Queen Victoria Markets, Melbourne

The Vic markets have been in operation since 1878.   There are covered halls, open air stalls and old fashioned market alleys. Fast food and more can also be found in the series of shops adjacent to the markets proper.  It forms a unique suburban shopping town in its own right, although it is easily walkable to the site after alighting from one of the complimentary City Circle trams on the northern side of Melbourne CBD.

Open every day, except for Wednesdays, the stallholders are there mostly from 6am to 2pm, although there is a later start on lazy Sunday mornings from 9am.   The Dairy Hall is a particular attraction although I recommend walking around with an open mind and you never know what delights and surprises you may find in store.  For us on a March afternoon, we found delicious figs, touristy souvenirs like the trams and even the Sydney Harbour ferry plus a whole host of nutty produce at better prices than in Sydney.

There are the expected encounters with clothes, jewellery, breads, fruits, buskers, farm fresh eggs, China made stuff, Aussie originals, fast food and organic produce. The floors are relatively dry and  clean and not difficult to navigate.   You can also source gourmet and deli supplies apart from the well known tradition of trying jam donuts.

These are the largest markets of its kind south of the Equator.  Pirated goods used  to be the controversial profile of the Vic Markets in the first half of the nineties.  Solar panels were set up to provide renewable and cleaner energy arrangements for the markets in 2003.  There was even a significant attempt to close these markets in the seventies. The site of such markets overlapped with pre-existing burial grounds and  there had to be re-interment of buried human remains to accommodate the expansion of the markets.

For those who prefer more of agricultural produce and displays, there are farmers' markets in Echuca, Mytrleford, Mulgrave, Flemington, Torquay, Inverloch , Boorondara and Hume Murray outside Melbourne CBD.  Also worthy to check out in Melbourne city centre are the Prahran and South Melbourne markets.

York Lane Cafe, Wynyard - Sydney CBD

I first came upon York Lane as part of an exercise in a trial building fire drill. The literal lane was clean, quiet and unassuming, providing a break between high rises near the Sydney's Harbour Bridge and slotted neatly between York and Clarence Streets. I noticed Made In Italy along this lane then, with a counter facing the roadway and egg tray cubes making do as tables for lunchers. Tucked away slightly a few metres up north along York Lane is this cafe with an apparently simple entrance but with a much more colourful interior inside.

When you walk in, you cannot help but noticing the mirrors at the furthest end of the joint.  The square shaped tables are necessarily small and low, with stools offered for customers. The decor does set the tone, with a colourful mural on one wall and the bar on the other. There was a portable electric fan sitting inauspiciously during a sultry warm afternoon on the day of visit. I was told of the hanging bicycle before hand - and there it was placed snugly above, reminding me of the Clipper Cafe in Glebe, Sydney CBD. The cafe does not have a level floor but more interesting, it provides various platform and down step corners. You can have takeaway, but more delightful is to spend an hour or so soaking in the innovative interiors.

I am reminded of Melbourne lifestyles sitting inside the York Lane Cafe.  Coffee, carefully thought of snacks, wines, liquorsrs, juices and beers.  The menu comes on parched paper placed on small wooden clipboards. Service is fast despite being informal and friendly.  The house wine costs $6.50 when accompanied by a meal and there is happy hours between 2 and 4pm. Did I mention the bar? Yes, this unusual place is open till late on six out of the seven days (only closed on Sundays). Now there is at least a place to unwind after the late performance at the nearby Sydney Opera House or after a post work hours convention on a weeknight. Lamps look down at you from the ceiling.

I could not resist one of their signature menu items, the roast pork served with chili jam and a side serve of salad in creamy dressing. The crispy skin of the pork was well accompanied by the textured and juicy bite of the meat underneath.  The layer of fat was more than I expected but I thought it blended well.  Hey it was not that fat!  They did not have the Chinese styled duck slices with wraps that day. Later we topped up the visit with trying out the coffee - it was strong but had well chosen bean flavour and made with a creamy intensity, at least for my cuppacino!

Melbourne Revisited

Lane ways that surprise, delight and open our minds.

Waterways that exemplify the lifestyle and mindset of a metropolis.

Rows of sugar, spice and everything nice.

The way to a city's cosmopolitan heart can be through the diversity of its cuisine.

Sting like a bee, dance like a butterfly - fitness and tough guys match in Melbourne.

