Journal

Shop 1, 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Ph: 9650-4399
Open: Mon-Fri, 7am-late; Sat, 7am-6pm

Journal has been around since 2004 and it's still as great as the day it opened.

Located next to the city library, in the Centre for Adult Education campus in Flinders Lane, Journal fits the part with its private club style interior, large communal tables and shelves full of national geographic magazines, antique looking tomes, design rags and newspapers.

Mosaic tiles fill the huge marble counter, giving the art deco space some colour, while huge windows facing out to the Laneway stream in light.

Journal operates on its tried and tested menu bolstered by daily specials consisting of a soup and a couple of hot dishes. Varying salads including a tasty bean and tuna or noodle are great in warmer weather.

A friend adores the crusty continental bread rolls with combinations of different cheeses and meats. It's a DIY mix and match affair. For me the bruschetta is a must - try the avocodo and lemon or pumpkin and fetta.

On my last visit I enjoyed an old fashioned potato and leek soup. It came with beautiful thick and filling sour dough, splattered with fresh, olive oil.

Con Christopoulos (Degraves, European, Supper Club, Commercial Bakery) is behind this now established city icon.

Few other venus have you happily perched on a stool at Journal's window bar shoulder to shoulder with strangers. Or squeezing at a corner of the shared tables. But getting cosy with strangers is worth it to enjoy the magic of simple food done beautifully at Journal.

In the evening antipasto and wine by the glass transforms the space into groovy wine bar.

Friendly and competent staff including Journal's lovable host and Christopolous' business partner John Vakalis who's always full of smiles and "hellos" adds to its charm.

Being too popular is probably Journal's only flaw. It's much harder to get a seat these days. And by writing this blog I'm probably not helping the cause.

Portuguese tarts and other quality pastries are a good way to end a meal at Journal. Coffee is also taken seriously and it's spot on.

Every visit to Journal is a joy.

10/10

- kate

Porgie & Mr Jones

291 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn
Ph: 9882 2955
Open: every day, 8am-4.30pm-ish

STOP press: the search for Melbourne’s best café is over.

At least in my world the search is over and, in an extreme stroke of luck, the café in question is within a hop, step and jump of my pad.

Porgie and Mr Jones is discretely tucked away in Hawthorn’s Auburn Rd shopping strip and has captured perfectly that illusive café vibe where everything is stripped back to basics yet still manages to ooze style. Many have tried to achieve this but I’m yet to dine in one that’s hit the mark as much as P&MJ.

Exposed brick, road signs hanging on the wall and terracotta pot plants mounted on steel holders start it off, a shelf of cookbooks behind the counter add to it and a cane basket of Noisette bread for sale near the door finishes the look off nicely.

It’s the kind of joint I’d love to be at the helm of but until my dreams turn to reality I’ll have to be content with being a regular customer.

And regular I certainly am. I visited three times last week and with each visit I fell more in love with the menu. P&MJ is open for lunch but I’m yet to tear myself away from the breakfast offerings.

I think my favourite so far is the signature dish of smashed avocado with thyme-buttered mushrooms and house-marinated fetta on toasted wholegrain bread ($13.90 or $15.90 with a poached egg on top, below). There’s plenty of avocado on the plate and the creaminess of the fetta almost rivals Meredith goat’s fetta, which is no mean feat.

The full breakfast with eggs, bacon, pork and fennel chipolatas, slow-roasted tomatoes and thyme-buttered mushrooms ($16.90, below) is a winner and while I’m yet to try it my sticky-beaking skills tell me the bircher muesli with cinnamon poached pears and cleo’s honeyed yoghurt ($9.90) is another gem.

But perhaps the most spectacular dish is the toasted banana bread with rosewater poached fruits, maple syrup mascarpone and crushed pistachios ($11.90). It is divine to look at, delicious to devour and, dare I say it, but it could well be Melbourne’s best brecky dish.

