Melbourne Patron

Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart Popular Malaysian Sweet Tart Inspired by Japanese Cheese   You can't work in hospitality or be a food blogger and NOT have heard about the Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tart . Even if you're just a regular Joe Blow, they would have been hard to avoid on social media. I'm not sure exactly how the craze started, but suddenly they were EVERYWHERE - little yellow rounds of promise. Like any good writer (!), I hot-legged it to the new Melbourne Central HBCT venue soon after its opening to try and obtain one of the cult-followed baked items, and alas, my first attempt was futile. (I stood in the queue for about 10 minutes, with over an hour left until the store's official closing time, only to see the person three ahead of me in the queue buy the last tart. So. Much. Sad.) My second attempt was better; also towards the end of the day - on a Friday, no less, when I would have thought queues for anything self-indulgent would have extended round ...

A sentimental ode to Melbourne Today marks six years since my arrival in Melbourne. I flew in on a day much like today: high 30s, a piercing dry heat unlike anything I’d ever associated with the city down south. I remember arriving with my suitcase in tow at the hostel I’d booked a dorm bed in, on St Kilda Road. It was messy, and temporary, and I had no idea what I was doing. I still don’t! But I am proud that, since then, I have built a life here. I’m still transient; change never leaves us. I rent, I don’t currently have a partner, I’m always looking for new ways to expand my horizons, and some friends and I have fallen out of favour. But in the time I’ve been here, I have made many new friends, some of whom are very dear. I have lived in three different homes, all of which have meant new ways of being to me. I started this blog, and in its two years of existence, it has had over 60,000 page views. I have managed to find work most of the time, and in three very different indu...

Cheap Asian food is something I grew up with in Sydney. Melbourne is often touted as having a better dining scene than Sydney (medium-range and fine dining -- absolutely! -- well, in my experience), but even after nearly six years here, I still find Melbourne lacking in the cheap-but-great-quality-Asian-food category. And I'm not talking pan-Asian: I'm talking specific to one cuisine only, (Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Malaysian, etc). I still find it upsetting when I go to a Japanese restaurant and find Pad Thai on the menu, or something similar. I feel a restaurant should do one cuisine well, rather than try to pander to the tastes of patrons who may not yet be familiar with that cuisine. Use it as an opportunity to educate! Let your customers experience one of the last genuine representations of culture: food! /rant Happily, Jinda Thai (1-7 Fergus St, Abbotsford) is genuine, great-quality Thai food (only) at quite reasonable prices. It was opened in July 2013 by the ow...

Not far from my parents' place in Rushcutters Bay is a charming, bright, clean cafe that I just recently discovered for the first time. Posto No. 19, entrance/mezzanine level Posto No. 19  (19a Boundary Street, Rushcutters Bay) (not to be confused with Il Posto in Paddington, Brisbane) is neatly tucked into a shady side of Boundary Street, morphing from a wide, open street-side window and mezzanine dining area, complete with communal table, down to a sunken bar and dining area with cushioned bench seating, and kitchen. The decor is cool, contrasting and shiny, with dark polished concrete flooring, loads of natural light, and lots of glass. Personality comes through touches of beachside retreat and quirky antiques, with neutral colours, stripey cushions, white plates and pastel blue cups, and hand-drawn framed illustrations arranged in an arty bunch on the wall. Bench seating, neutral tones Arty bunch of drawings My mother's all about 'clean' f...

If you've read my blog before, you'll know how often I bemoan the lack of awesome, accessible Asian food in Melbourne (distinct as separate Asian cuisines) at everyday prices. One of the things I missed most about Sydney after moving to Melbourne was the Good Food Month Night Noodle Markets , held in Hyde Park every year since I was a teenager in the '90s. A central location, pretty lanterns, chilled music, and a few plastic chairs and tables was all that was needed to accompany a bunch of stalls selling noodles or grog to make what I consider a Perfect Night Out. So you can imagine my excitement when it was announced that this year's Good Food Month would be introducing Melbourne's inaugural Night Noodle Markets in Alexandra Gardens. Wheeeeeeeeee! Along with half of Melbourne, I attended its first evening last night (Monday). Here are my observations. 1.  Expect a crowd.  Melburnians really like food events, outdoor events, pop-up events, and anything c...