What at the same time separates and joins politics and the performing arts could truly be the level of creativity.

The passion for sports can be tribal, communal and intense.

Artistic, bohemian and innovative are the youngsters who seek outlets of expression.

The paparazzi on the move at Federation Square near the Flinders Street Station.

Towers of commerce, icons of growth and spirit of a capital city.

National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne

Straits of Malacca - Melbourne CBD

Hot tea latte on a wooden table.

Please note that this restaurant has since closed from time of writing of this blog post.


With a wall mural literally a photographic snapshot of a Malacca heritage institution and a location in busy Swanston Street, I reckoned this must be a mecca for university students form Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.  It lies within the radius of the university precinct, also overlapping with tourist walkabouts and office workers looking for quick and easy snacks or meals.  It provides low sitting tables and easy, unassuming food presumably inspired by the cultural, trade and migration confluence that is, and was, Malacca.  Malacca, which once had an empire in South-east Asia and controlled the trade and shipping routes between East and West, has now been recognised as a UNESCO heritage site.

But that is just history.   The reality is that the Straits of Malacca restaurant offers their version of street food and strikingly simple lunch combination menus, with a food dish of your choice and a drink, usually the favourite teh tarik.  We chose the bee hoon siam and ayam masak merah (red coloured spice paste cooked chicken) to test out the place.  My Kuala Lumpur mate and I wondered if the food had been toned down to suit mainstream tastes or the increasing China market.  They were okay for a mid afternoon snack but we did indeed expect more. A Sydney mate later said, when listening of my encounters of Malaysian styled food in Melbourne CBD, that he heard that the good stuff in this cuisine had moved to the Melbourne suburbs, unlike not long ago.

Bee Hoon Siam, or at least the southern Malaysian Peninsular version of this dish. I did not find the vermicelli
chili hot but it was okay.

I noticed a particularly good serving of roti canai and curry on another table.  We heard much chatter in Mandarin and Cantonese. We sensed the presence of regular and repeat customers, people who need not even look into the menu and ordered their fav dish immediately upon sitting down. The customers want their food reliable, consistent and accessible.  The staff were friendly and the place, once opened, welcomes people any time until they close at night.  Sitting inside, you could look out at the goings-on on the main street, with trams, strollers and other traffic providing both the backdrop and activity that epitomises Melbourne itself.

The Ayam Masak Merah was obviously under, or maybe I hoped for more kick in the taste

When one badges a restaurant with associations of Malacca, I sort of half expected unique delicacies from this long established  port city.  The Straits Indians and Chinese of Malacca left indelible imprints, together with the Eurasian Portuguese community, the Dutch and the British.  I expected opportunities to savour Devil's Chicken,  satay celup and braised mutton, for example, but they were simply not there.  Haha, I reckon I was expecting too much.  Instead it was another outlet offering the usual street food menu from Malaysia - the Hainan chicken rice, the curry laksa, the fish curry and stir fried noodles.

Ippudo - Sydney CBD

The promise of an enriching experience, preceded by reputation and expectation

I was given a choice of three possibilities for lunch, but we were already on level 5 of Westfield at Sydney's Pitt Street Mall, so for convenience I proposed heading towards the Ippudo, or the One-Wind Hall. This business started in Fukuoka in southern Japan, from which once I boarded a flight to Seoul, after thoroughly enjoying a few days going around the small but lovely island  of Kyushu. It's ramen, ramen, ramen from this chain which has established their evolving and continuing good name even before it reached Australia. So I did have a certain level of curiosity as we stepped in, got seats at a shared canteen styled table and was immediately attended by active staff.

The menu was simple enough to quickly realise they used the base portion for a start and then you as customer have the options to add the extra stuff, usually at AUD 2 for each layer added. More people flooded the relatively large hall of more than three shop fronts after we had been seated.  Curiously, every so often, the staff would collectively give a vocal and coordinated roar, raising the spirits of everyone working and eating in the restaurant.  The Ippudo has an open concept kitchen and also a viable bar.  The atmosphere seemed authentic and the resulting noise  inside the place was more than outside on the Level 5 Food Court.  Noise that usually one associates with yum cha joints.

