6 May 2019
We took an overnight flight to Melbourne on Qantas QF38, arriving on schedule at about 9.30 AM. Immigration clearance was fast and we took the Skybus from the airport to Southern Cross Station. Our “home” for the next 5 nights was an Airbnb studio apartment, located right across the station, along Spencer Street.
We managed to get the keys to our apartment to drop off our luggage at the apartment, although official check-in time was 2 PM.
We had nothing really planned for the first day of our 5-day stay in Melbourne city besides exploring the area around the CBD on foot and having dinner with my niece who is studying in Melbourne.
Melbourne was surprisingly chilly on this autumn day. It was good that we came well prepared. We walked down Spencer Street towards the Yarra River, searching for a good place to have breakfast or brunch.
The Hardware Société at 10 Katherine Place was where we went. Queues were normally expected at this extremely popular cafe, but we managed to get a table immediately at this newly opened and larger branch. Note: the original and smaller branch was located at 123 Hardware Street.
Their all-day French and Spanish inspired brunch menu was quite extensive. We ordered the highly rated baked eggs and lobster benedict, plus coffee to go with our brunch. There are a few options for the baked eggs that included one with vegetables, one with chorizo and one with scallops. We chose the scallops.
Baked Eggs with scallops and crispy jamon for AUD20.
The baked eggs did not disappoint. The eggs with runny yokes are served in a metal bowl, baked with perfectly cooked whole fresh scallops, cauliflower purée, leek and topped with crispy jamon.
Lobster Benedict with citrus hollandaise and 64-degree eggs on bun noir (charcoal bun) for AUD26.
The lobster benedict came with pieces of sweet lobster to balance the creamy soft boiled eggs with runny yokes. While the lobster benedict was delicious as well, I prefer the baked eggs.
I was surprised to see that they are even selling a cookbook “No Eggs On Toast”, containing recipes for the dishes in their menu for AUD 50. A good book to buy for aspiring MasterChef Australia contestants.
After brunch, we continued our walk down Flinders Street, heading to Federation Square. Federation Square is at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets, built above busy railway lines and across the road from Flinders Street Station.
The best view of the magnificent facade of the Flinders Street Station is diagonally across from Federation Square.
Federation Square is home to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) but the venue was closed for renovation.
Federation Square.
ACMI building at Federation Square.
View along the Yarra River.
We decided to do some sightseeing along the Yarra River and also the Southbank area of Melbourne. It was perfect weather for walking.
View of the Melbourne skyline from Sandridge Bridge.
We crossed to the south side of the Yarra via the Sandridge Bridge.
Sandridge Bridge across the Yarra River, Melbourne.
Sandridge Bridge was formerly a railway bridge. It was redeveloped into a pedestrian bridge and decorated with a series of giant steel sculptures, depicting the waves of immigrants who journeyed to make Melbourne their home. Glass panels on the bridge provide information of the immigrations from all corners of the world.
One of the glass panels on the Sandridge Bridge showing the number of Singaporeans who had migrated to Melbourne.
Autumn colours starting to show on some trees.
Beautiful views of the city skyline could be seen along the Southbank area of Melbourne. There are many cafes and restaurants along the Southbank and most of the restaurants are offering and serving lunch to the office crowd at this time.
View of Princes Bridge and the Melbourne’s CBD from the Art Center Melbourne.
One of the best spots for photos of the city is from the terrace of the Art Center Melbourne.
Princes Bridge took us back across the Yarra River to the Flinders Street Station. This is also a good spot to view the scenic Melbourne riverfront.
Back to Flinders Street Station, it was time for some delicious gelato ice-cream. We went to the Pidapipó Gelateria branch located at 8 Degraves Street, just opposite the train station.
A scoop of salted caramel and a scoop of pistachio gelato for AUD 6.80. The pistachio flavoured gelato is the best I have tasted. Nutty and full of flavour.
We continued our walking tour of Melbourne at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, diagonally opposite of Flinders Street Station.
Statue of Matthew Flinders RN (1774 – 1814).
A statue of Mathew Flinders stood next to the cathedral. Mathew Flinders was an English navigator and cartographer, who was the leader of the first circumnavigation of Australia and identified it as a continent.
A rest area with benches for ladies only!
From St Paul Cathedral, a few hundred meters down Flinders Street is Hosier Lane. Downtown Melbourne is home to some of the best graffiti or street art and Hosier Lane is possibly the most famous of all the graffiti alleyways in Melbourne.
Hosier Lane, famous for the street art.
We could see street artists at work while flocks of tourists (us included) admired the colourful walls of this alleyway and snapped photos and selfies.
Another back alley with beautiful artwork located close to Hosier Lane is AC/DC Lane. AC/DC Lane was named back in 2004 to pay tribute to the Australian rock band. The street art features all kinds of musicians.
AC/DC Lane is less crowded than Hosier Lane. The artwork on the walls of this alley was just as colourful and interesting. Just round the corner is Duckboard Place, also a lane with artwork on the walls.
It was about 3 PM when we took the free tram within the Melbourne CBD back to our apartment for a hot shower and some rest before our dinner appointment with our niece at 5.30 PM.
We had selected Rice Paper Scissors, located at 19 Liverpool Street, based on recommendations from previous visitors to Melbourne. This is a very popular restaurant that does not take reservations and queues are expected. We arrived at 5.30 PM, just when they opened and managed to get a table in the almost fully occupied restaurant.
The restaurant offers fusion Asian-style food with flavours from Bangkok, Saigon and Singapore. The menu is designed for sharing, where we could select 5 dishes for 2 or 3 people to share at AUD 34.50 per person for dinner.
These were the 5 mains we ordered:
Crispy Barramundi Salad- tapioca dusted barramundi with a green apple and roast cashew salad and nahm jim (hot, sour and tangy Thai salad dressing).
Lamb Ribs – Mekhong whiskey marinated lamb ribs in a sticky special sauce. This was our favourite dish of the night. The lamb was so tender and the sauce was flavourful.
Pork Belly - twice cooked pork in a tamarind caramel sauce, topped with a fragrant herb salad. This dish was really good too.
Crying Tiger - char-grilled wagyu beef with a spicy citrus dipping sauce. It was served with fresh lettuce to wrap the beef and eat it - Korean style. I found the beef a bit too chewy. Not the best cut for grilling I think.
For drinks, we tried the Chiang Mai Bloody Mary which was hot and spicy for AUD18.
For dessert, it was the “Mom, I have dropped my Ice-cream”. Nicely plated condensed milk, yuzu sorbet, puffed rice crumble and white chocolate ganache for AUD12.
Overall, it was a wonderful first day in Melbourne. We saw quite a lot of interesting sights and sampled some of the best yummy delights in a city known for its fine cafes and restaurants.
No comments:
Post a Comment