Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

As per the other fourteen plus Stephanie Plum books, this one delivers laughs chapter after chapter. If you’re familiar with the series, you will no doubt know at least a couple of the descriptions by heart (all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put (insert dead guy’s name here) back together again), but that didn’t stop my from breaking the book amnesty at Borders where it was on sale.
I spent a couple of good days getting through it, laughing to myself along the way, wishing that I wasn’t turning the pages quite so quickly. Without ruining it for everybody, there is less Morelli action in this one – something that I missed. Ranger is ever present, and heaven help us when Grandma Mazur and Lula combine.
If you’re a fan, then you’re going to love it. If you are after something more literary, perhaps what until the reserve queue at the local library drops into the double digits.

The Bronze Horseman – Paullina Simons

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons

No, I can’t keep up with two blogs, so I am combining them.

Although The Bronze Horseman was released in 2000, and lent to me in 2006, I have only just read it. (For those of you who are wondering, don’t worry I will be returning it to its rightful owner.)

Obviously I wasn’t that thrilled by the blurb, but my recent curb on new books, coupled with the wait list at the library, means that I have been dusting off the shelves and reading what I’ve been stock-piling. Despite waiting more than three years to read The Bronze Horseman, I was very taken by it. I seem to get swept up in the historical aspects and WWII is an interest topic of mine.

The romance is set against the bleak backdrop of Leningrad just as Hitler advances towards the city. Carefree Tatiana catches the eye of a dashing Red Army officer, Alexander, and one bus ride leads to a complex love story. Not only are the hurdles obvious: the blockade of Leningrad and Alexander’s duties to Mother Russia, but also his brief encounter with Tatiana’s older sister, Dasha, and a deep secret of his own.

I was impressed by the historical detail, and indeed to do a little non-fiction reading of my own on the subject. Although lengthy, I was interested to the very end. I would recommend this title, but would steer clear of the second and third books of the trilogy which robbed me dearly of my reading time. They do not warrant their own entries here.

Poyntons of Essendon

Poytons Boulevard Cafe is a great place to catch up with friends for coffee & cake, breakfast or lunch.

The Cafe is set in Poytons nursary providing a welcoming environment and pleasent undercover, outdoor seating. When the weather is not-so-nice, diners can sit in the indoor area which is plenty big enough to meet all your friends there.

The menu includes a wide range of breakfast foods (eggs, porridge, museli), as well as sandwich and hot lunches. Most will find it difficult to go past the cake display, which is perfectly matched with great coffee.

The service is as you would expect from a busy cafe, fast and efficient with excellent presentation. The food is good value (the serves are very generous) and delicious. Pick up some flowers on the way to surprise your friend, or when heading up to spruce up the living room.

Poytons
Corner The Boulevard & Vida Street
Essendon 3040
Telephone 9337 7013
www.poytonsofessendon.com.au 

Hours: Breakfast through til afternoon tea 

BCOZ – Hawthorn East

Organic dining is stylish dining at BCOZ. This intimate venue is perfet for a casual catch up with friends, a birthday gathering or a romantic dinner for two. 

The all-organic menu includes a number of meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes as well as entrees and a dessert menu to die for. The service is friendly and helpful, but more importantly, quick and professional. Another high point is the gluten and latose free options.  

Whilst the food is delicious and well presented, it may be a little pricey for some, with main dishes in excess of $35 and desserts in the fifteen dollar range. Although I enjoyed my time at BCOZ, there are a number of other Melbourne establishments I would rather eat at in that price range. 

BCOZ - 403 Riversdale Road - Hawthorn East 3123 Ph-9882 7898 

BCOZ is open for lunch from Wednesday to Friday and for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday.  

Big Mouth – St Kilda

Big Mouth in St Kilda is a one-stop bar, cafe and restaurant. It has long since been a favourite of mine for a cold drink in the summer, accompanied by three or four entrees for a make-shift tapas.   

When I ventured there just last week, on a hot November evening, I found the lower bar level to be exceptionally busy. No fear, I headed up to level one, joined the throngs of backpackers and order the chicken parma special. Not long after the $2 pots were bought to the table, the parmas arrived steaming hot, with lashings of homemade tomato sauce and a generous serve of Big Mouth Fries. 

If you want to check it our for yourself, visit their website. But if you are looking for a tasty Parma, plan to be there on a Thursday when the pots are $2 and the parmas are only $12. Backpackers will find that a ratio of one parma between two will fill their needs! 

Lulo Restaurante – Bar de Vino in Hawthorn

Looking for some authentic paella in Melbourne – head over to Lulo on Glenferrie Road Hawthorn. The service is comendable, the drinks list extensive and the churros are to die for – unless chocolate souffle is on the specials board an then it would be a sin to pass before trying it. Also a treat is the live music on Friday nights.

Lulos is open:
Monday to Friday 12noon to 3:30pm and 4:30 to late;
Saturdays 5:30pm to late
but is unfortunately closed on Sundays
@
798 Glenferrie Roadd
Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122
for bookings phone 03 9818 8321

Santucci’s – Carnegie

Carnegie’s got a secret – a little gem called Santucci’s Cafe, in Koornang Road. I only visited for desert, warm crepes with berry compote and a mug of chai latte, but it left me wondering just how good their meals must be.

