Melbourne Cafe Reviews

Vines Cafe & Bar
74 Barkly St
Ararat

Ph (03) 53521744
(Closed Wednesdays)

From The Age Good Food Guide 2007, ‘If only every Victorian town had an all purpose eatery and quaffery like this. Vines has the informal atmosphere of a great little breakfast spot but also feels special if you settle in for a serious evening meal.’

Initial feelings are rather less assuring. An interior door is unhinged and cranks open with difficulty. Banquettes are turned up at the edges. The place seems dusty.

But wait. The food is good and well-priced. Mine is a spanocopita for $12 with excellent salad. Delectable cakes. My standard l.b. has no crema in an over-the-limit fill.

There are two sections. The front, facing Barkly St. Those French cane chairs. Seems this place for mums and kids. Inside—tables and banquettes. Soft ochre walls and ceilings. And here’s the real treasure—perfect space. Tables not too close, not too far away. Never, in a cafe, have I seen before such perfection in this respect. I occupy a corner. I face across to the coffee machine. In another corner, ranks of wine.

Water at room temperature (a plus). Thick napkins. There’s a chalked sign that says, ‘All children running loose and unattended will be towed away and stored at the owner’s expense’. I fail to see any unattended children.

I’m here on the day after Obama’s inauguration. Auspicious. I feel expansive, relaxed, lazy. I grow into this place. It is good, despite the coffee. Service is well-paced. Music is very soft or non-exisitent. I have an hour before I return to the station and board the bus that will whisk me west. I plan that hour here.

Tin Pot Cafe
248 St Georges Rd
North Fitzroy
Ph 9481 5312

Your country reviewer finds herself caught in Melbourne some time between Xmas and New Year. She feels justified then, in penning a review in this august metropolis, turned as it is into a delightful country town for the holiday period. (A bit like Paris in August, one might say.) The mobs are dispersed to Rosebud, Portsea and Lorne, and cars are fewer. The wise are those who stay put. This is where the holiday is. Overwhelming choice becomes reasonable choice.

Window at Tin Pot

I’m in Tin Pit North Fitzroy, reached from the east-west walking/bike track from Nicholson St. It’s December 28, a warm and breezy Sunday arvo. The red walls, the right temperature, the sweeping curlicues on the pressed-metal ceiling, the metalrimmed laminex tables, the small groups, the couples, the lone readers and writers. What more is needed? I’m here for an l.b. and a small choc yo-yo. The long black is perfect—Genovese coffee, correct fill, correct crema, right heat, all productive of the perfect linger. A laid-back beat flows on the air. Trams trundle to and fro along St. Georges Rd, and in my view, any caf that has the luxury of trams is worth a visit. Piedemontes Supermarket is across the road, past two green and leafy oaks in the little square.

Prices are reasonable and promise value—soups, baguettes, pancakes and breakfast until 4 pm.

The people are leaving and so must I. Over the road at the pub, the pace too, seems slow. People sit outside in comfy chairs. Where to go? What to do? Nowhere and nothing are the answers.

Ludo Cafe
118 Queen St
Melbourne

I stumbled upon Ludo Cafe when visiting the shop next door. When you enter it has a sophisticated feel about it without being intimidating. Ludo is fabulous place for lunch or breakfast. They serve quality food and it is reasonably priced. It is also a pleasure to have table service in a cafe (makes a nice change). I love the menu especially the paninis and their daily soup and pasta specials are totally yummy. The coffee is great and it’s ground on the spot. I highly recommend this cafe-style restaurant and I noticed that they have been featured in the Herald Sun several times. They also sell wine by the glass. I highly recommend Ludo, it is my favourite Melbourne Cafe!