Hopetoun Tea Rooms

Stopping in at the Hopetoun Tea Rooms is becoming a Melbourne tradition for me. I am completely in love with their window display and their William Morris wallpaper, and I could happily spend days working my way through the tea menu. On this occassion, I met a friend and we managed to get a table without having to queue. The line grew quickly after we were seated, though, so you have to either time your visit well or be prepared to wait. I started with a pot of Buddha’s Finger tea – oolong with peach characteristics. The tea was strongly flavoured, and, as with all of their teas, best consumed fairly quickly, as it started to go bitter as it cooled. I couldn’t resist a big slice of cake, so picked the raspberry sponge as my snack – the piece was quite large and full of cream. The raspberries on top and throughout were plump and fresh, and added a nice tartness to the overall sweetness of the slice. The sponge was lovely and moist, and the raspberry coulis served on the side was divine. Everything here – from the cake to the decor – is lovely.

Hopetoun Tea Rooms, Block Arcade, 282 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC    http://www.hopetountearooms.com.au

Kinfolk

Kinfolk has been on my list for a while, and on a whirlwind visit to Melbourne I ducked in with my colleague for breakfast. We got a perfect seat in the window where we could watch the world go by. I started with a fresh orange juice – it was served with ice in a large jar, and was a bit diluted for my taste, but was still good value for the size. I wasn’t super hungry, so ordered the granola. It came out on a beautiful serving board with each element in its own jar – the granola looked lovely and toasted, with milk, yoghurt and bloom plum compote presented neatly. The granola itself had a fabulous mix of crisp, golden macadamias, cashews, almonds, walnuts, oats and pepitas. The compote was what really sold me on this – a good granola needs something to stop it being dry, and avoiding dairy as I do, the compote was it. Whilst there wasn’t a huge amount, it went quite far, and had a beautiful tangy tartness that contrasted the overall sweetness perfectly. The whole meal was quite filling and I would happily order it again.

Kinfolk, 673 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC                                                kinfolk.org.au

Oriental Teahouse

When my friend mentioned that she’d found a place I’d love in Melbourne, I was expecting some kind of dessert mecca. Instead, she took me to the Oriental Teahouse, a place that combines two of my favourite things – tea and dumplings. It was a quiet Friday afternoon and we were the only ones in the store. We both started out with the sparkling iced tea special – raspberry and vanilla. It came out in a jar with a handle and was refreshing, sweet and fizzy with a couple of raspberries inside. On to the dumplings. I started with the prawn dumplings and then had the xiao long bao, both of which were served piping hot with three pieces each. The soup inside the xiao long bao wasn’t as flavoursome as the one at Lotus, but the skin was a bit thicker and there was a nice amount of filling inside. Prawn dumplings are my favourite, and these were pretty high up on the list of delicious ones with plenty of prawn inside. We finished with the chocolate dessert dumplings, which were deep-fried and coated in sesame – yum! Check it out for great tea and nice dumplings.

Oriental Teahouse, 378 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC                          http://orientalteahouse.com.au/

Brother Baba Budan

My stop in to Brother Baba Budan was delightfully spontaneous – after an afternoon browsing the shops, the buzz and an impulse drew me in to this hole-in-the-wall coffee den. Not being a coffee drinker, I chose peppermint from a minimalist tea menu, and then I spotted the donuts and my impulse was rewarded. I picked the choc-mint over the iced vovo, although both looked great, and took a seat at the bar at the back. I watched my tea being brewed while I started on the delicious donut. The donut itself was soft and not too dense, whilst the icing was evenly spread across the top and just a little bit melted (perfect!). There were sprinkles of mint sugar on top which flavoured the whole donut. The tea was made from loose leaves although the brand was not listed on the menu. It came out in a gorgeous iron teapot of just the right size, with a small cup that meant the tea didn’t cool too quickly. The brew itself was just the right strength and left a lovely peppermint aftertaste. The staff were happy to let me finish my tea even after they’d closed up for the day.

Brother Baba Budan, 359 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC http://www.sevenseeds.com.au

Barry

This was my second attempt to have breakfast at Barry, and I’m glad I finally made it. Barry has a lovely corner spot with lots of windows, giving it a light and airy feel. We didn’t have to line up, but not long after we were seated the queue began outside. To start, I ordered the Blended Drink #1, which is a dairy free smoothie with banana, dates, cinnamon, almond milk and cacao nibs. The latter gave a fantastic crunch to the drink (chewing required) which was surprisingly thick for something dairy-free. The banana flavour wasn’t as strong as I was expecting but was still present – all the flavours worked together perfectly. I chose breakfast from the specials menu – poached eggs with mashed peas, shaved ricotta and lime on toast. The dish came out looking like spring on a plate; it was lovely and light, and the eggs were the runniest I’ve ever had. The toast was a bit crispy for my taste, but the bread was delicious, with sesame seeds crusting the outside. The lime was a stroke of genius with the citrus bringing the whole dish to life. The queues are there for a reason – well worth a visit.

Barry, 85 High Street, Northcote VIC                           http://www.barrycoffeeandfood.com

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