Melbourne: Where I Ate In 2013 (Part 2)

In 2013 I ate a lot of great meals, a few average meals, and a few not so great meals. When I write my reviews, I tend to stick to writing about the places that interest me and that I liked – it’s why anyone who reads my site regularly will notice that my reviews are generally positive. I don’t bother writing about things that I don’t like unless there’s a good and specific reason to do so.

I don’t take my camera with me everywhere, and I don’t take photos of everything that I eat. There’s a time and a place for that and more often than not I’m out with friends in a social setting and taking out a camera all of the time isn’t something that I feel like doing, nor something that I think my friends would appreciate!

What does all of this mean? There are a lot of places that I ate at in 2013 that I never wrote about and never took photos at that, looking back on the year, I’d like to talk about. These aren’t detailed reviews like my usual posts, just a brief run down on some of the places that I ate at that I’ve not mentioned on this blog yet.

Part 1 of my “Where I Ate In 2013” list can be found here.

Jimmy Grant’s

Jimmy Grant’s, along with Gazi, were George Calombaris’ attempts at moving towards a more casual style of dining, a trend which was evident across Melbourne in 2013. Jimmy Grant’s isn’t ground breaking, with many of the menu options being those that have been on the Hellenic Republic menu for years. Is this a bad thing? No. Souvlakis, dips, roasted meats etc are all very tasty and priced very well. One of the new items that I loved was the dark chocolate Wagon Wheel filled with raspberry jam, marshmallow and peanut butter (all the sweets at Jimmy Grant’s are, in fact made by Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio). The funky vibe and great music are a bonus.

Jimmy Grant’s

113 Saint David Street
Fitzroy
Victoria 3065
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9416 0060
Email:          n/a
Website:      http://jimmygrants.com.au/

Open
Mon – Sun: 11:00am to 10:00pm

Jimmy Grants on Urbanspoon

Baby Cafe & Pizzeria

Baby is owned by the brains behind Chin Chin, Chris Lucas. With a pedigree like that, expectations were high. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the menu is traditional Italian. Pizza, Pasta, Salads and a selection of mains and extras. Baby isn’t quite the next Chin Chin in what it does with the food but it’s a solid meal and the ingredients are all quality. I went with my wife, grandmother in law and some of her friends and all of the older crowd had a great time – loving the vibe and the food. Good food and an atmosphere that won’t offend anyone.

Baby Cafe & Pizzeria

631-633 Church Street
Richmond
Victoria 3121
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9421 4599
Email:          [email protected]
Website:      http://www.babypizza.com.au/

Open
Mon – Fri: 7:00am to 11:00pm
Sat – Sun:  8:00am to 11:00pm

Baby Cafe & Pizzeria on Urbanspoon

East Elevation

Brunswick East’s Monsieur Truffe rebranded the cafe portion of its factory asEast Elevation in 2013. I’d eaten there before and thankfully, nothing apart from the name had changed. Breakfast and lunch options are excellent and of course, the highlight is the amazing chocolate, one of only a handful of brands in Australia that is made completely on site from the bean. The staff are always really friendly and in fact the management were able to help my wife and I with a very special request in 2013 – they provided us with a bulk selection of their small chocolate bars with customised packaging for our wedding. The chocolates went down a treat on the big day. A range of chocolates are available to take away and thoroughly recommend the 72% Ecuadorian blend, which I use when I bake – it’s divine.

East Elevation

351 Lygon Street
Brunswick East
Victoria 3057
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9381 5575
Email:          [email protected]
Website:      http://eastelevation.com.au/

Open
Mon – Fri: 8:00am to 4:00pm
Sat – Sun:  8:30am to 5:00pm

East Elevation on Urbanspoon

The Spotted Mallard

The Spotted Mallard is not your usual venue. A former reception centre and ballroom it’s now a 300 seater bar/restaurant/live music venue. The furniture and vibe of the place is very eclectic and it comes together really well. It’s a unique spot that feels a bit special. Drinks wise, there are is a decent selection spirits and craft beers on offer. Food wise, the burger was great however the other menu options (a group of 6 of us dined there and all ordered something different) were very hit and miss. For me, it’s a place to have some great beer, a snack and see some great live music.

The Spotted Mallard

314 Sydney Road
Brunswick
Victoria 3057
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9380 8818
Email:          [email protected]
Website:      http://spottedmallard.com/

Open
Tue – Fri: 4:00pm to 1:00am
Sat:          2:00pm to 1:00am
Sun:         2:00pm to 11:00pm

The Spotted Mallard on Urbanspoon

Tom Phat

Tom Phat is a restaurant that’s heavily Thai inspired, but also borrows influences from all over South East Asia. They support local, small producers and use sustainable, ethical produce where possible. The food is good – not blow your mind authentic ala Bang Pop but good and definitely worth your time if you’re in the area. The vibe is chilled out and it’s full of people of all ages with friendly staff to match. The adjoining bar, Bah Phat is, as the name suggests, more alcohol focused with a decent happy hour between 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

Tom Phat

182-184 Sydney Road
Brunswick
Victoria 3056
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9381 2374
Email:          [email protected]
Website:      http://tomphat.com.au/

Open
Mon, Wed – Fri: 11:00am to late
Sat – Sun:            8:00am to late

Tom Phat on Urbanspoon

San Telmo

San Telmo in an Argentine restaurant with the parrilla (a huge charcoal grill imported from Argentina) being the obvious focal point when you walk into the dark and moody restaurant. The food is good, although surprisingly it was the empanadas, vegetables and sides that were the highlight rather than the meat which was good, but not as good as I had expected. The selection of Malbecs is excellent. San Telmo is not bad by any means and a great choice for a group dinner in the CBD, but not as good as the Argentine/Peruvian fusion of Piqueos in Carlton North.

