Melbourne, Australia has a reputation.
A reputation for great food.
As our trip to this Southern Pacific food mecca approached, I started to day dream of tastiness that awaited us. We ended up spending a week in Melbourne hanging out with old friends and eating our way through town. I had to share some culinary high points with you. Follow me...
Cafe culture is strong here. In Melbourne, there must be more coffee shops per capita then anywhere on earth. I thought we loved our coffee in the Bay Area, but we are wimps compared to Melbournites. Wow. I found myself unable to resist the "flat whites" (dreamily perfect Australian lattes) that tempted me at every corner cafe. I could barely sleep my first few nights here because I was so overcaffeinated!
My friend Alex and I had one of our best meals in Melbourne at Sondito! a charming little restaurant run by a family of beautiful young Columbian hipsters.
P, the kids, and I had a fun lunch at Journal Canteen tucked away on the second floor above the city library. The challenge of finding this hidden gem added to the appeal.
A note of gratitude to Melbourne..... Not all of you out there have dietary restrictions and for the most part I like to downplay my own. I am a food lover first, and a gluten-free eater by necessity. Eating at home, this restriction is not a problem - we eat damned well. But, I have to say going out to eat in most parts of the world while having dietary limitations really puts a crimp in my omnivorous desires.
Melbourne is a gluten-free dream! Every cafe/restaurant/bistro/pizzeria/deli has copious gluten free options. I am not sure if this town is full of folks that are gluten-intolerant or if it is a food craze, but I LOVED having such ease eating anywhere we pleased.
We even got to go for a high tea at Hopetoun Tea Room an old Melbourne institution dating back to 1892 tucked into the Victorian-era Block Arcade. Gluten-free high tea? Who knew.
Tomorrow we head for Tasmania - a place I have always dreamed of visiting. The food is supposed to be amazing... fresh seafood, local produce, artisanal cheeses and wines. I'll let you know what we find.
Erin it was a blast eating and hanging out with you guys here in Melbourne! We miss you already. Have an amazing time during these next few months and we will see you in Bali soon.
ReplyDeleteLove,
C,A,E,A and L
Thanks you guys! We loved being with you and miss you already.
ReplyDeleteWe made it to Tassie.....talk soon.
xxoo
I have cafe envy! Also, I am happy you have a found a place where your gluten free lifestyle has not only been embraced but styled perfectly!
ReplyDeletexoxo
bianca
I love your culinary travels...and pictures are fantastic!!!
ReplyDeleteso glad to hear you have no trouble finding excellent gluten-free meals!
What a lovely jaunt through Melbourne. Thanks for taking me there. I've never been there so it's always great to view it from a tourist's eyes as well. I'm glad you ate well and enjoyed yourself. xoxo
ReplyDeleteLovely to see your photos - I really miss Melbourne now :)
ReplyDeleteHope you'll enjoy NZ's coffee culture and we'll hear from you soon
KS
Kristina is that you? We are in the South Island now and yes I am enjoying the coffee here as well:) And Otis is loving the "babyccinos."
ReplyDeleteIt was great having David's suggestions for Melbourne. Such a treat.
See you soon!
Redmenace,I keep thinking that you too might be taking a similar journey one day:)
M and Bianca, it was so fun to be able to indulge in the GF plenty!!!
as you probably discovered already in NZ they are called "fluffy" :)
ReplyDeleteKristina, yep we have discovered the Fluffy. The kids love the marshmallows!
ReplyDeleteHi Erin, I ended up here on your blog by a random series of link clicking, and then saw 'Australia'. As a homesick Melbournian, I cried reading this post. Thanks for an evocative touch of home!
ReplyDeleteHi Eleanor, Thanks for such a touching comment. Melbourne is an amazing city, where people seem to fully embrace the idea of savoring good food and coffee. I still miss the Flat Whites:)
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Great post! I am taking a trip next month to look for apartments in Melbourne and I am so excited to find all the cute little eateries and hole-in-the-wall shops! Such a cute town!
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