Tag: melbourne

Visiting Area Four

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Area Four

390 Little Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Area Four is one of my favourite coffee spots in the Melbourne CBD at the moment – good coffee, good vibes, super friendly staff, it’s just a nice little spot to head to and have a momentary escape from work.

The space used to be occupied by Naked Espresso Bar, which had some good spells until it changed hands as original owners Tom and Shanny moved on to other ventures. The guys now running Area Four have really stepped it up though and have brought the little shop back to its former glory, and then some!

The coffee here is from Industry Beans, with the ever popular Fitzroy St blend as the house blend. They also offer rotating single origins from the same roaster for black coffees. I reckon these guys do Industry Beans as well as, if not better, than Industry Beans themselves. The coffees that I’ve had here have been consistently good. There’s a few breakfast options, pastries, and old-school jaffles – the nutty monkey with banana and Nutella is a personal favourite.

At $4.20 for a milk-based coffee, it’s a bit more expensive than the norm, but that the price point that most decent coffee shops are heading towards these days, so no complaints from me. I’m more than happy to pay a little extra for a good brew (plus you get a chocolate tiny teddy with dine-in drinks!). The real highlight here though is the service. The staff are super friendly, coffees are made and served swiftly, and with a smile.

Back to my (Hunters’) Roots

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Hunters’ Roots

26 Katherine Place, Melbourne

With today being sunny and (relatively) warm, I felt like a light and fresh lunch.

Salads usually leave me a little sad and unsatisfied so today I opted to a miso salmon bowl from Hunter’s Roots, with cold soba noodles, roasted cauliflower, edamame, pickled cucumber and radish, and some greens.

Hunters’ Roots is a pressed juice and wholefood café that’s tucked away in Katherine Place, just off of Flinders’ Lane near the Spencer St end of town.  The space is small, yet functional, with a few seats available to dine in.  Service was friendly and swift, despite the café being fairly busy at lunch time.

My miso salmon bowl was everything I had hoped it would be – fresh, vibrant, with really well-balanced flavours.  The salmon was of high quality, perfectly cooked and paired well with the other elements.  The only downside for me was that the soba noodles were a bit soft for my liking.

The menu is fairly limited, which is understandable given they don’t have much kitchen space.  However, customers have the option to choose their own ingredients and make their own bowl.

At $16, the miso salmon bowl was a bit above the average price of my usual lunches, but in this instance I was not disappointed given the quality of the ingredients.  Hunters’ Roots have also recently announced that they are now sourcing all of their meats from Meatsmith, which is a big plus in my book.

Brother Baba..what?

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Brother Baba Budan

359 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

Brother Baba Budan (or BBB as many of the locals call this little coffee shop) is a Melbourne institution.  BBB is where I had my first taste of “specialty” or “third wave” coffee back in 2008 and I absolutely fell in love with coffee and the Melbourne café scene.

To this day, BBB is still one of the busiest coffee shops in the Melbourne CBD, and for good reason – BBB is run by one of Melbourne’s most prolific coffee roasters and café operators, 7 Seeds.  The beans are sourced directly from origin, and roasted fairly light, which accentuates the fruity flavours of the coffee.  If you’re not a so-called “coffee snob”, you’ll nevertheless appreciate the good vibes, great tunes and friendly service.

At $4.20 for a black coffee and (I think) $4.50 for a milk-based coffee, BBB is definitely at the expensive end of the spectrum.  That being said, just like with anything else, when it comes to coffee, you usually get what you pay for in terms of quality.

The coffees here might not be to everybody’s taste (some might find the light roast a bit too harsh and acidic), but if, like me, you enjoy a zingy “s’pro” from time to time, BBB will certainly hit the spot.

BBB is open until 5pm on most days, and until 7pm on Thursdays and Fridays, which makes it perfect for a late afternoon pick-me-up!