Melbourne Patron

I went there for the breakfast, but ended up trying the lunch. Late last year, Mighty Boy Eatery (59-61 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy) was all the rage, having taken opened on a prime corner location on the ever-popular Gertrude Street. Usually keen on brunch, I was initially dubious at the idea of South-East Asian inspired breakfast food. But then my sister visited from interstate, and I like to take visitors to new and interesting places. So we checked out Mighty Boy for a late brunch one weekday. Unfortunately, after a sleep-in, we were *too* late! Breakfast was no longer being served by 12.30pm, so lunch was our only option. I had been eyeing off the haloumi sandwich, and there were no other cheesy options on the menu for lunch to satisfy my craving. Pulled lamb shoulder roti wrap The lunch options available were all Vietnamese/Thai style (noodles, salads, roti wraps and rice paper rolls) and, appealingly, very affordable - a stark contrast to next-door neighbours, ...

The Orchid Room at Red Spice Road QV I'm feeling less than wordy today, so rather than an extensive recap in words, here are a bunch of pweeetty pictures from a work lunch at Red Spice Road QV (37 Artemis Lane, Melbourne) quite a few months ago. We were well looked after and the South-East Asian-inspired (essentially Thai) food was fantastic, both visually and taste-wise. Snappy, clean and bright Looking up towards the main dining area Hangin' out Large group table overlooking Lonsdale Street. And some heavy dudes minding the windows. Word on the street is that RSRQV is currently under renovation, reopening on 9 February, 2015 (I hope they don't do too much to their pretty events space, The Orchid Room ). Meanwhile, the more traditional-looking  original Red Spice Road venue (27 McKillop Street, Melbourne) is still open for business. The Orchid Room at Red Spice Road QV. I'd like a pond in my dining room, too. Actually, I'd ju...

As I was moving out of the area, I made a few nostalgic brunch visits to one of my favourite cafes, Three Bags Full (60 Nicholson Street, Abbotsford). It was on one of these visits that I picked up a postcard advertising French dinners at the very same venue. Two of the cafe's chefs, Nicolas Toll é  and Fabien Laville (better known as Nico and Fab), are French expats who came up with the clever idea to use the cafe's space by night to stage dinners showcasing their talents as chefs with French-inspired dishes. Two handsome young French men cooking me food with the novelty of a setting I only knew by day? Sold! It turned out to be a girls' dinner on Thursday 11 December 2014. Four of us met at 8pm (sadly the only booking time left - we were quite starving on arrival! luckily there was bread) among the quiet hum of chatter and clinking glassware. There were no great changes in the cafe's layout, however the tables were laid with floral fabric placemats, ...