Blackstar Coffee @ West End

Currently my favourite coffee spot! The coffee here is just right for me - creamy, not too bitter, not too sweet, not too acidic!

They serve the best iced coffee as well (in beer bottles too!). They cater for the majority of the people, offering iced coffee with these options - black coffee, full cream coffee, soy, or skim milk.




Their food menu is quite limited so it's more suitable for just a coffee date with someone!

Sourced Grocer @ Teneriffe

I had heard many things about Sourced Grocer and wanted to check it out myself!

I've been here on two separate occasions now and have both loved it!

Sourced Grocer reminds me of cafes in Melbourne with its interior design!

The great thing about Sourced Grocer is that they sell the ingredients that they use to make the food as well! So, if you fancy something from the menu, just enquire at the cash register and they'll be able to help you out!

I ordered their Bircher Muesli which is currently No. 2 on my favourite cafes for Bircher Muesli (1st place is still Lake Cafe on the Gold Coast)



Their breakfast muesli options are all very yummy as well because they use Farmer Jo Muesli.



My friend ordered the brioche, which unfortunately, I didn't get to try - but, she said it was very nice!


On a separate occasion, I tried their falafel salad and Sourced Sandwich, which were even better than what I had the first time!






Coffee here is very good - I love their cappucinnos because it's only a hint of chocolate that balances out perfectly with the coffee! Plus, mint green coffee cups always make my day!



The reason why Sourced Grocer is good is because they use top quality produce to make the food and really focus on making good quality meals, even if they are simple to make.

Sourced Grocer is definitely on my list of cafes with both good coffee AND food!!

Leaf Espresso Bar @ Tarragindi

My friends and I were searching for cafes to visit and decided on Leaf Espresso Bar because of it's interior design from photos we had seen on other food blogs!  We also saw some pictures of really delish food so definitely wanted to check this place out!

My verdict? 

The interior design definitely didn't disappoint - it had a very homey feel and eco-friendly atmosphere as the interior design used a lot of tree branches with hanging light bulbs and glass bowl terrariums in many corners of the cafe. 

The food? The food was average. Despite all the delicious-looking pictures on food blogs I had visited beforehand, taste wise, it was very average. I ordered the mushroom sautee which came with some spinach, poached eggs and sourdough. I love my sourdough and was a little disappointed when I realised that what they served wasn't sourdough. It was more like a white bread baguette. My mushrooms were quite bland as well.

My friend got the pulled pork burger with house made burger. That, however, tasted a lot better than my brunch dish! 

The coffee? Don't bother. The latte I ordered was mainly froth and my coffee was burnt. Nowadays, I think my palette has become very critical of coffees... not sure if this is a good thing or not if I'm this picky with my coffees...

Probably won't be back for another while... think I'll just be visiting my usual favourites if I have to drive all the way out of my suburb to get brunch. Maybe next time, Leaf Espresso!

No Name Lane

 No Name Lane is a nice little café tucked in Broadbeach, which has one of Gold Coast’s best coffees!

Their latte was very aromatic and smooth, with a hint of chocolate.

They mainly sell coffee with some sides of sandwiches and light meals.

The atmosphere is simply, relaxing and this place is perfect for a nice afternoon catch up with a friend.  

Definitely pop by if you want some good coffee!!!

Melbourne 9 – LuxBite

If you’re sick of desserts that are just bland and sugary, then LuxBite is for you!

LuxBite’s chefs create the most interesting and mouth-watering combinations of Asian and European fusion style desserts! Their dessert creations are unique and definitely one of my favourite desserts places that I’ve been to!

Although it took us almost an hour to find this place in stormy weather, we eventually found this cute café near Chapel St.

We ordered the Tea Set for 2 which included 2 savoury dishes, 2 large desserts and 4 macarons with tea for 2.

One of the large desserts we chose was Endless Love with lychee ganache, rose cream, lychee, fresh raspberry in macaron shells.

How could you say no to this?

The other large dessert was Meringue Monster which had green tea sponge, pistachio, watermelon yoghurt, sour strawberry mousse and meringue.

Sounds like an interesting combination, right?

I don’t know how the chef came up with these combinations… but it just tasted so right! Perfect combination of the sweetness of meringue, sourness of strawberry mousse, tanginess of the watermelon yoghurt and just enough pistachio to blend with the green tea sponge at the bottom!

I could have this any day!

Even though I couldn’t take away these large desserts for my family, I bought some macarons for them and they were a.m.a.z.i.n.g! Definitely one of my favourite places for macarons!! Interesting flavours to note: oreo!, peanut butter and jelly, kaya, coconut, ribena, pandan!

Definitely pay this place a visit if you come to Melbourne! 

Melbourne 7 - The Hardware Societe

Hardware Societe is definitely one of the best cafes I’ve been to!

My friends and I woke up extra early just to make sure we were early enough to get a spot. In fact we were 15 minutes early so we were standing outside in 10degree weather half asleep just so we could try the food here!

Hardware Societe is located in Hardware Lane in Melbourne CBD and it’s tucked away nicely in an alleyway. With the vibrant interior décor and warmhearted outdoor seats, you feel the warmest welcome when you step into this café.

We were greeted by very friendly staff and opted for a table inside. Of course, I ordered my usual cup of latte. I’ve heard many great things about Hardware Societe – amazing food, amazing coffee, amazing everything! However, I didn’t want to have super high expectations was felt pretty neutral about coming here all the way from Brisbane.

The latte was very smooth – perfect for the weather that morning! It also came with a little cinnamon doughnut which complimented the coffee blend very well!

Hardware Societe definitely made my day with some exciting savoury creations!

Baked Eggs with chorizo sausage, paprika, spiced tomato concasse and milk cheese.

Served in a cocotte with dipping sourdough, appearance wise, it was definitely at 10/10!

I’ve never really had baked eggs before so couldn’t really compare this to other baked eggs. It was nice, but out of the 4 amazing dishes we ordered, this was probably my least favourite, purely because I’m not a huge fan of baked eggs.

Croque Madame with smoked salmon, fried egg, herbed crème fraiche.

Mmmm… words cannot describe how good this was! Thick crispy toast on the outside, runny yolk  combined with smoked salmon… perfect for rainy days!

Daily special – polenta with poached eggs and sausages.

At first, I didn’t know what to think of the dish because I’d never seen anything presented like this before. After I had a taste of it, I, fell, in, love.

The polenta was creamy but not too overwhelming and the poached eggs and sausages just complimented the taste of the polenta so well!

Scrambled eggs with smoked bacon, double brie and onion jam.  The BEST scrambled eggs I’ve ever had! The dish was presented really well – 10/10! The mini bacon, brie and onion jam baguette looked like a simple side but I was wrong – the baguette and scrambled eggs were the perfect combination!

Overall, Hardware Societe was definitely one of my best café experiences I’ve had in Melbourne and I’d recommend it to people who come to Melbourne or even for locals!

I’ve heard that their sweet dishes are just as good as their savoury ones… until next time, Hardware Societe! 

Melbourne 5 - Three Bags Full

Because I was only in Melbourne for two and a half days, there was no way in the world I could visit all the cafes I wanted to go to... If only my stomach was a bottomless pit...

So, I decided to visit Three Bags Full in Richmond with my friends.

The atmosphere is very vibrant and the staff members here are very welcoming as well.





Coffee in Melbourne is really quite spectacular and the coffee here did not disappoint me either!




My friend had their strawberry milkshake and it looked amazing!



I felt like a sweet brekkie option this morning so I went for the Apple Crumble Muffin!
Was indeed half crumble half muffin - good stuff!!!!






My friends had Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and it sure was tasty!!