As you may have gathered, I tend to stay northside in Melbourne. This is due to several factors:
HOWEVER, on the very odd occasion, I venture out of my comfort zone to other suburbs (hey, sometimes even other CITIES! I know, right) and whilst there, I try to milk said unknown area for its best coffee/food/venues available. Recently, I spent a night in St Kilda prior to a weekend day trip, which meant that early one Saturday morn, I was able to check out the oft-glorified, SOUTHSIDE cafe, Miss Jackson (2/19 Grey Street, St Kilda).
It was a bit of a bitch to get to by car. It's on the corner of Grey and Jackson Streets - very accessible if you're on foot or tramming, but we were driving. We thought we'd be clever and come in backwards via Jackson Street, but Jackson is one of those annoying split streets that goes one way in one part and not in the bit you want. Anyway, we found it, and we were there early enough to be guaranteed a table. In fact, I'm not even sure the staff were quite awake yet. (They were quite smiley, though.)
The coffee was decent - not astoundingly awesome, perhaps due to it being Allpress.
The white Marzocco was nice and prominent on entry to the cafe (ooh, shiny), and I was suprised at how pared-back the interior was: all wooden benches, polished concrete, white walls and simple hanging lights.
It was also quite dark inside - possibly due to the inclement weather, but more likely the site's aspect (*nods her not-at-all-architectural-head knowingly*).
The outdoor deck area was empty, but looked inviting - exactly the kind of place that, come summery days, will be jam-packed with neutral-toned, long-haired hipsters drinking soy lattes. (How'm I doing, St K locals? Accuracy: 95%...?)
- I'm very lazy.
- The coffee northside is waaay closer to my house, and I can't operate until I've been caffeinated.
- I don't have a car and who can be arsed PT-ing when you don't really have to?!
- There is a BUCKETLOAD of Awesome on the north side, and
- I came to Melbourne from Sydney for a different vibe - why would I visit the side of Melbourne that is most like Sydney?! (On a side note, I find it quite hilarious how there's a north/southside divide in Melbourne, much like in Sydney... Waterways, eh? They could cause wars!)
HOWEVER, on the very odd occasion, I venture out of my comfort zone to other suburbs (hey, sometimes even other CITIES! I know, right) and whilst there, I try to milk said unknown area for its best coffee/food/venues available. Recently, I spent a night in St Kilda prior to a weekend day trip, which meant that early one Saturday morn, I was able to check out the oft-glorified, SOUTHSIDE cafe, Miss Jackson (2/19 Grey Street, St Kilda).
It was a bit of a bitch to get to by car. It's on the corner of Grey and Jackson Streets - very accessible if you're on foot or tramming, but we were driving. We thought we'd be clever and come in backwards via Jackson Street, but Jackson is one of those annoying split streets that goes one way in one part and not in the bit you want. Anyway, we found it, and we were there early enough to be guaranteed a table. In fact, I'm not even sure the staff were quite awake yet. (They were quite smiley, though.)
The coffee was decent - not astoundingly awesome, perhaps due to it being Allpress.
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| Large Cappuccino |
The white Marzocco was nice and prominent on entry to the cafe (ooh, shiny), and I was suprised at how pared-back the interior was: all wooden benches, polished concrete, white walls and simple hanging lights.
It was also quite dark inside - possibly due to the inclement weather, but more likely the site's aspect (*nods her not-at-all-architectural-head knowingly*).
The outdoor deck area was empty, but looked inviting - exactly the kind of place that, come summery days, will be jam-packed with neutral-toned, long-haired hipsters drinking soy lattes. (How'm I doing, St K locals? Accuracy: 95%...?)
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| Outdoor deck |
Perhaps it was what we ordered, or the fact that I was up before 9am on a Saturday, but I wasn't blown away by the food. I had a mushroom piadina with prosciutto, cheddar and thyme - and I usually *LOVE* mushrooms. It looked great, the mushroom portion was generous, and it was tasty, but very rich in flavour, and also very oily.
My dining partner tried the organic fruit toast, which had massive pieces of fruit (particularly apricot) strewn throughout. Some people would find that appealing; he, sadly, did not.
So another visit may be in order (someday...), to re-sample the food at what is often cited as one of St Kilda's better cafes. By the time we left at 10am-ish, the place was pretty full - surely testament to its high regard by locals? (It's not new enough anymore to be due to "let's try this hip new place" popularity...)
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| Mushroom Piadina with Prosciutto, Cheddar and Thyme |
My dining partner tried the organic fruit toast, which had massive pieces of fruit (particularly apricot) strewn throughout. Some people would find that appealing; he, sadly, did not.
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| Organic Fruit Toast with butter |
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| Hot Chocolate |
So another visit may be in order (someday...), to re-sample the food at what is often cited as one of St Kilda's better cafes. By the time we left at 10am-ish, the place was pretty full - surely testament to its high regard by locals? (It's not new enough anymore to be due to "let's try this hip new place" popularity...)
Service was snappy and friendly, and everyone working there seemed to have an accent. (Another side note: Is it just me, or do many, many of Melbourne's foodie ventures seem to be established by Kiwis? I have no objections - I work with several Kiwis, and have learned to incorporate terms like Twink, jandals, chilly bin and sweet as, bro! into my daily vernacular. It's just something I've noticed. Are New Zealanders particularly enterprising when it comes to hospitality, or is it just the people I know and the places I happen to have come across?!)
I quite liked Miss Jackson on the whole, but frankly I prefer its northside competitors - and not just for their location. Sorry, southsiders. (You should come check out my 'hood!)
Miss Jackson is open every day except Monday, from 7am til 4pm, and is licensed.
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| Specials |
I quite liked Miss Jackson on the whole, but frankly I prefer its northside competitors - and not just for their location. Sorry, southsiders. (You should come check out my 'hood!)
Miss Jackson is open every day except Monday, from 7am til 4pm, and is licensed.