P&MJ even caters for the hung over with a glass of Berocca for $3 and the environmentally-aware and diet-conscious are looked after with organic, free-range eggs and – where possible – local ingredients.

I could rave about P&MJ forever. Instead (as much as it pains me to share this neighbourhood secret) I’m going to leave this review here and recommend as strongly as possible to check it out for yourself. It only opened in November and something tells me it’s well on the way to legendary status.

(Just in case you’re wondering the funky name comes from two of the three café’s owners: Georgina (Georgie) Smith and Jason Jones.)

10/10

- zoe

The Commercial Bakery

Rear 360
Little Collins Street,
Melbourne
Ph: 03 9670 7214

MY favourite city cafe has a new, flashy sibling. Flinders Lane superstar Journal has a rival in a roomier upstart the Commercial Bakery. The latest from Melbourne cafe guru Con Christopoulos is hidden off Little Collins St, near Elizabeth St.

The bottom floor of a bluestone gem, a former truck rental business, houses this interesting bakery. High ceilings, polished concrete floors and retro glass shutter windows retain the former warehouse/factory gone retro posh feel. It's essentially an extremely cool and original fit-out with coloured tiled walls and fabulous light fittings brightening things up.

Daily specials included a lamb and barley soup and pasta. A selection of sandwiches in massive slices of freshly baked sourdough bread with ham and cheese ($7), goats curd, beetroot and onion jam ($8.50), traditional salad and cheddar ($8.50) and corned beef, sauerkraut and mustard ($10).

We loved the chicken pie. ($11). It was fancy, with white wine sauce and thyme. Delicious soft, melt in your mouth pastry encased tasty chunks of chicken. beautiful. The field mushroom and herb tart was deliciously light, like a mousse. ($9). All pies come with a crispy salad of mixed lettuce leaves, contrasting nicely with the pastries.

Traditional spanakopita ($8.50) and lamb, olive and tomato ($11) pies complete the pie menu.
Pastries for the sweet tooth include old fashioned lemon tea cake ($7), baked cheesecake ($5) and shortbread ($1) and choc panaforte ($1.50). Quality coffee and San Pellegrini chinotto topped off our lovely lunch.

The good news is The Commercial Bakery is open for brekkie from 7am, serving up a small menu of varied toasts, egg and bacon ciabatta ($6.50) and semolina or oat porridge ($7). Bakery goods can be taken away.

8/10

Gloria Jean's Coffees

288 - 290 Flinders St, City (and 66 other locations in Victoria!)

DAILY coffee is a heavenly ritual. I’m thankful to live in Australia’s coffee capital, Melbourne, home of genius baristas and coffee snobs.

So it’s puzzling to see a brown and orange café chain pop up across the city as a purveyor of all things coffee. The daggily named Gloria Jean’s is everywhere. I’ve ignored it for however long it’s been here but was kind of forced into trying their brew recently. Trapped in a suburban shopping centre, choices were limited.

On the face of it starting an American style coffee chain in Melbourne’s CBD seems as nonsensical as putting Starbucks in the middle of Lygon St, our own slice of Italy. Yet Starbucks remains so perhaps they're onto something.

A regular skinny café latte at Gloria Jean’s is a large anywhere else, setting you back $3.35. A small is normal coffee size, $2.95.

For my money, the pathetic excuse for a café latte that arrived was dreadful. Lacking body, it had an empty, unsatisfying taste reminiscent of bad percolated coffee. The latte was deeply unsatisfying, lacked the heavenly aroma that is part of coffee’s joy and completely without oomph. More like coffee flavoured dishwater than golden elixir of life. Hideous.

You might rightly ask who am I to criticise? And I will argue I know what I like... and what I don't. I love the coffee from Mario’s in Brunswick St, Pellegrino’s in Bourke St and coffee from my local in the IBM tower made by two-time barista of the year Tana.

