NEVER had a romantic holiday getaway by the beach. Although we blame the lack of a beach body, the palm trees we usually chase are those that line Rodeo Drive. Which is why we are off to Melbourne for this Easter weekend. One short plane ride away and your at the beck and call of wonderful rooftop bars, wonderful basement bars, late night wine bars and umm.. wineries. Im not going to lie, its a fun place for your favorite boozehounds, well that and there's plenty of dining gems to discover to.

Now a while ago, I had to fly to Melbourne on a day trip to work. I came up with strategies - yes, strategies. Im a strategic planner - when it comes to food of course, and most of my trips away do involve a high level of obsession as to where to eat. Needless to say, my flight got delayed (Of course I booked the earliest flight to fit in two breakfasts..) and when I left to go to lunch - i had walked all the way down Chapel St only to find that I left my wallet in the office. 

Thank God for interstate friends who rescue sleep deprived disheartened eaters. We get to Fog and immediately I knew that this was exacly the place I wanted to be. Distincly cool interiors, a hip and not so corporate crowd (okay, it was a school night) and a beautiful bar.

Vino's and Veuve - oh my!

Fog has a very large dining area as well as an outdoor section, which I was told, get filled to the brim on weekends. Its such a lovely space, roomy and well laid out. To orientate us Sydneysiders, its just off the Prahan side of Chapel Street, on the very uber cool Greville Street. This place is super sleek, shiny black laquered columns - very sexy.. but now what about the food?

We started with the Spicy fried calamari with hot sauce, fire roasted peppers, chorizo and garlic aoli ($22). I was a bit apprehensive when I saw hot sauce, but im currently trying to build my tolerance from spicy foods. Some people exercise, I tame my tastebuds. My strategy was to dunk it in the tangy garlic aoli to cut the fire, but suprisingly I was able to tolerate it. The calamari was cooked perfectly, not ruberry and dusted with a light spicy coating. The serve was also generous enough to start off two hungry diners. 10 points for Fog.

Bella Vedere, Yarra Valley, Victoria

There is a saying that "The Apple does not fall far from the tree" and such is the case with myself and my lovely parents, Mr and Mrs Fridgemagnet. Like Demos and I, they love to travel and search for memorable meals. Here is Mrs Fridgemagnet's third guest post - Viva Victoria (Part Three) 

-Shoya Japanese Restaurant (Part One)

-Movida Bar de Tapas y Vino (Part Two)

Bella Vedere

We had been touring the wineries around Yarra Valley all morning when we stopped by Badger's Brook Estate to sample their produce. Beside the cellar door  was Bella Verdere Cucina, a restaurant and cooking school.

Walking past the narrow corridor, we were greeted with a tempting array of cakes, cheeses and bread. The bread is baked on the premises and all the vegetables and herbs are grown at the back of the restaurant.

The dining area was sunny and painted in avocado to complement the greenery that surrounded the restaurant. We had no reservations but were graciously accommodated. Our very cheerful Italian waiter greeted us with a large paper menu and explained the Sunday specials. I espied at the end of the menu that this restaurant was recently awarded a coveted hat by the Age Good Food Guide, so I knew it was going to be a memorable lunch.

The special of the day was The Latin Duck which sounded so intriguing, I just had to order this as my main. This dish and the Sunday menu was inspired by the Chef Gary Cooper's stint at  Marchetti's Latin in Melbourne. It was a deboned, halved duck served in sour cherry sauce with champagne braised cabbage.

Mr Fridgemagnet needed his meat and proceeded to order the Cotoletta di Vitello al Porcini (Veal cutlet with porcini mushroom sauce). We skipped the side veggies and opted for the artery-clogging Duck Fat Fried Chips topped with Egg.

  Our meals came in large serving platters --- hearty and unpretentious. Savouring my last piece of duck, I thought to myself what a great ending to unplanned diversion!

Part of Mrs Fridgemagnets guest posts on Viva Victoria!

-Shoya Japanese Restaurant, Melbourne(Part One)

-Movida Bar de Tapas y Vino, Melbourne (Part Two)

-Bella Vedere, Yarra Valley (Part Three)

Bella Veredere Cucina

874 Maroondah Hwy, Coldstream, VIC 3770

03 5962 4130