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...

I first went to  Kommune  (370 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy) soon after it had opened in the former Charmaine's ice-cream shop site. I liked it, but it felt unfinished somehow... not quite sure of its own personality yet. My friend wanted to try Nyala African Restaurant for dinner, just down the road, so I suggested Kommune for a drink first. It has come together a lot more now. The interior is much the same as before, with posters pasted on the wall, tall bar tables and moody lighting, but now it also has a few armchairs, pot plants and homey touches - just a few small things that make it seem much more comfortable and sure of itself. It's got a kind of neat, dark, European vibe: small, dark and gritty, but also clean, modern and warm. The bar staff are friendly and seem to be up for a bit of banter. The few tables outside on the street are great for people-watching, right in the midst of the Brunswick Street shopping and dining hub. We had a p...

I used to live with a chef. No, he was never around to cook for us at home (being a chef means working most nights, and doing horrible doubles and stuff), but, being in hospo, he often heard about hip new places before they even opened. He was (is - he's not dead) also good for recommendations... or tries to be :)  In any case, when he frequents somewhere, it's usually pretty good. He had mentioned to me several times that he liked Alimentari  (251 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy) for breakfast, so when my new housemate and I were looking for breakfast on Brunswick Street one morning, we thought we'd give it a go. Now, I can recall that my housemate and I ordered had the same thing, and that it involved eggs, and that it was good, but I'm not 100% sure what it was. It could well have been the corn cakes listed on their menu , but I didn't take a photo or write it down. Bad blogger. I'm sorry. I'll just have to go again ;) I did, however, remember to take photo...