Pellegrini's @ Bourke St, CBD, Melbourne.

Came here once yonks ago, and I remembered it being an old school italian coffee joint, with home cooked italian dishes. This trip I make it a point to go check it out again, as all the old joints are slowly phasing out. I did some googling to check how the reviews were, mostly bad regarding the service and quality of food. But hey, you won't know till you try it right. The place can get really busy, so I purposely woke up early and go there for brunch at 11am (aha perks of being on holiday). I expected a food nazi, came here solo, mind my own business, ordered my coffee and lasagna, but boy was I surprised. The guy serving me was nice and chirpy, poured an excellent cup of latte.

Check that out, lovely cup of latte. One of the oldest coffee bar in Melbourne, and they still maintained the standard.

The interior is very old school, nothing changed much. Just grab a sit at the bar, have a coffee, lay back and just chill people watching.

The lasagna, nice. Portion is big as usual for melbourne standards, had some trouble finishing it. A bit pricey, but I reckon in my books it's good stuff.

From my observation there's a lot of returning regulars that dine in here. So i'm sure there's something which Pellegrini's are doing right. As for me, the old guy behind the bar looks chirpy, the staff is courteous and friendly. I'll definitely be back next trip when I'm down in melb, just for a lovely cuppa and pasta.


Pellegrini's Espresso Bar,
66 Bourke St,
Melbourne, VIC,
Australia.

Stalactites @ Lonsdale St, CBD, Melbourne.

Now this place does bring back a lot of memories, where to go for supper in the CBD after a night out of drinking and clubbing? Well stalactites of course. A greek joint which serves awesome food.

I found out this place was closed for quite a few months for renovation. The place looks clean and modern now compared to the old days, and thankfully taste wise it did not drop a bit. Still as good as I remembered it.

This is where the magic happens, chunks of meat being roasted to perfection.

This round, I opted for a mix souvlaki on the go. Generous portions of lettuce, onions, tomatoes, chunks of lamb and chicken with tzatziki sauce. Perfect, just perfect. Damn it, I could really use a souvlaki right now.

They serve other awesome dishes too. If your dining in, do try their hot sausages, dips and breads, and the open bread souvlaki. 

Stalactites,

177-183 Lonsdale St, 

Melbourne, VIC

Australia.

Open 24 hours. 

Touche Hombre @ Lonsdale St, CBD, Melbourne.

Mexican food in the cbd, after happy hours, plus continuing sipping margaritas with good food, with a laid back ambience, I like this joint.

Very casual outlook with high tables and chairs.

Hot sauce to go with your meal, try it!

Nachos to share, now doesn't that look appealing?

Forgot to take a picture of the ceviche, this was I think 25% left of what was the dish. Tasted good though.

Beef cheek taco, small portions but just nice for me. The beef was good.

And the star of the night, would be the lamb ribs. Loved the marination, with a bit of fats, juicy, succulent and nicely charred.

Touche Hombre,
233 Lonsdale St,
Melbourne, VIC
Australia.

Oriental Spoon @ Latrobe St, CBD, Melbourne.

Met up and old friend for lunch and she suggested korean food. Never doubt a local, the food is good.

I was still on my recovery mode from the previous night, and what a better way to cure a hangover with a cold beer, carlton draught.

Jap chae, stir fry glass noodles with beef. This dish was executed perfectly. Noodles were smooth and the beef was juicy. I have come to a conclusion, food in Australia is generally good because of the produce and ingredients.

 Some sides which consists of kimchi, beansprouts and a mixture of egg tofu slices.

 We ordered two kinds of beef cuts, one normal, and the other marinated ribs. Just lovely, the steak was good, and the marinated ribs, even better.

The staff was courteous and fast, even helped us to grill everything. I honestly thought it's just gonna be another korean restaurant, but as I mentioned, never doubt a local, thank you for choosing this place for lunch.

Oriental Spoon,
254 La Trobe St,
Melbourne, VIC
Australia.

Brother Baba Budan @ CBD, Melbourne.

Melbourne is known for their cafe culture, this is the city I actually picked up my caffeine habit. If not, I would probably stick to my teh tarik and teh o's. Anywhere you go in melbourne, the coffee is excellent and of decent quality. Touchwood so far I haven't had a bad experience aha:) This place was in the CBD, and a mate of mine recommended it.

Some coffee beans for take away if you wanna bring back some.

Now look at that, one of the best cup of lattes for me on this trip. The people here take their coffee seriously. It's good stuff.

View from the outside, just a small joint that serves excellent coffee.

The place is constantly packed, if your lucky you'll be able to share a table with other people or just pick up and go. Highly recommended.

Brother Baba Budan,
359 Little Burke St,
Melbourne, VIC
3000
Australia.

Pho Dzung @ Russell St, CBD, Melbourne.

I've never been to Vietnam(should be on my bucket list soon), but first time I tried pho was in melbourne yonks ago. Fell in love with the dish immediately. Simple koew teow(rice noodles) in awesome kick ass beef broth, with all the beef spare parts. Quick fast affordable meal, filling and taste good. Now this joint, on my second visit to melbourne, changed my perspective, the broth is good, but the killer thingy is the chilli oil. I make it a point to drop by every time I'm in town, and the place hasn't changed much over the years.

Quite an extensive menu, honestly, I doubt if I ordered anything else except the special beef combination. Maybe some spring rolls to share if there's a big group.

Can't get enough of this chilli oil, this thing packs a punch. Awesome! Surprisingly, they even sell it in a jar now, talk about the demand for this stuff.

Generous portions of taugeh (bean sprouts) and green leaves. The taugeh is super crunchy.

Check out the raw beef slices, the special beef combo comes with tendon, tripe, brisket and beef sausage with peppercorn.

Garnish with some taugeh, few teaspoons of the chilli oil, twist of lemon and slurp it down slowly. I'm actually still craving for it as I'm writing this. One word, superb.

Pho Dzung,
234 Russell St,
Melbourne, VIC,
3000 Australia.

Boreks @ Victoria Market, Melbourne.

Next morning and I'm back at vic mart for breakfast. I saw this stall previously and decided to give it a try.

Seems like a turkish bread filled up with minced meat or some other fillings.

They sell other stuffs as well. But I'm here for my borek!

Ordered a chai latte from the same borek shop, lovely.

And this is it, spicy lamb bored.

My first time trying this, and absolutely delicious, piping hot, thick bread, generous portion of minced meat. Reminds me of a kebab, but slightly different. It's actually a hearty breakfast.

Boreks,
Stall 95-96, Deli Hall,
Queen Victoria Market,
Melbourne, VIC,
Australia.