How could it be that GJ's offers a product so utterly unappealing, in my view, when it specialises in nothing but coffee? I made some inquiries and the staff happily told me the beans I was not enjoying were the chain’s Italian roast blend, boasting a “rich, assertive and extremely flavourful” flavour.

Later a look on their website revealed the coffee is “specialty handmade” and I should have tasted “the care and expertise that has gone into every step of the coffee making process.”

I also discovered this franchise began in Chicago 30 years ago and was brought here by the former head of Sydney based DDB Needham advertising agency Peter Irvine, with coffee businessman Nabi Saleh 12 years ago. And people other than me are liking it. Today a staggering 185 stores have popped up across the country.

I didn’t bother finishing my GJ latte. I’d happily concede the poor taste was a one-off, but another attempt at Gloria Jean’s at the airport produced the same flavourless taste. At least they’re consistent.

Perhaps the idea is to try the flavoured coffees. There are plenty ranging from café mocha and caramel latte, to the swanky Irish nut crème which costs a whopping $5.20 for a large.

On the plus side, GJ’s has free newspapers and staff are cheery. Everything is super-sized and operates in a McDonald’s style efficiency where fast service is the key. They take your name and you wait as the barista whacks out your coffee. Your name is yelled out and a coffee left waiting for you to put your own lid on and add your own sugar.

I’ve been told by a friend the soy milk used is quite decent and for non-dairy drinkers, a good option. But I just don’t get it. Can someone fill me in?

2/10

- Kate

Carousel Café

22 Aughtie Dve
Albert Park Lake
(03) 8646 6008
Open: 8am – 4pm daily

THE Carousel café is a top spot to perv at celebrity weddings going on next door in the posh Carousel restaurant. I know because I did it recently.

Aussie swimmer Grant Hackett was getting hitched to pop starlet Candice Alley amid a media circus at Carousel. As a member of that circus I got comfortable in the adjoining café to watch the fun and what a good move that was.

While the celebrity couple chose to hide behind curtains to avoid prying cameras, the glorious view of the lake and city skyline was mine to enjoy from the café’s timber balcony.

Subsequent visits have shown the revamped Carousel delivers more than B-grade celeb nuptials and doses of cheeky charm from the café’s spunky waiters make the experience super fun for those of us not members of the celebrity world.

The modern, chic setting is completed with splashes of colour from divine French (Basque) linen cushions. In my mind, attention to detail is what makes this place tick. A bit of research reveals John Van Haandel, responsible for Stokehouse, Circa and Comme, is behind the operation, along with catering company Food&Desire.

In charge of food is executive chef Owen O’Neil and sous chef Frenchman Yvan Meunier, formerly of the Boathouse in Sydney.

The menu is seriously good with standouts like home-made spicy lamb sausage rolls w/ quince chutney & leafy salad ($12) and the carousel mezze plate which changes daily, featuring the chef’s selection of tapas-style morsels w/ grilled olive ciabatta ($16). Daily specials and a quality but wine list top it off.

We went back for all day breakfast last week and were not disappointed with the new winter menu. The Carousel brekky – toasted pide with scrambled eggs, tomato pesto, sautéed mushrooms & crispy bacon ($14) – garnered praise from a hungry brother-in-law.

I was excited by the Bircher muesli ($5). With a perfect creamy texture, this Bircher is not overpowering or glutinous. I can’t put my finger on why it’s so good, but it’s ranking high on my list of Melbourne’s best.

Poached eggs on toasted muffins, smoked salmon, baby spinach, tarragon aioli, and slow roasted tomatoes ($15.0) and the croque monsieur toasted high tin sourdough with smoked leg ham, gruyere and Dijon mustard ($10.5) got the thumbs up from other dining companions.

Prams are welcome as are dogs, trendy types, families and fitness fanatics who have earned themselves a feast after a run around the lake. So be warned, Sunday brunch can get manic.

This place is a winner. Get to the lake. Now.