San Telmo

14 Meyers Place
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9650 5525
Email:          [email protected]
Website:      http://santelmo.com.au/

Open
Mon – Fri: 8:00am to late
Sat – Sun:  12:00am to late

San Telmo on Urbanspoon

I Carusi

I Carusi was one of the pioneers of authentic Neapolitan pizza in Melbourne. It’s still going strong with it’s traditional Italian menu of pizza, pasta, salads and desserts. The highlight is, as to be expected, the pizzas. Perfectly crispy thin base, and a few quality ingredients on each pizza with the flavours really being allowed to stand out. There’s a lot of equally great competition out there these days, but if you’re in the area I Carusi is worth checking out.

I Carusi

46A Holmes Street
Brunswick East
Victoria 3057
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9386 5522
Email:          n/a
Website:      http://icarusipizza.com.au/

Open
Tue – Sun: 5:30pm to late

I Carusi on Urbanspoon

Thaila Thai

Walk into Thaila Thai and you’re greeted by a fast paced venue with Thai dishes being whipped up in the kitchen at a frenzied pace. The place is very popular offering food that straddles the line between authentic and modified for western tastes. Completely authentic it is not but when it’s good, it’s good. The problem is that the food here is not always good. Get the same dish two days in a row and you’re not guaranteed the same quality or flavour each time. It’s very well priced and I think that this value for money keeps people coming back despite the inconsistencies.

Thaila Thai

82 Lygon Street
Brunswick East
Victoria 3057
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9387 0659
Email:          n/a
Website:      n/a

Open
Tue – Sat: 6:00pm to 10:00pm
Sun:         6:30pm to 10:00pm

Thaila Thai on Urbanspoon

Horn Please

Horn Please offers modern North Indian food cooked using locally sourced ingredients and has a concise menu that’s a bit different than your usual Indian joint. Many of the favourites are on there, but the street food section is particularly interesting with dishes such as papdi chaat (a Mumbai street food favourite best described as “Indian Nachos”) providing diners with some things they might not have tried before. I love the beer fridge too. It’s full of craft beer and you grab what you like as you please which saves a lot of time waiting for drinks. My biggest criticism is that the space is not designed for conversation – this restaurant is loud.

Horn Please

167 St Georges Road
Fitzroy North
Victoria 3068
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9497 8101
Email:          [email protected]
Website:      http://hornplease.com.au/

Open
Mon – Tue: 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Thu – Sat:   6:00pm to 10:30pm
Sun:            5:30pm to 9:00pm

Horn Please on Urbanspoon

Vegie Bar

Vegie Bar was a place that I had to check out given it’s popularity amongst several of my friends and on Urbanspoon. I always like to know for myself if a venue warrants its hype. Vegie Bar has been open for over 20 years and offers, unsurprisingly, a range of organic, vegetarian and raw foods. The menu options take inspiration from all over the world. The food itself is decent, but nothing special when judged amongst the other options out there. Where Vege Bar’s food comes into its own is when compared to other vegetarian options out there. In this context it’s at the top of its game offering those who don’t eat meat an array of options that they just don’t get elsewhere, all in the one spot.

Vegie Bar

380 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy
Victoria 3065
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9417 6935
Email:          [email protected]
Website:      http://vegiebar.com.au/

Open
Mon – Fri: 11:00am to 10:00pm (Fri 10:30pm)
Sat – Sun:  9:00pm to 10:00pm (Sat 10:30pm)

Vegie Bar on Urbanspoon

Zaatar

Zaatar is run by the children of Chafic Choueiri, the man who opened A1 Bakery all those years ago. The food revolves around Middle Eastern pastries, meze, zoccacia (a foccacia style zaatar bread) and a few other bits and bobs. It’s tasty, quality, cheap and well worth your time – I’ve eaten here on many occasions.

Zaatar

365 Sydney Road
Coburg
Victoria 3058
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9939 9494
Email:         [email protected]
Website:     http://zaatar.com.au/

Open
Mon – Sun: 7:00am to 8:00pm

Zaatar on Urbanspoon

Trivelli Cakes

Trivelli Cakes is a family run Italian cakes shop and patisserie that’s been operating for over 40 years. It’s not trying to be on trend or do anything “exciting” – it’s just doing the same thing it’s always done. Traditional Italian cakes and pastries of the highest quality. It’s worth a trip out here even if you’re not local just to try a few things. The cannelloni (both vanilla and chocolate) is the best I’ve tried in Melbourne – who needs to follow trends when tradition is this good?

Trivelli Cakes

369 Sydney Road
Coburg
Victoria 3058
Australia

Telephone: (03) 9354 5165
Email:          [email protected]
Website:      http://trivellicakes.com.au/

Open
Mon – Sat: 9:00am to 5:30pm

Trivelli Cakes on Urbanspoon

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