Skip to main content

The European

I've only ever been to The European (161 Spring Street, Melbourne) for brunch, but apparently it also does quite a swanky dinner. It's a favourite of my family's for brunch when they come to visit me in Melbourne. I find it slightly austere, but classy. Its heritage and location (opposite Melbourne's Parliament House) pull it a notch above other places, and the food is on the traditional side, but wonderful.

Last weekend, one of my (originally) Sydney friends was visiting, and, being early January, not much was open. So we decided to class it up (opposite of 'slum it', anyone??) and head to The European for a late breakfast. We nabbed a table outside - far more pleasant than being inside on a beautiful summer's day, although the inside is attractive both aesthetically and temperature-wise in winter.

Our waitress was somewhat glum-looking, but polite and efficient. Coffees were delivered quickly, but the food was slow. It didn't matter a great deal as we were busy nattering, but normally I'd have been annoyed. When it did appear, it was simply delicious:

European breakfast 

Side of avocado - love the presentation

Eggs Atlantic (salmon)

It was also delicious. I remembered why my family loves it there.


Update: 22 January 2015

I recently returned to The European for brunch with my sister, and so have a couple of extra photos to add:








The European on Urbanspoon

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Lane's Edge, Waiter's (Club) Restaurant

Meyers Place is one of my favourite Melbourne laneways to hang out in, not least because it offers a variety of bars to choose from. Yes, there are several, but together they form a chilled-out sanctuary from the ritzy, pricey hotspots around the top end of Bourke Street ( Siglo/Supper Club/City Wine Shop , Longrain , Madame Brussels , Gin Palace and 1806 all come to mind). Don't get me wrong - many of these are excellent; but when you venture out midweek on a regular basis, it's nice to know you have a cluster of affordable, more relaxed options available, as well as the schmancier, special-occasion places. Also handy is how easy Meyers Place is to find, compared to many other Melbourne laneways. "It comes off Bourke Street, near the Parliament end," is a phrase I'm sure I've spouted multiple times to uninitiated friends. Failing that, I tell them to look for the Palace Theatre - it's almost directly across the road. The Bourke Street entrance to Me
Read more

The Lui Bar

In my opinion, some places are simply better experienced than described. This post features many photos which hardly do The Lui Bar (Level 55, Rialto Towers, 525 Collins Street, Melbourne) justice, because no matter how many pictures I show you or words I write about it, there is just nothing like viewing Melbourne from 55 floors up, handcrafted cocktail in hand, listening to jazz. Albert Park Lake and beyond, from The Lui Bar The Lui Bar stems off Shannon Bennett 's revered restaurant  Vue De Monde , the degustation meal of which is absolutely on my bucket list. The restaurant was moved to the Rialto site in 2011, and its adjoining bar has also been making waves ever since. Iconic in location, the venue not only occupies the top level of what was, in 1986, the tallest building in Melbourne and the Southern Hemisphere at 251 metres, but offers spectacular city views of up to 60 kilometres on a clear day. Even the Eureka Tower , currently Melbourne's tallest buil
Read more

Supernormal

Is it, though? So normal it's super normal? I think maybe not. There are a lot of 'normal' things at Supernormal (180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne) - you go in, get a table (if you're lucky), order food, eat it at said table. But there are a few things that set this restaurant apart. Kitchen behind the bar One is size. Supernormal is quite big for a Melbourne CBD restaurant. There are different sections: a looooong bar (behind which sits the kitchen, and which pretty much runs the length of the restaurant), a line of booth-style tables, a couple of walls hosting tables with bench seating, and stand-alone tables in the middle. Bench seating tables and random display flowers and bottles It also has a very high ceiling, which makes the interior feel very spacious and airy. Hard surfaces everywhere do echo the noisy chatter from so many covers, but the space above all the heads helps absorb it. Stand-alone tables in the middle and hi Another is
Read more