Apologies in the extreme lateness in getting the third part of this extravaganza up! It had been a busy year! Hope you enjoy looking at the foodie photos as much as I do :)

For Part 2 of this post, click here ! :)

Sensory Lab

Website: http://www.sensorylab.com.au/

It was that time of the day when the eyes become heavy, the legs lethargic, and no amount of shopping can take away the gnawing longing inside. It is time…for some good coffee! And I’m in Melbourne…plenty of great coffee places to choose from. We were directed to Sensory Lab at the back of DJs in the city.

What a funky looking place, it’s a Science lab! I was quite impressed. There’s a station where all sort of coffee making equipment is on display and sold, another of the coffee beans for sale, another facing the street where the coffee is made, most convenient for the takeaways.

The decor is themed similarly as well – check out the measuring flask that contained our water – IsoLab 1000ml! Hehe

We settled ourselves on one of the long benches and had:

• Chai Latte
• Long Mac (Champion house of Colombia Santuoria, Guatemala Antigua, Kenya Kirimara blend)

I looked around and saw an interesting drink on another table. Being the inquisitive me, I started chatting with the staff and asked what that drink is all about – it turned out to be a chilled filter coffee of a different blend Geisha SCAA. Ooo I must try and it promptly came. It was very strong and smooth!

I had never ordered two coffees in one sitting before, and both strong coffees too. Needless to say, I was buzzing after that. Love this place, the concept, the coffee, the friendly service!

Rating:  4.25 out of 5 stars

St Ali

Website: http://stali.com.au/

St. Ali was a recommendation by a local friend. It was a fair distance from the main tram line but well worth the visit. The outside is very unassuming (is it even a cafe?), I would not have ventured in had the map on the phone did not point to the location. Seemed like an old warehouse turned quirky cafe!

The inside:

We had:

• Flat White ($4) and Long Mac ($4) – House blend of Guatemala San Antonio and Colombian Narino

Amazing coffee! It was aromatic, full bodied and had a nice finish. Now I know why this place is so highly recommended for its coffee. My friend was so impressed that she ordered another Flat White to take home.

For brunch:

• Eggs poached on sourdough ($10.50) with added side of smoked salmon ($4.50) and avocado & feta mash ($4.50)
• Hook, Line & Sinker Trout ($30.50) – ocean trout coated in sumac and sesame seed with caramelised fennel, radicchio, cos lettuce, cherry tomatoes and walnuts

The Hook, Line & Sinker Trout was my order. It came out wrapped in a bag, looked special! Bonus point for the presentation. However the fish was dry for my liking and the salad bland. Not the best I’d had. The Poached Eggs turned out much nicer so I had a share of it :p The avocado & feta mash is one of the specialty recommended by the staff. I’m glad we ordered it!

Even though my dish did not turn out to my liking, I would back the next time round for their coffees and enticing cakes on display at the counter!

Rating:  4 out of 5 stars

Captain of Industry

This was a random find courtesy of Urbanspoon and I’m so glad we ended up here for breakfast, even just to experience another quirky cafe. This may be a hardware store turned cafe?

Tables seemed to be randomly place, and on each table an old piece of equipment is placed that makes you go, hey my grandparents used to have this at home. An old fashioned sewing machine with peddles was on one table and a telegraphy equipment of some sort on another. Even the counter is of shoes, typewriter, brush etc. The only sign of it being a food joint are the 3 muffins sitting on top of the counter and a blackboard sign at the back listing the food for sale.

After our order at the counter we walked past two rooms, and there were a barber and cobbler in business. What a sight.

We had:

• Avocado on toast ($8) and added goats cheese ($2)
• 2 cheese scramble with spinach ($9) and added mushroom ($3)

A very simple breakfast – it was great more for the atmosphere than the food. My cheese scramble with spinach on toast was very salty. We didn’t order any drinks as we wanted to visit Manchester Press just around the corner! A good experience!

Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars

Manchester Press

Another fun cafe to visit – it was recommended by a local whom we met at Mamasita. What this place is famous for (to my limited knowledge) is not only the coffee but the art that comes with the coffee. I was most excited to see what I will get. I had to request for my coffee art quite earnestly though – the staff was hopeful that the barista would do something for me. I thought it was automatic. Doh!

We just came from Captain Industry but ordered another small meal again – I tell ya, all Melbourne does it make you eat and eat!

• Home made Bircher Muesli with yoghurt and mixed berries
• Rhubarb Meringue Tart – just to look of it and you feel like devouring the whole tart by yourself! Yum!

The coffees came…*drum roll*…my friend just had a leaf deco on her but I got a man’s face! Yay, it was so cute! I stared at it for a long time before finally drinking it. It was great, I think I was more obsessed with the coffee art than the coffee itself!

Another great experience! I love finding all these small and quirky cafes! Manchester Press is known for its bagel as well, too bad we did not have any stomach space left!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Sushi Sushi

Website: http://www.sushisushi.com.au/index02.php

Our last stop in Melbourne before heading back to Perth was Sushi Sushi at the airport terminal. Great for a small snack before boarding. I had the Soft Shell Crab Roll and Seaweed Bag. Ahh, they did hit the spot!

Hope you’d been liking the Melbourne posts as there are more! I made another quick weekend trip a few months later. What for? You guessed it – food and shopping! Oh yeah :) click here!