It has a consistent queue of tourists as well as locals too.
However, we didn’t really appreciate the dense and doughy (pun unintended) texture of their doughnuts. Ok for a packet to share in a group for some snacks I guess.

@kettleblackcafe at South Melbourne is one of those with a chic urban interior with a nice al fresco to sip a coffee and watch the people pass by.
We picked their very colourful Ricotta Hotcake which was certainly beautiful and had lots of seeds and grains for a superfood breakfast. Underneath that was a thick and moist pancake. Together with a dense cream, this was satisfying but we would recommend to share with 2 to 3 as the portion was quite a feat to finish it.
The chilli omelette with crab meat and crayfish oil was full of umami and a delicious egg dish for brunch. Coffee here was good, especially to go with a tasty croissant on a sweet note.
Without travelling to the South, one can also visit @highergroundmelbourne which is affiliated and more centrally located in the CBD.

We loved every dish that we ordered. The risotto was cooked to authentic al dente perfection, with that bite in the middle of each grain. Flavour was on point too. Similarly for the pasta that we had.
The octopus with n’duja sauce will be a must-order. The sauce was so delicious they’d even offer to add some bread to wipe up every bit of it on the plate. Porcini mushroom croquette was a great appetiser to start the meal with. Pork sausage too was a yummy dish with the polenta crisp.
So whether to @tipo_00 next door or this, we think both would be a place to visit when in Melbourne be satisfied some good Italian food.

We arrived past 8 in the morning and could already see people streaming in. With a chic open kitchen concept and lots of open space under the warehouse building, this was indeed an attractive place to chill at, over a coffee and one of their renowned croissants.
We selected a few, including an original, chocolate, almond and cheese croissants. Their croissant by itself was pretty tasty. Thin layers of flaky crust with a light fluffy fill. Pretty much how a good croissant should be.
Although some might argue that their croissants couldn’t compare to that from France, but these were, in our opinions, already good. The ones with fillings that we tried were also delicious in their own flavours.
So the ultimate question: were these worth the queue? We will want to be able to seat ourselves and enjoy a coffee with the croissants after some queue. A pity there were limited seats at the cafe so for takeaways we think probably 15 mins would still be acceptable.
However, for S’poreans the KPI should be very different. If one can wait 2 hours for A&W, that will be nothing for these yummy croissants.

While the friendly staff tried to run through their many popular dishes, we decided to leave the meal to them and just “let them feed us”.
So our “Omakase” started with a platter of fresh oysters and an interesting smoked eel, before being treated with 3 small plates crafted with more seafood, before our 2 mains with an Ocean Trout and Barramundi.
The dishes were simply too complicated to describe so we would just let the photos do the talking instead. Nevertheless, they were beautifully presented, distinct and bold in flavours to bring out the freshness of the catches.
Dessert for the meal was another delicious dish, with Sorrel Panna Cotta and elderflower sorbet. Thanks to the wonderful staff, we also got to try their popular chocolate soufflé which will be highly recommended if you are either a soufflé or chocolate fan.
Dining here was definitely a memorable experience. The black interior was chic, staff were absolutely attentive and professional. So for a change from the meat and pasta in the CBD, this will make a good place to visit.

This had been on our list to dine at Melbourne, and indeed it marked an epic record on our makan diary.
The flawless shaped Mandarin orange cut open to a big portion of chicken liver parfait, good for sharing by 2-3 persons.
We also had the Frumenty grilled octopus which was perfectly executed, and the Kedgeree which was a delicate tasting plate of grilled abalone, prawn, leek hearts and saltbush. For something stronger, their Roast Marrowbone Royale combined the bold flavours of marrowbone, snails and smoked anchovy.
Each of these was sophisticatedly prepared and a great start to the rest of our Dinner that followed.

Without a doubt, the pork chop cut open to a beautiful pink center. The meat was tender and delicious with the cider and Robert sauce.
The Wagyu steak too was a perfection. The mushroom ketchup jus was a real gem to elevate the pleasure of the cut.
Although the rest of the menu offered fish, duck and other attractive choices; we were glad with our picks and finished with complete satisfaction.

It would appeal to those who appreciate the sweet-savoury combination on dessert, though not for some of us.
Amongst the 4 desserts we tried, the simple-looking Lamington Cake stood out the most with a delicious marriage of raspberry & lemon verbena, coconut cake & chocolate cream.
We got to enjoy the Eggs in Verjuice that recently returned for Easter, presented in the form of an emu egg. The thin chocolate case cracked open to a coconut and verbena panna cotta surrounding a soft verjuice and citrus yolk. A very beautiful and colourful dessert indeed.
Lastly, the Tipsy Cake was a tasty hot dessert to have, featuring their pineapple on roast. Fans of alcohol would love the distinct taste in the freshly baked bread.
These desserts marked an sweet conclusion to our amazing 3-course Dinner. This was was totally worthwhile the value and experience to have, especially if you have a special moment to celebrate.

All the more if you are a fan of chocolates, these decadent treats will fulfil your cravings, short of an overdose if they are not shared.

The Hazelnut Praline Choux was a memorable piece not just for its form but taste as well.
To our surprise, this was pretty big in size double that of a usual Choux. The perfectly baked crunchy pastry contrasted well with the smooth hazelnut cream in between.
Simple as it was, this would be the benchmark of what we want for a Choux dessert. Of cos, there were other appealing items in their dessert menu to pick too.

We tried their sour vegetables 酸菜 fish soup which delivered the sour kick with a light spiciness, like that of a Szechuan sour. The sliced fish was really fresh we liked that they added some flower petal (think so) which have some pleasant fragrance touch.
Other options included Mala or even Tom Yum soup with seafood or beef choices. Non-spicy alternatives were available too though their selling points seemed to be on the spicy dishes.
We loved that all their dishes were served in a hot iron bowl which retained the heat well especially for the spicy soup. Though just a foodcourt stall, the soup with a rice was a satisfying meal. With the portion, it was good for sharing for some too.

With their menu largely unchanged, we were dismayed that the taste and how some of them were prepared were obviously different.
First indication was the Affogato that we always loved to order on every visit. Missing were the crunchy nuts that distincted theirs from others. The Affogato was still good but less the X-factor.
Their crispy crab cake was a major letdown, being our all-time favourite from this place. Crab cake itself was still delicious; but not everything else on the plate. The egg, bacon, avocado bread were poorly prepared. The little amount of crispy chips and salad sprinkled around the plate was miserable and no longer made sense.
Also from their breakfast platter it was visible that standard in preparation of their food had dropped. Whatever the reason was, hope it’ll improve while we’ll not be returning for sometime.