COFFEE - Melbourne - Hail Mary

This is short, all too brief. I just have to say that Hail Mary is a coffee mecca filled with coffees, coffee toys, and the best of us that use the toys with the beans to make the brews; I was a mortal man walking among the caffiendish gods.

They do coffee any number of ways. I signed up for a filter drip of Panamanian Geishas, or something like that. The flavours were intense and unique. As I was sitting enjoying every mouthful more and more I tried to find how I could describe the taste, but sadly I realised I could not liken it to much. I'll throw the word cigar out there, and say there was a warm biting which enveloped my pallet. Just delightful. Well worth the $15.

Green Eggs and Ham

I am Sam

I am Sam

Sam I am

That Sam-I-am!

Than Sam-I-am!

I do not like 

that Sam-I-am!

Do you like 

green eggs and ham?

I do not like them, 

Sam-I-am.

I do not like 

green eggs and ham.

-Dr Seuss

I shall sadly have to disagree with Sam. 

It's Seuss, not Zeus

-Me

Degraves Espresso Bar

So, Mebourne city, Sunday morning, the streets are busy with enthusiastic jostlers and joggers (I was there on some run themed day). After wandering past the crowds and the older buildings I eventually stumble upon a narrow alley way packed to overflowing with the scents of brunches, aromas of coffees, the chatter of the crowds. Absolutely mind boggling just how many cafes existed in this street, and not one of these could be termed average. We settled on one which was cosy, hip, and slightly overwhelmed looking staff - that is unfair, I would like to say they were friendly and interesting, and as a result of the Melbourne [running] races were moving at incredible speeds to ensure everyone was well attended to. 

Green Eggs and Ham!

Firstly, sadly, they did not refer to this dish as Green Eggs and Ham, this is purely something which I spent the whole morning musing over. 

Eggs (scrambled) contain pesto and feta. Again, serve with bacon and a yummy toasted bred and it's simple but effective. 

Om nom. 

Tomboy / Smashed Avocado

Admittedly I didn't know whether to lead with the Smashed Avo or the Brownie, as both are utterly amazing. Avocado won in the end though, as it always will with me.

Cafe

Tomboy is a superb little cafe up in Collingwood in Melbourne. I went here on a recommendation, and I shall forward recommend this place for getting some tasty morning grub. 

Smashed Avocado 

This is a delightful new way of enjoying avocado for breakfast. Basically we have avocado smashed together with some feta. Add in a bit of coriander too for good measure, fry up some bacon, toast some tasty bread, and top with a poached egg. Voila. Breakfast of champions.

Should you order this at Tomboy you should note that it doesn't come with bacon, but - like anyone would ever need to be reminded to add sliced pig - one should always add. 

My own attempt:

Breakfast to the MAX

I don't know about you but I'm a pretty big fan of my brunches. There's just something that tasty bacon, eggs, and fresh juice inspire to rise up in each of us, clearing the aches and revitalising the mind, refreshing you from the day before.

I've been unemployed a while and so have been surviving, mentally and physically, on the tasty cafe served grub. Recently I had the good fortune to hit up three truly superb cafes in Melbourne while there on a truly superb cheeky weekend away; Tomboy (356 Smith St, Collingwood, from memory), Proud Mary, and Degraves Espresso Bar. In each of these places I enjoyed smashed avocado, coffee, and green eggs and ham respectively.

Degraves Map
Tomboy Map
Proud Mary Map

If you find yourself in Melbourne then I cannot recommend these places highly enough. You must go to each!

Midnight feasts

So there's wine, onion and mushroom. And it's 3am. So, put all in pan. Find cream. Find spinach. Find pine nuts. Serve with pasta. Om nom. Now one happy midnight snack party.

What it's about

It's a Saturday which demands no alarm clock, track pants are required, and my kindle should be no more than an arm's reach away. The only intrusions in to my cave are the light creeping around the curtain's edge and the gentle hum of a city at rest beyond.

I'm a 26-year old shmuck in a small city. I'm an IT consultant living in Wellington New Zealand. I've recently moved in to my cliched apartment (which is actually a man cave crammed with Whiskies, Jurrasic Park pinball machine, and general good times), and I spend my time doing shmucky things, like donating money to Apple. Somewhere in between being raised properly and becoming an awkwardly mis-guided adult I developed an enthusiasm for food. It's such a significant part of my life that I was telling someone in Ohakune, after a hard day skiing last week, that "I'm not happy unless I'm eating". And afterwards I realised I meant it. I mean, I'm not saying I'm unhappy (because I am not), but really it's about the level of elation, when biting in to a beautifully seared beef carpaccio, or when sipping on that perfectly selected, dried, roasted, prepared flat white that overwhelms the senses completely and transports a person from the monotony of life in to a sensory overload, is unbeatable.