Insiders & Adventures!

Insiders of the month: June
If you haven’t noticed my Insiders on the right hand side this month, then you better check them out now! Recommendations include my sister’s friend’s new joint in Thornbury, Jerry Joy. She also used to own the Foodrinkery in Burwood.

Something else that seems to be all the rage is the new burger joint in Footscray – Eat8bit. I’ve heard mixed things about this place, that the burgers and buns are amazing but the waiting times are a bit ridiculous, so who knows when I’ll finally decide to make the trip over. Let me know if you’ve tried it in the comments!

Anyway, most of you know I write for a few other websites. If this blog becomes a bit quiet, I’m probably busy with other articles, so here’s a roundup of the articles I’ve churned out recently.

Fitzrovia
You may have read my previous post on this place down by my work and noticed I wasn’t a big fan. However, another trip to this place provided a different experience and some quality food. Read more here.

Hoa Tran
A popular place in Springvale, this spot is always busy. They serve a wide range of Asian food but of course specialise in Vietnamese food. The food will come out extremely quickly, so read more here and drop by!

A Day in in Ballarat
You may not have seen my recent post on food in Ballarat, but I also did a few other things in this lovely, peaceful town. For a list of things you can do in Ballarat, click here!

Yan Yean Reservoir Park
This place is not too far if you live in the northern suburbs. I was surprised that I had not heard of it before. It’s a lovely place for a picnic, a walk or to take your dogs. Take in the refreshing scenery at Melbourne’s first ever reservoir. Read more.

Altona Dog Beach
Speaking of dogs, if you have some canine friends, the perfect place for them is Altona Dog Beach. It’s enormous and so spacious for dogs to play in, the water is so clear and the views provide a calm atmosphere – until the dogs start wrestling! Read more on Livlicious here.

Winter Fireworks
What else to do in winter, but enjoy the fireworks by Docklands during July and August. Even better, take a cruise by the Melbourne skylines and get the best view of the show! Read more here.

Fort Nepean
Last but not least, a second trip to Point Nepean National Park left me just as amazed as the last. It proved there was still so much more for me to explore, so share the experience with me here.

Fitzrovia

Working right down the road from this place doesn’t seem to help the wallet! The sandwiches are huge, bursting with vegies, greens and more, and always draw attention when we bring them back to work. This place comes up often in conversations about popular brunch places in Melbourne, so the next step was to visit for a proper meal.

The place is quite spacious, with lots of outdoor seating to bask in the St Kilda sun. We seated our selves inside, but it took a fair bit of time before we were finally served with water and menus. A great deal on the menu sounds tempting, and the majority have a unique feel to the dish.

For example, an extra on the menu is lime and bitters cured Tasmanian salmon – much more impressive sounding than smoked salmon right? My work mate chose the salad of the day ($14.50) with the so called Tasmanian salmon on the side ($5, above), but she said overall the dish was a bit oily.

Another option to eat in, is their daily baked tart ($15.50), visible at the counter and varying every day, with a Dijonnaise salad. Each day is a surprise so you might come across a sweet potato or zucchini tart on display. When presented to us, the slice looked enormous and comparable to any other meal on the menu.

My other colleague chose a fancier sounding salad, which also seemed more nicely presented than the salmon. It was the charred corn, avocado, quinoa, black eyed pea and pomelo salad ($16, above) with coriander & minted yoghurt dressing and extra chorizo ($3.5). Although it looks and sounds impressive, she said she wasn’t a big fan of the dressing; that it was okay, but she couldn’t have too much of it.

I was tempted by the bacon with gruyere potato cake ($19), but wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the taste of the gruyere cheese. Thus, I ended up with the safer, but still interesting option of sweet potato and caramelized onion fritters ($17.50, below), with poached eggs, thyme roast field mushrooms, snow pea shoots, grilled saganaki & truffled salsa verde.

The dish is very filling with enough elements to entertain the palette. However, the saganaki (grilled cheese) was a bit too much, making the dish very strong and salty. The eggs were a tiny bit overdone so they didn’t ooze as much as I would have liked, but the fritters were just right.

This place is very appealing on first looks – a great deal of variety, full of atmosphere and an attractive display of different items everyday from sandwiches to salad and dessert. However, dining in may result in slow service and not the most amazing food despite high expectations. I’ve also tried their coffee and Mork hot chocolate, and haven’t found myself a fan of either of them. In fact, my hot chocolate was really muggy at the bottom. But – I do recommend their sandwiches!

Fitzrovia is open Mon-Wed 7am – 3pm, Thurs-Fri 7am-10pm, Saturday 8am-10pm and Sunday 8am-8.30pm. Their menu often changes so take a look at their current breakfast/lunch current here.