Feedings at Readings
253 Bay St
Port Melbourne
(03) 9681 9876
Public Transport: From Swantston St in the city, catch a Port Melbourne 109, jump off at Bridge St in Port Melbourne, Bay St is not far.
“I’ve missed really good coffee.” I’ve just sat in a corner back against the timber wall, and this is the first thing I hear from a woman who’s just about to depart. Good start. Soon our LBs arrive. Yep. Good. Nice strong genovese, correct fill. No meals for us today — just a coupla biscuits and a small lemon tart (excellent).
Above the kitchen, pleasant lime green high ceiling and the ceiling above me is pink. Its a Saturday morning and it’s quite, relaxed; people come and go, tables at the ready — nothing like the frenetic pace that seems to have taken over the weekend Brunswick scene lately.
The caf and the bookshop blend well. The caf has nooks, hidden corners. All the food — biscuits, cakes, wraps, stuffed rolls — look inviting. Bentwood chairs, gleaming wood. It’s a caf that combines space and intimacy.
I’d like to sit and muse, but the books and the Quarterly Essay I know await me on the shelves. I find the clientele interesting — certainly book-lovers without being bookish. There’s interesting-sounding wines by the bottle and the glass, wines whose names are unfamiliar to me. Also local and imported beers. These are listed on black boards and on discreet little printed lists nest to the tables.
Good spot. We’ll be back.