Melbourne Restaurant | Coffee List.
It's been ten years or maybe more since the last time I visited Melbourne, Australia. The city that's famous for great coffee and many many brunch spots. The city that's famous for Street (or most people know it by Hypebeast) style.
Visiting Melbourne has been my dream since long time ago, but I never got the chance to do it during college days just because I went back Home for my summer holiday to spend time with my family and friends. Well, that dream finally came true when I FINALLY VISITED MELBOURNE!
You have no idea how stressed I am when I was planning which coffee shops to go, which places to go, which restaurants to have brunch / lunch / dinner / supper....Well, call me complicated cause I lovee exploring different places at once. SADLY, I DID NOT EVEN GET THE CHANCE TO VISIT NATIONAL GALLERY OR ACMI, just because my focus on COFFEE SHOPS, yes. coffee shops. I drank at least 3-5 cups of coffee a day just for the sake of TRYING DIFFERENT COFFEE SHOPS AND FINISHING MY LIST. well, here goes nothing.
Welcome to My Melbourne - 7 days - FAV Places List:
Let's start with something simple, food:
Top Paddock: I don't know how to begin, honestly. The Hash brown, The Top Paddock & The Blueberry & Ricotta Hotcakes. Damn, the brunch spot in Melbourne is C-R-A-Z-Y. LOVE their hotcakes! It's soft, fluffy and not too sweet which is good for a hotcake cause my dad even loves it too! Hash brown was good too! The Top Paddock wouldn't be my first choice, but if you want something different you should try! For coffee, sadly they disappoint. Get your coffee somewhere else from my list! Still deserves a 8/10 for their DAMN GOOD HOTCAKES tho!
Hakata Gensuke Ramen: 7/10 good ramen *droll* and perfect gyoza!! For the Ramen, I recommend their Signature Tonkotsu for simple yet delish dish! LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE, but the suckie part is that the place is so small and it's kind-of order fast type of place. Beware of the line at night, you've been warned!
Menya Ramen: IF ITS JUST THE TWO OF YOU, ORDER ONE. ONE ORDER IS ENOUGH! why? cause it's HUGE! damn, I guess this is why this place is famous among college kids, cheap & portion is super big. I would say for me, it's just ok. But their Gyu tan (Beef Tongue) is good, you gotta ask for spicy though cause is much much much better than the non-spicy one. Visit this place & get their Gyutan don if you're bored of western-brunch food. It deserves a 6/10 for me.
Hardware Societe: Those freaking eggs though. They just step up their game game game! You know why? well, this place is just the BOMB! I.LOVE.THEIR. BAKED EGGS DEUX, well well well, watch out brunch people! it's life-changing. you can taste every single thing that's inside this perfect dish! damn damn damn! I would LOVE TO GO BACK JUST TO GET THIS AGAIN! On the other side, this place is famous for their Lobster Benedict. Well, for me it's just OK, it's not as special as this BAKED EGGS! Coffee is good too, get their Latte! Dear, dear, you deserve a 7.5/10.
Sir Charles (Above) - Press right arrow on yo keyboard for more: Avocado Toast? Check. Truffled Croque Madame? Check. IRL, both food don't look appealing like these pictures I took. Took the first bite, whoa. wait, stop, wait a minute. It's like fireworks, do you love fireworks? Cause I do, and that's how I feel when I took the first bite. TRUFFLE TASTES awesome. Avocado Toast? Damn those Avocado. Enough sad. Coffee? Get their Latte. 8/10 ftw boys and giirls!!
Brighton Soul (Above): Vegetarian food that's so good that [almost] made me order more even though I was full. This place is not located in Melbourne, but it's near the Infamous Brighton Beach (You see those colorful Brighton Boxes on Instagram? This is near that area). If you EVER need a lunch break, you gotta try out this place! I wanted to get their Acaii Bowl, but decided to get these instead. It's quite pricey for these two dishes cause the portion is just SOO small. The first one is called The Crispy Chicken Bao, yep, Fried Chicken, WHAT ELSE ARE YOU ASKING FOR? perfectly fried, perfectly sauced not forgetting their oh-so-delish bao(s). The second one is Macro Bowl, it's like a Mexican-ish version of Poke owl. Really, really a big fan of their Red Quinoa! The only downside is, well their service. I had to wait and keep on calling the waiters to get my order. damn, that was annoying. Foodwise? 7/10, servicewise? eh, 4/10.
