MELBOURNE | Several weeks ago, before lockdown ended, I was scrolling through Instagram and came across a photo of some white cheese. It reminded me of a breakfast that I’d enjoyed when I was Medellin, Colombia, and I commented as such on the post.
The photo was posted by Paula Gomez, owner of La Colombianita. Paula hails from Medellin, and last year decided to take the plunge and open her own cafe, operating out of York Street Cafe on the weekends (when the cafe was closed). Here, Paula cooks her grandmother’s dishes for Melburnians to enjoy.
The cheese that I commented on is called quesito campesino. It’s a soft white cheese, similar to ricotta, that’s commonly enjoyed on arepas in Colombia. I ate so much of it while I was over there.
During lockdown, Paula was taking orders during the week for weekend deliveries of her food. We got talking over Instagram and, after seeing my photo of the Medellin breakfast I had mentioned, offered to recreate it for me. How could I say no!
It’s a typical paisa (someone from a region in the northwest of Colombia) breakfast. It consists of quesito, calentao (mixed beans and rice), hogao (tomato and onion sausage), eggs, chorizo, avocado, and arepa. And yes, it’s as amazing as it sounds. Breakfast of champions sort of stuff.
Lockdown is, of course, over now, and Paula is back open for dine in. I can’t wait to pop into La Colombianita soon, and try some more of Paula’s amazing food.
La Colombianita
35 York Street
South Melbourne
Victoria 3205
Australia
Telephone: 0415 254 331
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Sat: 4:00pm to 10:00pm
Sun: 11:30am to 9:00pm