Category: Melbourne

Grab a laneways walking tour map from the tourist caravan in the Bourke Street Mall, it is a good way to spend the morning.  Join the throngs on Degraves Street for a coffee,the grimy, seedy lane is straight out of a post holocaust futuristic movie or straight from a scene of Blade Runner.  It is a must do and an excellent people watching experience.

A little off the beaten track is the amazing Hosier and Riddiford Lanes.  These thin lanes are covered top to bottom with graffitti/street art.  Rosie loves the colour, boldness and texture of the art as it meets window frames, pipes and wheelie bins.  There is always plenty of cameras clicking and a steady stream of people passing the window as we dine in our favourite Melbourne Restaurant ‘Movida’ as their front door is in the lane..

The Boss and HM love the area across the river, its more open and out of the CBD skyscraper shadows, HM said the shopping was magnificent and you have to believe her, cause she knows!  Chapel Street is sooooo long, we caught a taxi ( but you can quite comfortably catch a tram from Bourke St or Flinders Station) and made a beeline for the Chapel Street Bazaar. 

When HM says not to bother doing or seeing something….take her word for it!  Rosie and The Operator had read the guidebooks and we were looking forward to a trip on the tram out to St Kilda and take some sunshine while walking the pier.  The book said that you would ‘enjoy the charm of yesterday’ in this suburb.  I think we got there 15 years too late….faded glory isn’t even an apt description, it was empty, tired, drab and sad. 

The vege hall smells of fresh produce and flowers, stall holders are yelling their daily specials, the colours are vibrant and the the fruit and vege are displayed immaculately.  The place is crowded and people jostle and push, serious daily buyers of all ages bang their wheelie trolleys into your ankles in a bid to get by.

Five weeks later, Rosie and The Operator are back in Melbourne and shopping on Chapel Street.  The Operator gets a text, it is from Hellenic Republic confirming our reservation for Friday night and wanting a text affirmation as to whether or not we will be keeping our dinner reservation made five weeks prior.

This restaurant creates sensory overload!  The sight of the small perfectly plated morsals instills pure delight and anticipation.  The first bite transports you to Nirvana, you close your eyes and just….swoon.  The flavours are so intensly vivid with amazing depth and complexity, ingredients are so perfectly matched whether is sweet or sour, hot or cold, every bite is perfection…..and, in the Tapas menu, you only get a second bite to affirm the delight. 

When we arrived the place was pumping!   The atmosphere was loud, brash and fun, with more large groupings seated rather than couples, it is a fun place to be and the Greeks love sharing food with friends!
The decor is Greek fishing village simplicity, large windows, whitewashed walls, subtle lighting and feature light shades in large wicker cray pot style.  The kitchen is open in the back and the Head Chef operates facing the kitchen from the restaurant side of the pass…he saw and was watching everything!

Being one of our favourite dining genres we cued for nearly an hour on a stairway leading to the first floor restaurant.  Rosie would never normally cue that long without alcoholic support, but, more people kept appearing and the line went down the stairs, out the door and round the corner….it must be worth it.  

Tucked away behind The Commercial Bakery on 360 Little Collins Street this innocuous post industrial garage has been transformed into a dining space with no compromise to the original building.  The beautiful open space was intimately tabled for that retro inspired special/informal evening out.  The quiet background music of blues/jazz infusion was courtesy of an impressive vinyl collection played via stylus….nice touch and no crackles!

Seating at Bar Lourhina  is not for the faint hearted or claustrophobic.  You will be shown to either the bar or a table shared by multiple strangers where you sit shoulder to shoulder to your neighbour.  It is the perfect place for a blind date, if you do not like the company you are with…start chatting to the stranger next to you.  The dining room is low lit with atmospheric collections of nik naks adorning the walls, there is always something to catch your eye from the glowing statue of Jesus to the monkey head in the coffee bean grinder. Staff are knowledgeable, attentive and forever on the move.