Calia (Below): JAPANESE/AUSTRALIAN FOOD that's so so so good! I wish they have this type of food in Jakarta. Got their Aburi Samon & also their Unagi Bowl. Both use the same sauce but I really love the ABURI SAMON MORE! The salmon is chewy, freshly made and use just the right amount of sauce. 8/10 for a simple, yet flavorful Japanese food!
PT Leo Estate (Above) - Press right arrow on yo keyboard for more: Looking for Winery that's not in Yarra Valley? Fear no more, I just found out that Mornington Peninsula has the prettiest Winery / Restaurant and it's called PT Leo Estate. Damn, look at those architecture though. #goals alert! The wine tasting costs $6 per person and you get to taste 6 of their wines. Let's talk about their food. I always think that winery or whatever touristy food places don't serve the best food in the world, so I didn't have a big expectation. But whoa, this place serves good food too! Oysters are super good, Fish was fresh, Potatoes were just crazy good! Get their Wood Roasted Snapper, Tempura Rockling and also the potatoes! damn, for a place like this? 8/10.
Jinda Restaurant (Below) - Press right arrow on yo keyboard for more: YAZZZZ FINALLY THAI CUISINE! Let's get down to business and I'll keep it simple. Perfect Curry Fish (Hor Mok On Rice) , Crunchy Soft Shell Crab, A little too Spicy Pork but addicting (Gra Pow Miced Pork). I wouldn't recommend their Crispy Pork though. 7/10 just because I love Las Vegas' Lotus of Siam.
Manchester Press (Above) - Press right arrow on yo keyboard for more: BAGELS BAGELS BAGELS! Yes, them Bagels. Keep em comin. If you don't feel like eating too-heavy-brunch, then come to this place for some bagels [and it's super near to Brother Baba Budan]. I really like their Tuna Bagel (on the right side). Pulled Pork was just meh. 6/10 ftw.
Rice Paper Scissors (Below) - Press right arrow on yo keyboard for more: ASIAN FUSION THAT MADE ME COME BACK 2 DAYS IN A ROW JUST BECAUSE I WAS TOO HUNGRY THE FIRST DAY AND HAD TO WAIT 1.5 HOURS TO SIT DOWN. well, fear not cause ditching the first time I came in here and came back on the next day wuz the best decision. UNIQUE AND TASTY! this space is super small though, it's better for you to come before 6 cause it gets super crowded at this time. The portion is pretty small. We ordered 6 dishes for the three of us and they have this special set option where you can order 5 dishes anything on the menu, which is cheaper. Let's make this fast, get their: Duck Salad, Crispy Baramudi, BBQ Lamb Ribs. Don't get their Crying Tiger though, it's hard to chew. Score? 7/10!
Time for Coffee / Dessert / Supper!
Clement Coffee Roastery: UGHHHHH I LOVEEEEEEE CLEMENT! surprisingly, both of their Latte and Flat White are so nice! I went to this place on the last day and kinda regret it just because it's so good, cronuts were sold out and I didn't get the chance to explore the South Melbourne Market. Deserves a 7.5/10
ACoffee: wow. what ALATTE. I got it's unique taste. YES, NOT LIKE THE ORDINARY LATTE. it's kind of bitter choclatey flavor. Space? Damn, LOVEEEEEE THEIR WHITE-BASIC Space! Gotta go there for lazy or "I-NEED-TO-WORK" Kind of situation. 7/10!
Lune Croissants & Coffee: DAMN. best. croissants ever. Best bakery I have ever visited in My Entire Life (for croissants though). GET IN LINE BY 8 AM, GET THEIR CROISSANTS: like all of their croissants. 9/10 for croissants!!!!!! Disclaimer: Don't get their coffee.
Doughboys Donuts: Huge portion, sweet donut. It's like magic. Working on it, and before you know it, you finished the whole thing! I really love their Original Flavor, simple yet perfect. 7/10 for donut in Australia!
