touche hombre, melbourne.

I am a huge fan on Mexican food so when I walked past this place on my recent trip to Melbourne I knew I had to pay them a visit before I left.

The moment we sat down we were given a bottle of water, in an old tequila bottle (pictured below). I love using old bottles etc. and repurposing them so when I saw this I loved it!

We then proceeded to pour over the menu, which was completely in mexican/Spanish... so that made ordering a bit...interesting, but luckily we knew figured it out pretty quickly what was what. When we made our order we quickly found out what we thought was an uber cheap meal was going to be a little more expensive as the $6.50 we saw for the taco was per taco.. (yeah, I'm used to my Sydney mexican place which serves a few tacos for a cheap price...) so we were told to grab an entree to share. With that we went back to looking at the menu, not knowing what any of the entrees were and decided to grab the Totopos because the description sounded similar to nachos..

When the food came out we were grateful to the waitress who told us to order more. The highlight of the evening would have to have been the Totopos, which in my mind would've went down with one each because they were THAT good.

Find them:
233 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC

Entrees: Totopos, $12

Mains: De Carnitas (left) & Del Coronel (right), $6.50 each

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cookie, melbourne.

When I went down to Melbourne with my best friend two years ago, her cousin told us that we HAD to visit Cookie - a cocktail bar. Being a lover for a good cocktail we went down there not knowing what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised.

The cocktails are among the best I've ever tasted, it is the Melbourne equivalent of my watering hole Kuleto's in Newtown (read my review here). The only downside to Cookie is the price is quite high, and they don't have the happy hour deal I'm use to at Kuleto's - and to be honest, the Toblerone at Kuleto's is much nicer. It was also sad to see that a lot of the drinks that were in the menu 2 years ago have now disappeared - my much raved about thickness of their menu was scoffed at by my boyfriend when I saw that the menu had shrunk.

Regardless, I do love the extravagant nature of their drinks and a good cocktail bar is hard to find.

For those who are daring enough they serve this drink (first picture below) called the Dry-Hopped Chocolate Zombie which will only be served once per customer, per evening. It is a lethal mix of absinthe, grenadine, chocolate liqueur - just to name a few of the ingredients. My boyfriend and I shared this and after a few sips each I was tipsy. I wasn't a huge fan of the taste as you could taste the absinthe quite heavily, but definitely worth a sip or two to share!

Find them:
Level 1, 252 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC

Dry-Hopped Chocolate Zombie, $30

Strawberry Daiquiri, $20

T-Lam-Chi, $19

Toblerone, $20

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the soup place, melbourne.

I stumbled across this cute little place called The Soup Place during a typical Melbourne sudden storm. Although the storm caught me off guard, it was perfect weather for dining in at this cute soup kitchen. With a great range of soups, including my two favourites minestrone and pumpkin, the Soup Place is perfect for the cooler months ahead.

The portions are perfect for the little price - they have three take away prices starting from $7, and one huge dining portion at only $9. They also serve tacos and a variety of other great nibbles other than soup. This place is definitely a great place to hit up during the cooler months. Now, I just need to find something similar in Sydney.

Find them:
Shop 14, Centre Place, 256-260 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC

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tropicana, melbourne.

With bags of oranges hanging around the entrance, it's easy to dismiss Tropicana. I stumbled across this place while I was in Melbourne with my best friend. We were both starving and this cafe was a few blocks from where we were staying so we decided to give it a chance.

As you enter there are posters of this gorgeous fuchsia juice claiming to be the best juice in the world, money back guaranteed. Now, whenever I see these outrageous claims I scoff and walk away but with the money back guarantee there was nothing to lose. But take my word for it, this is the best juice I've ever had. The only problem is that there isn't enough of it in one serving.

I had the chicken, avocado and tomato sandwich + juice meal which was $11.70 while my boyfriend had waffles + juice which was $12. The food was okay, it was much better the last time I ate there but I still highly recommend going there to try the South American Juice.

Find them:
213 Elizabeth St, Melbourne, VIC

 
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cafe no. 5, melbourne.

Our second morning in Melbourne my boyfriend and I scoured Degrave Lane in Melbourne for something to eat for breakfast and soon stumbled across this cute cafe, Cafe No. 5. They had a huge range of paninis to choose from, all $7.50. My boyfriend chose the chicken schnitzel while I had the BRAT: bacon, rocket, avocado, tomato.

I definitely recommend popping by there if you can to grab a panini to eat in or on the go! The flavours were amazing, mine was served with a mustard seed mayonaise and the service is great! Not to mention the cafe is adorned with odd ornaments like a giant emperor penguin sitting on a ledge up the back right corner...

Find them:
5 Centre Place, Melbourne, VIC

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breizoz, fitzroy.

When I first found Breizoz three years ago I immediately fell in love - with both the crepes and the French people with REAL FRENCH ACCENTS who work there! 

