Kindly Yours

On any day, one must manage expectations in trying to find a seat - outside the Hardware Societe. This has been the darling and the positive delight of foodies, and still is.  Particularly appreciated by the Asian demographic, but really sited in a fantastic locale in the heart of Melbourne CBD, with students, trendies, metrosexuals, shoppers, tourists and hipsters swirling all around.  Located at the northern end of Hardware Lane (an iconic one at that), closer to Little Lonsdale rather than Lonsdale Street, it has been renovated with a more modern feel but with packed seating and very busy staff.  Considering the menu range, the number of eager customers and the constant demand, this is a challenging business model of providing continuing logistics, competitive innovation and required engagement.  The first thing I noticed is that some apparent repeat guests know how to approach the place like a hawk on arrival, zooming down on the next available table...

Elegance of the interior even after a long day. It is on a  side street away from the main strip of Toorak, but is walkable from the South Yarra Rail Station. With two shop fronts, it is more spacious than most cafes.  There are high ceilings and the place is tastefully appointed but in a simple stark way.  Operating as a breakfast and lunch hub, there is a rather imaginative menu playing with the best of ingredients.  I was delighted with my omelette even if it was late arvo, light and fluffy with a yummy sensation every time I bit into the spanner crab filling.   Service is quick and with a smile on a late January day.  No high brow and stuffy nose, nor over worked rush with vacant looks from the staff.  They complement the Adriano Zumbo Patisserie next door.  After a meal, you are not far from the alternative retail delights of Chapel Street. Spanner crab omelette garnished weight sweet chilli and fresh greens. Its Cl...

A unique Airstream Caravan is the centrepiece  for this eye catching espresso cafe location, not far from where Moor meets Brunswick Streets in Fitzroy, north east of the Melbourne city centre.  My top eat here is the Jerked Chicken Burger, generously graced with pineapple chutney, avocado, jack cheddar, chill lime aioli and tomato cuts. The hipster staff of Grub Food are friendly, engaging and conversational with customers.  The core of it all is of course the coffee.  What caught my interest is the organic cola hit with an espresso shot - the Chico - but I did not have that - yet. Beers, ciders, spirits, teas, wines and more are also offered. The  inner garden and courtyard.  As they say, "when the weather turns sour, smart grubs head to the Hole". Food served emphasises local food ingredients and sourcing.  The food choices are imaginative, creative and varied  - soy milk rice pudding, prawn gyoza, Spanish anchovies, smok...

Hayden Yeap with grand aunt at the Shark Fin's Restaurant in suburban Melbourne.  Hayden is clutching a red packet offered by Lucy to mark his very first one month. Photo credit: SC Yeap. Celebratory Straits Chinese snacks, the Ang Koo , made with tortoise shaped moulds and packed with steamed fillings of mung bean and sweet potato paste.  These are usually only prepared to mark the first month of new born infants, accompanied by round red coloured balls for boys and peach shaped snacks for girl babies. Edible red dye is poured over the shells of these hard boiled eggs.  Droplets of vinegar help to seal in a consistency of colour and eggs must be placed at room temperature to help ensure the shell does not stick to the cooked inside of the egg. Straits Chinese cuisine combines the best of southern Chinese  dishes with those of South-east Asia for over six hundred years.  Turmeric coloured steamed glutinous rice is often served with  India...

AS I took the opportunity to cull my household stuff recently, my subconscious was swirling in perceptions, held truths, facts and trends. What stood out in my mind was whenever I disposed of something out of the garage door, I realised that I am also bringing in something similar, albeit new, apparently fresh, through another entrance. Is the human condition meant to collate, accumulate and hoard - not just in physical goods, but also in memories, friendships, food and more? Logistically it is impossible to hang on to everything in tangible form and each of us have tho make decisions to let some go. Then comes cyberspace, the ICloud, Dropbox and whatever changing forms of seemingly endless ways of retaining endless things forever - and I get initially sucked in with this idea and virtual reality, till my internet mailbox has over flown more than my household postbox. Is the human mind conditioned to thrive in abundance, or has these past few decades been a unique time of wealth, c...