The Mess Hall

Wandering along Bourke Street in search of brunch, the buzz of people outside The Mess Hall caught my eye. It’s a welcoming space, stretching back to the kitchen and decorated with climbing plants on a wire mesh, soaking up the natural light pouring in from upstairs. The menu is fairly short, so I started with an orange juice, served in a generous sized glass, and ordered the green scrambled eggs. It came out quite quickly, and I was intruiged by the flavour combinations. Not your average scrambled eggs, this version had finely-sliced asparagus, pesto and truffle oil mixed in. Yep, truffle oil. Yum-o. The overall effect was fantastic – the pesto had a subtle flavour but the asparagus was crisp and juicy, and the truffle oil flavour lifted everything to a new level of deliciousness. The bread was a bit too toasted for my taste, but on balance this was made up for by the fluffy eggs. The staff happily left me to my book while they set up for lunch, and I appreciated not being rushed. I’ll be back to try their pasta and sit in the cozy upstairs room!

The Mess Hall, 51 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC           http://www.themesshallmelbourne.com

Tipo 00

I spent a Christmas with family friends in northern Italy many years ago now, and it was a truly memorable culinary experience. Whenever I go out for Italian now, memories of those meals set the bar. Tipo 00 is the closest to those unique flavours that I’ve been able to find in Australia thus far. We went for dinner and got a table without a booking – our waitress persuaded us to try the local G&T, with Four Pillars gin made in the Yarra Valley – the tonic wasn’t carbonated (which I usually prefer), but the overall flavour was light and refreshing. We started with the polenta chips, which were so filling! Only get them if you’re really hungry – we couldn’t finish the five fingers of perfectly fried polenta. I ordered the pappardelle with braised rabbit, hazelnut and marjoram. The pasta was silky and handcrafted, the rabbit was tender, the hazelnuts added spetacular texture and flavour, and the sauce sent me straight back to Trento. I was in two minds on cheese (which we weren’t offered) – I wanted some parmesan to add bite, but it could have overpowered the subtle flavours. Authentic Italian – you won’t leave hungry.

Tipo 00, 361 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC                      http://www.tipo00.com.au

Chuckle Park

I’d wanted to visit Chuckle Park’s lantern-strung alley since I’d wandered past in 2012. It took me a while, but I got there for dinner one fine Melbourne evening – another of my solo dining experiences. I was lucky enough to get a table, and went up to the caravan to order. Sadly they’d run out of the meatball soup I’d wanted to try, but offered to make a meatball wrap instead. I ordered that with a cider, and took my number back to my table. The wrap came out fairly quickly, and it looked hearty and warm. On first bite this was confirmed – the wrap itself was a bit crispy and the filling, whilst a bit oily, was piping hot. The meatballs had a great kick to them and were not stingy on flavour. There was plenty of oozing, melty cheese inside, along with spinach and, of course, the meatball sauce. Each mouthful was delicious and the whole serve was so filling that I couldn’t quite finish it. My only criticism is that Chuckle Park allows smoking, which I felt detracted from my dining experience, otherwise I’d be back in a heartbeat.

Chuckle Park Bar and Cafe, 322 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC                http://www.chucklepark.com.au/

Hammer & Tong

Whilst visiting Melbourne I mentioned that I was keen to visit Hammer & Tong – luckily my friends were keen too, so off we went to try their adventurous menu. There is definitely an industrial/Soviet-style feel about the cafe, with plenty of unpolished metal and bare walls, which is also reflected in their communist flag-inspired logo. The menu draws mostly on Asian cuisines, with the unusual option of ‘breakfast ramen’ offered – I was so tempted but it was just too early. Instead, I picked the spanner crab egg crepe served with cucumber ketchup and charocal brioche, and the mango, passionfruit and pineapple juice. The juice menu said fresh but when the juice came out it had none of the hallmarks of a fresh juice (there was no froth and it had a watery texture), but was nonetheless delicious – the passionfruit’s tart flavour was a great wake-up aid! The crepe was heavenly – light and fluffy with plenty of crab inside, each mouthful was delightful with the cucumber ketchup, which tasted more like a cucumber pickle in liquid form. It matched perfectly with the charcoal brioche which was also quite light. The flavours and textures worked together so well – next time maybe I’ll be brave and try the ramen!

Hammer & Tong, 412a Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC       http://www.hammerandtong.com.au

Passionflower

Passionflower is responsible for a running joke I have with a friend of mine. They had a pineapple cake icecream last year which sounded like pretty much the best thing ever – we play the ‘PCIC’ (pineapple cake icecream card) when discovering something amazing. I even have an actual laminated card. Anyway, I was pretty disappointed that the flavour to end all flavours wasn’t on offer when I went back to Passionflower, but another unusual flavour caught my eye – wild lime sorbet. Not quite as catchy, but when I tried a sample I was sold. The sorbet has a sour flavour that is incredibly refreshing and tasted very Australian in the way that lemon myrtle does – there was something native about the flavour that was obvious from the first mouthful (I have since learned that there are native Australian wild limes). The flavour remained strong throughout and whilst not particularly sweet, it was a really lovely dessert. In fact, the sorbet had tiny segments of juice-filled pulp inside, which added texture and intense flavour. This is without a doubt one of the best sorbet flavours I’ve ever tried, – worthy of playing a PCIC, even.

Passionflower, Shop 2, 168 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC                                http://www.passionflower.com.au/Home

Supernormal

My friend and I visited Supernormal for a Friday night dinner and waited for about 45 mins for a table – while we waited we devoured the Supernormal Smash cocktail with gin, tonic and seasonal syrup – it was a perfectly balanced cocktail with the right amount of sweet and bitter. We were told that the dishes are best to share, so started with the sesame cucumber (2 pieces included), which had a lovely pickled flavour and came served on a stick, followed by the raw bar tuna dish. As our lobster rolls arrived we asked the kitchen to slow the service down, as the plates were piling up. The roll was a highlight, with tender strips of lobster meat and a sweet brioche bun. My overall favourite, though, was the duck bao – cooked in Peking duck-style, the meat was cooked to perfection with a thin crispy shell, and served with hot, soft bao. So, so good. We finished off with the miso and pink lady soft serve, which had a fascinating flavour combination that just worked. We added the snack petipas given at the start of the meal on top to make it even better. Five hours later, we left full, happy and wishing we had a second stomach for more!

Supernormal, 180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC                   http://www.supernormal.net.au

Green Park

Friends of mine suggested Green Park as a brunch venue and I happily went along – the place was packed on a Sunday mid-morning and for good reason. The decor is, of course, a gorgeous green with plenty of plants and old books on shelves, making it feel welcoming and homely. We ordered a juice to start with, and whilst they’d run out of oranges, they offered us a detox juice. The waiter couldn’t tell us what was in it apart from ‘fruits and vegetables’ (what else is there?) but when it arrived beetroot was the obvious one. It was both mysterious and tasty! For brunch I had the smoked salmon hash, which was nicely presented with the salmon in a rosette, two hash browns and pickled beetroot. The menu had said it came with a poached egg but I didn’t get one, although what was on the plate was more than enough for me. The salmon had a lovely smoky flavour and there was plenty of it. It went well with the horseradish creme fraishe and the delicately shreded hash browns. All in all a tasty brunch in a relaxed but elegant setting.

Green Park, 815 Nicholson Street, Carlton North VIC.              www.greenparkdining.com.au