things I see, think & eat

The Boathouse
7 The Blvd
Moonee Ponds 3039

I find the Boathouse to be a little getaway, a breather within the busy city. The location in Maribyrnong Park along the Yarra River is just beautiful. We discovered it a while ago and keep going back.

The crowd you find here is very diverse, ranging from joggers digging into healthy brekky, mums & kids out for lunch to suits discussing business over dinner. 

We enjoyed sitting outside during the warmer months. This is obviously not possible at the moment but the fit out inside is great, cosy/relaxed and artsy/classy at the same time. The aboriginal paintings on the wall add to the atmosphere. 

As for the most important aspect of every restaurant -  the food: 
The food is fresh and creative. The menu has a bit of a twist which makes it exciting and different to many other restaurants in the area.

Entree - crisp toast with warm smoked trout , potato salad & watercress.

They offer 10 different pizzas. We are still working our way through them. These here are the roasted pumpkin pizza with feta, caramelised onion and baby spinach (my fave so far) & the prawns, scamoroza and chorizo pizza. The pizzas are delicious, hands down. 

For dessert (aka the best part of every meal) Gary’s cheesecake (white choc mousse nut crumble & rhubarb syrup) to the left & peanut butter panna cotta with salted popcorn ice cream and toffee popcorn to the right. Stunning. 

Bluebird Espresso
134 Johnston St 
Collingwood, VIC 3066
 

Bluebird is one of Collingwood’s finest. “That’s not too hard to achieve” you might think. Valid objection. Let’s just say if Bluebird was located in Brunswick it would still be all the way up there on the list.

Their menu holds an impressive number of options. I have to admit none of them sounded overly appealing to me. None but the chicken burger. It doesn’t matter because the chicken burger is absolutely delicious and I don’t want to eat anything else ever again anyway.

The staff at Bluebird are so hip they put the average hipster to shame. Love it. They are always super nice and the guy that makes that amazing coffee should be given an award. 

The blue walls, the fresh tulips on every table and those paintings on the blue walls (of the sort you find in grandma’s attic) give the place a homey, funky & peculiar feel. All at the same time.

What I really like are the National Geographic issues from back in the 80ies and 90ies stacked in a corner. I could flip through them while drinking flat whites all day.

Bluebird makes Collingwood a better place. If you find yourself in the neighbourhood check it out! And have a chicken burger while you’re there. 

Brunswick St, Melbourne

The first time I went to Kitchen Kultcha their coffee machine broke down. The second time I had amazing brunch sitting outside on the little bar like tables on the boardwalk. The third time I went in for coffee and it was meh mediocre. (I wish the place was a bit more consistent. ) The fourth time it saved my well maybe not my life but definitely my day. Let me tell you about that..

Sporting a serious hangover and an unusually strong craving for bacon I got myself out of bed and on my bike all the while one thing in mind - Kitchen Kultcha brunch. 
It was a Sunday early afternoon, the place was busy and the only table up for grabs was the one closest to the loo. As always. Didn’t care, wanted coffee. 

I ordered a latte and was served a cup of liquid heaven. That guy knew how to work a coffee machine!
Best thing on the brunch menu: 2 poached eggs on bread (Melbourne classic) and a list of sides to choose from (awesome).
While waiting for my food I ordered a freshly squeezed pineapple, orange, carrot & ginger juice to kill time and keep the metabolism happy.

Food hit the right spot. Coffee hit spots I didn’t know I had. 

The place lures you in with a mix of Parisian flair and art gallery feel.
You kinda expect the big creative minds from back in the day to walk past you and take a seat at the next table.

It is borderline pretentious. Yet there is something sexy and irresistible about the smug atmosphere.

The staff didn’t seem to care too much about their work, workplace or customers. That’s when sexy smug turns plain smug.

As for the coffee - the coffee is perfect!

I would come back just for the coffee. I would plan on getting it to take away but the atmosphere would lure me in again and I would sit there trying to figure out what it is that fascinates and bewilders me. Loving and dreading it at the same time.

“What? You haven’t been to Madame Brussels? You have to check it out!”

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard those words, I would have… well… about 6 or 7 bucks. Far from a million but still enough to actually go and check it out. 

Madame Brussels is one of Melbourne’s beloved rooftop bars. To be found on the 3rd floor of 63 Bourke Street. If you happen to be in the neighbourhood and in the mood for a fabulous cocktail or cupcake MB is the place to be.

The doors of the 90ies ramshackle elevator open and you step into cutsie, fluffy, girlie fairyland. Unless you have an auntie with a fable for pink and british chic you will have never seen anything like this. It’s awesome! The staff actually match the decor sporting cute little outfits. 

Extravagant and excentric on every level.

It is a quite expensive but the British-upper-class-after-Sunday-tennis-match-garden-party atmosphere is priceless.