When you open up the menu you are spoilt with choice. You can choose between the savoury (galettes) or, if like my boyfriend's initial reaction, you think crepes are a sweet only thing they have an equally long sweet crêpes selection. I've tried crepes from both savoury and sweet and my recommendation is, have your savoury crepes for a main, sit and chat over a cup of cider (a recommend drink to go with the crepes) and finish off with a nice serving of sweet crepes.

The best thing about this place, other than the amazing food and people that work there, is it's cheap. Ranging from $5.50 to $17 there's a price range for everyone. What I had on my latest visit was something I stumbled across on my first visit - the first time I found this place I went every day for the week I was in Melbourne... - the goat cheese and onion galette which was a cheap and filling $10.50 while my boyfriend had the ham and cheese, $9.50 - sorry there are no pictures of his crepe, before I could snap it up he had already finished most of it!

Find them:
Cnr Gertrude St & Brunswick St, Fitzroy, VIC

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sushi hotaru, sydney.

My love for Japanese food stemmed from my first encounter with sushi trains as a young lass. The best thing about sushi trains are that they are THE perfect fast food places. You're not going to get food faster any other way, and not to mention it's healthier than a meal from Maccas.

The best thing about Sushi Hotaru is that every dish is only $3, which is incredibly cheap if you've ever been to any sushi trains, AND the sushi from Hotaru is simply amazing! My favourite of all dishes there is the soft shell crab (second picture below). I don't know what it is that makes it so amazing, but ever dish you try is amazing!

Find them:
Shop RP1, 500 George St, Sydney - inside Galleries Victoria.

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pattison's patisseries, top ryde.

I first stumbled across Pattison's Patisseries about 5 years ago when I lived in up north and drove past that St Ives branch daily. The moment I walked in I knew this was a love that would last, and it has. Pattison's both have a little something-something to curb your savoury and sweet pastry cravings. Although the price is a bit expensive, especially for a student income, the food is well worth the money when you can afford it! The quality is absolutely amazing and will have you coming back for more!!

Find them:

My local Pattison's is located in Top Ryde shopping centre but they also have several other stores in Sydney. Find your closest one here!

Turkey & Brie Turkish Sandwich, $7.40

Provencal Quiche, $7.40 (dine-in) / $6.20 (take-away)

Tomato & Basil Quiche, $7.40 (dine-in) / $6.20 (take-away)

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saigon bowl, strathfield.

I first discovered Saigon Bowl when the tennis club around the corner was packed and it was the best discovery ever! The Saigon Bowl is where I go for food in Strathfield. The food is made well and quick, given there isn't too many people. Although I've been there more times than I can count on my hands and toes I only eat two dishes there. I'm not a very adventurous eater, if I like it then I don't change.

Find them:
3 The Boulevarde, Strathfield

 Crispy Chicken with Tomato Rice, $12.50

Beef Vermicelli, $13

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the rustic pie co., top ryde.

Recently I paid a little visit to my second closest shopping Mall, Top Ryde. Although I've been to Top Ryde more times I can count on my hands and feet, I had only ever really walked around the carpark and the first two levels. However, on a whim, one day I decided to visit it on my own which meant I took public transport and upon doing so I came across the open air strand which housed a variety of cute cafes such as The Rustic Pie. A few days later I dragged my boyfriend to pay a visit to my new found food street.

I had the chicken and vegetable pie with a side of rustic chips and gravy while my boyfriend had the osso bucco beef and mushroom with a side of sweet mash potato and gravy. Both meals were a decent $8.90 and absolutely delicious and filling. The pies individually without the side would've cost $6.60 and $6.80, respectively. Any pie plus one side is $8.90 - sorry I didn't note down the prices for pie deals with more than one side.

They also had a really cute milkshake bar area which seems really promising. Will definitely have to go back and try out their milkshake!

Find them:
Located on the open air level "La Strada" at Top Ryde shopping centre, Sydney.

 

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mad mex, sydney.

Mexican food is probably my second favourite type of food right after a tied first of Japanese and Thai. I first stumbled across my real love for Mexican when I paid a visit to Baja Cantina (review coming soon!). I say real love because having school canteen nachos every week for a year doesn't really count...

So when I first stumbled across Mad Mex I knew this was going to be a love that lasted. Although the way the food is made is more fast food (the people behind the counter work through orders, and shoot through questions so quickly my boyfriend actually stumbled to order - so note: make sure you know EXACTLY what you want by the time you step up to the counter!) the quality of the food is absolutely spectacular!

My boyfriend got beef nachos while I got a beef quesadilla, and we both got a frozen margarita each. The nachos were good, but I've had better and a larger quantity at other places. The quesadilla was absolutely fantastic though! I loved it, so I definitely recommend this! The frozen margaritas were also really good, without a copious amount of tequila - something some places, and my boyfriend, have a tendency to overdo.

Find them:

I went to the one across from Central station in Sydney but they have a heap of different franchises popping up everywhere. Find your closest one on their locations tab.

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