8/10

- Kate

Sweet Source

288 Rathdowne St, Carlton North
(03) 9348 2998
Open: Wed-Fri: 8.30am-5.30pm, Sat-Sun: 9am-5.30pm (closed Mon-Tues)

CUPCAKES are all the rage in Melbourne at the moment but you’ll be hard pressed to find any sweeter than those at Sweet Source.

Chef Zoi Condos’ chocolate and vanilla creations are the first thing you notice as you enter the cosy Rathdowne St café. And, if you go with your instinct, they’ll be the first thing you taste. Sure, Sweet Source has plenty of lunch options –baguettes start at $7.20 and the salsa verde tart is $6.50 – but when you’re at a café like this there’s no shame in going straight for dessert.

Condos obviously has a soft spot for comfort food. After all, it’s not often you find Lime Delicious on a menu. Just like the lemon ones grandma used to make after a lamb roast, it’s a steal at $5.50. But then again, so is the chocolate Smartie brownie for $3.20 a slice. Other options include a fruit pie and Linzer torte but only the extremely strong willed could say no to one of Condos’ spectacular cupcakes piled high on the antique cake stand on the counter.

Topped with vanilla frosting, each is so fluffy you’d swear it was fresh out of the oven. In the interests of research I’ve tried both the chocolate and vanilla options and on both occasions found it was the perfect size for my sneaky mid-afternoon snack. Each cupcake is $3.50 well spent but if you’re watching your sugar intake then perhaps you could compromise with a bite-sized one at $1.90.

Coffees are $3 and if you’re part of the burgeoning chai latte movement you’ll pick one up for the same price.

Carlton North locals have been getting their sugar fix from Sweet Source for about a year. Condos opened the doors after years of fine-tuning her pastry chef skills in New York, London and more locally at Stephanie Alexander’s Richmond Hill Café and Larder.

Clearly, she knows what she’s doing in the kitchen so next time you’re in the neighborhood nab yourself a window seat, browse the collection of Gourmet Travelers and sink your teeth into a cupcake. You won’t be disappointed.

7/10

- Zoe

The Pavilion Cafe

Fitzroy Gardens
Clarendon St end, East Melbourne
(03) 9417 2544
Open: 7.30am - 5pm, every day

I NEVER knew I was a garden lover until I discovered East Melbourne's magnificent Fitzroy Gardens. Established in 1848, this city oasis boasts soaring trees, manicured lawns and pristine garden beds.

Hence the view from the Fitzroy Garden's Pavilion Cafe is nothing short of magical and therein lies its goodness. Gigantic oaks, elms and other European greenery envelop this understated café which sits on the hill next to the miniature Tudor village and fairy tree.

How can this local treasure lie here in Melbourne, practically empty? In London or New York it would teem with crowds.

A perfect spot for children, babies and dogs, The Pavilion should be chockers. Being in understated Melbourne and off the well-worn cafe trails of South Yarra, St Kilda and Carlton, there’s plenty of room during the week to grab a table.

The slate stone balcony gives the cafe a celebrated 50s feel and plenty of room to sit among gardeners' paradise.

All-day breakfast on weekends features eggs Florentine and Benedict, omelettes, homemade muesli, fruit salad, croissants and sour dough toast. Simple salads, fish and chips, pasta specials, foccacias and soups are standard lunch fare.

It would be criminal for the food not to match its surroundings. Sadly the day we visited it fell short. Dad's shepherd’s pie from Brunswick pie maestro Bocastle was slightly burnt. The soup of the day, potato and leek, was uninspired but propped up by quality sour dough. Other specials including a good calamari salad and rich cannelloni were enjoyed by my companions. A passable hot chocolate perked things up a bit.

The Pavilion and its outlook are delightful. It's a simply stunning place to be.
Fingers crossed, the food will improve so I can gush about the fare and not just the gardens.

5.5/10

- Kate