Patricia: Patricia. I gotta say this twice because the line is just C-R-A-A-A-Z-Y. It's always crowded every single day.. And well many people recommend me this place. First of all, cute space. Small but cute. It's giving me the sense of The Perfect Office Coffee Shop. Newspapers are provided, Huge Window overlooking the streets, Magazines that will interest many youngsters or even adults. Somehow, this place is just not my favorite. Coffee is just super bitter for me. But I mean, this place is recommended by a lot of people, mind as well giving you the chance to try this place and let me know how it goes! For me, it deserves a 5/10, sorry Patricia. you're just not my coffee soulmate.. fornow.
Industry Beans: Favorite Place. Fullstop. Review? Curious? See my previous post ;)
Market Lane - Queen Victoria Market: Many people tell me that this is the best coffee in Melbourne. I'm not saying I disagree with them, but it's just not the best. I can say that Market Lane serves good, hell, great coffee! Not-ordinary aftertaste that you're actually, weirdly, craving for more. I'll be honest, 7.5/10 :)
Brother Baba Budan: Not bad. Not bad at all. The only mistake I did was maybe, I ordered Flat White. I mean hell, it was 9 am in the morning and I didn't want to drink too-strong-coffee, so I just ordered the Flat White. It's too milky-ish for me so it wasn't my favorite. But I am willing to give this place a second chance the next time I visit Melbourne, and I WILL SURELY ORDER THE RIGHT COFFEE.
Koko Black: Not coffee. It's (a) Chocolate Place/Cafe. Got their hot chocolate, and I am trying to say this Casually, but I.Just.Can't. WHOA. SERIOUSLY, WHOA. THIS HOT CHOCOLATE MIGHT HAVE A PROBLEM. a problem that's makin me addicted to this drink. it's insane! enough said. 9/10 for hot chocolate. YES, 9/10.
Dukes Coffee Roasters: Not the best, but great coffee! Again, because it's super bitter. I need that chocolatey-fruity TASTE! but well, this place is not bad too! 6.5/10!
Pidapipo: Gelato Gelato that's good for night supper ;) Love their homemade Gelatos . Most of the flavors that they have are good! 8/10 for gelato! Time to get back to this place again, soon! Did I mention ,the place is cute too ;)
Breizoz Crepes: Order their goat cheese & ham. CRAZY GOOD. fullstop. 8/10 I'm done *Mic Dropped*
Sensory Lab: Need a doctor? Need to do an experiment? Well Sensory Lab has the answer. Located inside David Jones, this place is not hard to spot. Coffee was just ok, place is goals. Latte was better than their Piccolo! 6.5/10.
Padre Coffee - Queen Victoria Market: good coffee keeps the doctor away. One of my fav coffee shops in Melbourne is Padre. Latte was just, amazing. I got lost 3-4 miles away at first (seriously Google Maps, sometimes you suck), but finally found this NOT-HIDDEN-GEM. It's located somewhere in the Queen Victoria Market and it deserves a 7/10!
Young Bloods (Below , Left) - Press right arrow on yo keyboard for more: Great Yogurt - Pear - Granola check. Good coffee? Check. YAZ FOR YOUNG BLOODS!
Proud Mary Coffee Roasters & Cafe: Proud to try this place. coffee has a chocolatey aftertaste which is my fav! This is what makes me get out of bed every morning! YAZ! 7/10!
Some places I forgot to take pictures:
1. Shanghai Street Dumpling (Restaurant): Whenever you need Chinese food, this is the place to go! The line can be crazy after 6 pm but get their dumplings! too good to be true.
2. Operator 25 (Coffee): LOOOOOVE THEIR PICCOLO AND LATTE! This place is cute too. Can't remember exactly the whole taste and all, but it sure woke me up. 7/10!
Moral of drinking coffee in Melbourne is that.. I agree, there are a lot of coffee shops; however, I still prefer LA'S coffee more (Intelligentsia is still in my #1 list). But mind as well, GO TO AS MANY COFFEE SHOPS IN MELBOURNE AS YOU CAN, cause you gotta have that Coffee - Brunch Adventure once in a while right? Let me know what's your favorite Places so far!