Shiromaru or Akamaru ramen?  These Hakata stykled noodles are served with the tonkatsu (pork cutlet) broth spiced up with miso, garlic, seaweed and mushroom slices. It may not matter, for both has promise. Both of us thought the ramen served was like al dente, when compared to many of its competitors scattered across Sydney's Chinatown, World Square and lower Pitt Street.  This is serious growing up comfort and soul food for the Japanese - and one of the highest order. The state of ramen in the home country was not always like today and many efforts had been made to lift the quality of an almost national living treasure. I recall watching the movie "Tampopo" on SBS TV here - that exemplified the cultural love for this iconic dish.  As with any noodle dish across the Asia-Pacific, however, the crunch comes to the quality of the stock.  The Ippudo experience first migrated to New York and now its dishes can be found eaten by the discerning many in Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul and Taipei.

My first slurp of my chosen first time with Ippudo can be described as invigorating. With my Akamaru ( or Red Bowl), after swirling the condiment thoroughly into the soup and swishing the ramen around from bottoms up, the ensuing flavours rose up to even more potential. Then came the first swoosh for my palate - a thicker soup sensation than I anticipated, beautifully accompanied by the texture, relative hardness and flavour of the thin noodles themselves.  With such sensations, I looked at the tender slices of the pork belly which I added as an option - and knew I had made the right choice.  Taking ramen is a personal and stylish ritual in the heart of Japanese thinking and practice.

We recognised the term "chashu" as relating to "char siew" the Cantonese term for barbecued lean pork with a red border in Chinese outlets. There are choices of flavoured versus basic eggs to add as options.  There are also lamb and salmon creations, pork buns, shrimp buns, pork mixed tofu bakuretsu, Camembert tempura, pan fried dumplings and pickled stuff.  Some may find the asked for prices somewhat over the top, but I suggest viewing quality with corresponding pricing.  You observe many white or red bowls, synchronising to shiro and aka.  And then there's dessert which includes variations on the themes of lamingtons, panna cotta, chocolate, sorbet and ice cream.

Clarence Street, Sydney CBD, NSW

Clarence is an inner street of Sydney's Wynyard precinct bordering the iconic Harbour Bridge, primary business and banking district, Town Hall area shopping and the Circular Quay walks.  It is lined with wholesome and solid buildings with heritage architecture and parallels the main thoroughfare of George Street.  Often used by office workers and shoppers, tourists are mainly oblivious to this part of Sydney town, unless they venture form the obvious.  Clarence provides a different atmosphere when compared with the clutter of Chinatown in CBD south, the cool abandon of Hyde Park or the shopping frenzy around the Putt Street Mall.  It had its origins from another era, another place, that of the hat and necktie fraternity before and after the Pacific War, that close to the big end of town in  banking, business and evening elegance.   Above, a photo taken of the front of the Clarence Street Cyclery.

The Bar Tartine is the site of the Bistro Papillon, which offers French cuisine under the direction and creativity of Chef Ludovic Geyer.  With only 35 tables, it does open for both lunch and dinner and is highly recommended.

The sights and sounds of Clarence can be mainly in daytime. As the shadows of high rises cast a late afternoon shadow on winter days in the middle of the year, the road is often perceived in cool shades, with openings to some darker alleys, parking options and surprisingly delightful food and drink outlets. The foodie scene is geared towards early morning crowds spewing out of buses and trains at both Wynyard and Town Hall precincts.  They also do have a touch of catering for those seeking a niche and quiet refuge in small bars and cafes.  Chalkboards to list menus and barista lined cafes sprout like umbrellas on a rainy day.  Others view Clarence as a transition between major roads in the city centre, rather than it having  and holding its won character.  In this respect, it can be acknowledged that most people are on the way somewhere when walking along Clarence Street.  Yet others know of some delights along this road - P J O Briens' Irish Pub, the Hotel CBD,  the Bistro Papillon, The Bavarian Beer cafe, the Baxter Inn and the Arras Restaurant (which occupies the now defunct Becasse).

An illustrative breakfast and lunch menu at a cafe along Clarence.

Grandma's Bar occupies a previously abandoned toy shop.  The DeVine Food and Wine, at the corner where Clarence intersects with Market, offers three meals on weekdays and dinner on Saturday evenings.   It specialises in seafood tapas, artisan cured meats, Italian inspired pastas and risotto plus grilled meats and fish.  Japanese food lovers have the Kabuki Shoroku Seafood restaurant to check out, whilst the Machiavelli Ristorante caters to Italian cuisine.

Entrance to the DeVine Food and Wine from the Clarence Street side.