Melbourne Patron

There are some things you hear of and immediately think, 'Only in Melbourne!' Jafflechutes are one such thing. ...Jafflechutes, you say? What on earth are jafflechutes?! Well. Have you heard of jaffles? The toasted sandwiches that you make using an electric sandwich maker that squashes the sandwich's edges together, sculpts it so it kinda looks like a moulded cake, makes the outside all nice and toasty and crusty, and melts the cheese inside, so you end up with a hot, gooey, salty, hand-held piece of deliciousness? Now marry that with a parachute, and you have a jafflechute. Someone in this world not only had the amazing idea that a toasted sandwich could be thrown out a window attached to a parachute so it would float it down to its recipient, but then they actually put it into action. The someone was actually two people, Adam Grant and David McDonald, and the idea was born from Grant coming home one night having forgotten his keys. They were thrown down...

Walking past the Boatbuilder's Yard  (23 South Wharf Promenade) in the past, I'd always been attracted by the chilled-but-buzzy vibe, timber overload (warm and inviting, don't you think?) and proximity to water (yep, that water thing again). A date gave me the opportunity to try it out on a school night, and I was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the night before, I hadn't slept a wink. Not only was this detrimental to my general social performance, but it also meant I wasn't in a great frame of mind to make blog-style judgements on the bar/pub venue. However, I will do my best in retrospect. Lots of timber I ordered the house bubbles, served up by friendly and relaxed-looking barmen. We sat outside - because that's what you do at a waterside venue - but it was an overcast day and the wind was whipping the awnings around beside us. This didn't detract a lot from the feeling of open-air-water-proximity I love, but after a while it was a bit fray...

Oh hi, blog-world. A good friend recently suggested I write a blog about the many, many places I go to eat, drink and be merry. It does happen frequently, so I didn't think it too bad an idea. Thus: Melbourne Patron has been born. I tend to frequent Fitzroy, Collingwood and the city most often; however, being not-from-Melbourne originally, I am always open to exploring new areas and awesome venues. Particularly if they're cool and serve alcohol. I also fly back to Sydney several times a year, and wouldn't discount the possibility that I may well blog about my adventures there, too. My social adventures generally comprise venues of the pub, bar and restaurant varieties, but I work in the coffee industry by day, so do appreciate a darn-good dose of caffeine and smashing brunch. Not much of a clubber or picnicker, I'm afraid, but the food and drinks at those aren't overly exciting anyway. Teppanyaki, yum cha, high tea, and random events (does the Tramcar Restaura...