paris vs ny: a tally of two cities

Doreen shared this website with me recently and I think it is the cutest thing ever.

I've been to Paris but oh so badly want to go to New York!

 Illustrations from http://parisvsnyc.blogspot.com/

palomino

Guess what? Annie's back in town! So guess where she took us for brunch? Northcote of course and a cute little cafe called Palomino. I didn't understand the name until I asked Annie why it was decked out with so many horse ornaments. Now I know...

How amazing are the lights above the counter? I get a little excited when I think about owning a place because then I can install my own light fixtures! Annie and Hayley laughed when I told them this...

Anyway, great coffee, good food and excellent lighting.

Big tick for Palomino. 236 High St Northcote.

granny graffiti

Knit graffiti is possibly the most inoffensive type of graffiti ever. When I first moved to Melbourne I noticed a knitted street sign down the road from where I lived in Brunswick. It made me smile but also got me thinking...who has the time to knit a jumper for a street sign!

Now this knitted graffiti seems to be everywhere, from crocheted trees to colourfully adorned bike racks. Apparently even books have been published, "Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti"

Beware the guerrilla knitters near you...

summer days

melbourne median strip

Victorians are a crazy bunch. In Queensland we used to play 'spot the Victorian' at the beach in winter! They were usually wearing minimal clothing and attempting to swim. But now I'm starting to get it. Any temperature above 22 and with sun should be cause for celebration after countless days of doom, gloom, 16 degrees and drizzle.

But another very Melburnian phenomenon is median strip sunbathing! I have attributed it to the fact the a lot of people in Melbourne don't have back yards and when the sun comes out they want to enjoy it. I've finally embraced this 'median strip madness' and basked in the rare sunny above 22 day. I'm hoping when I go up to Brisvegas for the summer hols the torential rain will hold off for a few days so I can make it to Noosa or Rainbow Bay :)

penny farthing

Sam and I were pondering where to grab a nice lunch last Saturday. Somewhere we hadn't been before...then I remembered reading countless good reviews about this cafe and with Northcote being cemented as one of my favourite Melbourne suburbs (thanks to Annie who took me there when I first moved down) we decided it was worth the trip!

I decided on the green pea & sage bruschetta topped with a poached egg & tasmanian smoked salmon. It was the perfect choice. Really light and fresh.

Sam had one of the specials - roasted eggplant, field mushrooms, bocconcini & basil with garlic bread. All of my favourite ingredients packed into one dish! I was tossing up between these two, so was pretty happy when I could have a taste of hers...

The coffee was amazing and the service was quick. Big tick for penny farthing!

penny farthing espresso

206 high street, northcote

opening hours

monday - 7.30am - 5.00pm
tuesday - friday - 7.30am - late
saturday & sunday - 8.30am - late

tiny terrariums!

I just bought a terrarium! I little tiny teadrop one I can hang on my wall. Terrariums were very popular in the 70’s but seem to be making a come back at the moment. A great alternative to a bunch of flowers!

idee fixe(s): honey snaps
lemongrass & ginger tea
emily green necklaces
terrariums! http://www.miniscapes.net/index.php

three bags full

three bags full is a great little cafe tucked away in the back streets of abbotsford.

I've been there a couple of times now after reading some great reviews and I made a trip back yesterday for breakfast with my sister who was in town.

great atmosphere and decor: industrial chic, stools made from old street signs, plenty of flowers to brighten up the tables, exposed light bulbs & antique scales to display cakes.

fantastic service: quick and friendly

amazing food: sticky black ginger bread with vanilla bean mascarpone, candied cumquats & pistachio for the sweet tooth. our savoury choice was roasted field mushrooms with garlic, rosemary, goats cheese and almond dukkah. yum yum!

it was pretty busy for a tuesday morning though, so either get there early, book or expect to wait!

three bags full 60 nicholson street abbotsford

monsieur truffe

chocolate heaven? I think so...

amazing amazing hot chocolate, to die for chocolate, great fit out, an awesome forest mural and a sister shop called L'atelier de Monsieur Truffe that has just opened up in Brunswick!

I particularly enjoyed the final sentence of The Age review on L'atelier de Monsieur Truffe...

'It's a compelling argument for Brunswick's status as the centre of the universe.' enough said.

monsieur truffe 90 smith street collingwood
l'atelier de monsieur truffe 351 lygon street brunswick east

fairytale folk

I wanted to share artist Julianna Swaney with you all. I love love love her work which is full of fairytales and forest folk. Her pictures remind me of a fairytale that never was. I bought one of her prints for my friend Alice recently (and also got one for myself!)

You can find her blog at http://ohmycavalier.blogspot.com/
and here is her shop http://www.ohmycavalier.bigcartel.com/

chouquette? oui oui!

So I've been in Brisvegas over the last week and have been madly trying to visit all my old foodie haunts! New Farm Sushi Train, Espresso Garage, Huong's & Freestyle. However, out of all these places, Chouquette is my favourite hands down.

It must be something to do with the French speaking staff who greet you with 'Bonjour' as you enter, the mouthwatering pastries and authentic French bread and the incredibly difficult time you spend deciding what to buy. My favourite? The pain aux raisin. Delicieux!

However, please be warned that the coffee is not very good. Maybe it has improved since my last visit... One can only hope. And also be warned that they are not open Monday and Tuesday. The French 35 hour working week is in full operation at Chouquette!

Tick for Chouquette? Oui oui! 19 Barker Street, New Farm

feral fruit trees

Dave and I went on a Saturday morning mission to pillage the fruit trees of Brunswick with the help of this amazing feral fruit trees map! http://feralfruitmelbourne.wordpress.com/  

Fruit that lies outside the boundary of private property is considered public property and therefore anyone can legally pick the fruit. We also found a few new trees to plot on the map.

We found lemons, olives, pomegranates and mandarins.

Although we were a little naughty at one stage and jumped a fence (no one was home as it was a work site) and grabbed some mandarins...

Here is our hoard from this morning!

Happy fruit foraging!