The cafe is cosy, full of art deco kitchen tables and mismatched chairs, which is softly lit to give the feeling of intamacy. The tables range from two seaters to spaces big enough to seat a group of eight. Adding to the cosy feeling is the friendly staff who aim to please (and just between you and me, they certainly meet their high standards!)

I am going out on a limb here, but the hot chocolate is definately one of the best available in Melbourne. Big call I know, but I am on a mission to find the best.

If you stop by, make sure you leave room for one of the cakes in the display stand up the back. A personal recommendation is the custard coconut cake.

Santucci’s
94 Koornang Road
Carnegie

9568 2900

Bar mSida – Hawthorn

Bar mSida recently opened its doors to the hoards of hungry folk on Glenferrie Road in Hawthorn. The restaurant, whose name is drawn from a harbour town in northeast Malta, is contemporary, sleek and a great addition to the Glenferrie strip.

mSida is a family owned restaurant that offers a morning, noon and night service complemented by friendly easygoing staff and great food. The head chef , Raymond Fenech, learned to appreciate food while spending time with his grandmother, and after stints at Kensington and the city has decided that Hawthorn regulars would appreciate his Mediterranean style food.

The breakfast menu ranges from light meals – croissants stuffed with ham and cheese – to large serves of a meal known as Spanish beans (beans, chorizo, tomatoes and eggs on toast) to fill a hunger of any size. I also high recommend the coffee and the made to order juices. A shining star on the juice menu is the mSida juice made from lovely fresh fruit and a kick of ginger.

The lunch and dinner menus offer a range of tapas style plates to share and a good stock of healthy sized main plates. The price of the share plates is around the eight-dollar mark, while the main plates range form fourteen dollars to seventeen dollars. The usual sides of salad, potatoes, greens and fries are also offered. Eight delicious desserts are available and the wine list is equally as extensive.

mSida also prepare weekly specials, which could well be the best value deal in Glenferrie Road at the moment. These deals include:

Sundays – family roast – $15.50
Mondays – gourmet steak, mash & salad – $15.50
Tuesdays – hand made pasta, salad & a glass of wine $15.50

Perhaps even more fantastic is the mSida at home service. The great taste of well-prepared food with the casualness of tracksuit pants around the coffee table. I’m sold.

791 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122
Telephone 03 9818 1232

Monday to Friday from 12 midday
Weekend Brunch 8.30am – 4.00pm
Saturday and Sunday open until late

Brunetti – Coffee + Cake

Brunetti Coffee and Cakes opened in Carlton, Faraday Street to be exact, in 1985. However, the present owners, Angelé family, took over operations in 1991 serving coffee, pastries, gelato as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The service is fast, the coffee good and strong and the cakes sweet. I can also recommend buying birthday and special occasion cakes from the Carlton location – you can be sure that everyone will want to be invited to the party. For added convenience, your cake can be ordered by fax, and Brunetti will delivery in the Melbourne Metro area.

For those who cannot function without caffeine, or consider themselves connoisseurs, you should consider joining the Brunetti’s Club to receive emails regarding special offers and discounts. For more information, see the Brunetti’s Website.

Today, Brunetti is serving its famous coffee and cakes in two locations – Faraday Street and City Square. There is nothing more European than sipping a short black on the edge of the sparse grass of City Square (corner Flinders Lane and Swanston Street). I am only thankful that Brunetti do not charge a seating tax!

Faraday Street
194 – 204 Faraday Street
Carlton Vic 3053
Australia

Sunday – Thursday (6am – 11pm)
Friday – Saturday (6am – Midnight)

City Square
14 Flinders Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia

Monday – Tuesday (7am – 6pm)
Wednesday – Thursday (7am – 8pm)
Friday (7am – 11pm)
Saturday (8am – 11pm)
Sunday (8am – 6pm)

The Tan

Map

The Tan is Melbourne’s iconic running track surrounding the Domain Gardens, just outside the CBD. The track, originally used for racing the horses of Melbourne’s rich and famous, is 3.827km long. Traditionalists begin their run at the Pillars of Wisdom, just opposite the Swan Street Bridge, and run in a clockwise direction.

The Tan is a challenging track, which begins with a gradual climb following the path of the river. After 800 metres, runners take a sharp right-turn before heading up the lung-busting Anderson Street hill. However, once runners have reached to crest of the 500 meter-plus hill, they can take a breather as the track heads down behind the Royal Botanical Gardens. On summer days, this also provides runners with some shade, giving much needed relief.

Once recovered from the Anderson Street Hill, runners need to again gear up for another rise in elevation, although this one is tiny compared to Anderson Street. The climb (this is a bit of an overstatement really) is gradual up to the observatory, before sweeping down past the Police Memorial, Government House Drive and King’s Domain. The final kilometre or so begins in shade and passes the Myer Music Bowl, before heading into the sunshine and joining up with the noisy Alexander Parade before returning to the Pillars of Wisdom.

There are a number of fun runs which utilise The Tan track every year, and a few of these include:
Go the Tan
Run for the Kids
Mother’s Day Classic
Run to the ‘G

Tan Records
Men: Craig Mottram 10 minutes 12 seconds
Women: Kate Richardson (nee Anderson) 11 minutes 55 seconds