Play Melbourne | Deals

Play Melbourne | Deals - Via Visit Victoria ( pic is not mine! - see www.playmelbourne.com.au)

If you haven't seen the new Tourism Victoria Campaign for Melbourne, then join us here... We are so excited to part of the project.. and can only say the BIGGEST thanks to Mr Matt Irwin, for helping us with a fabulous photograph for our New Cafe Cutlture Walk, which is included in the ROLL THE DICE option!

NEW - Coffee spots and directional dilemas

YES - we have a coffee problem - a good one :) ... a Melbourne one.. 


How to choose the next step once out of the lift - left to see Jo at Switchboard, left then right to head up to Shany and Danny at Liason, or perhaps our newest short cut - sharp Right and then down to the right again, and we find Rob, and Hugh at Hoboken... Thanks to some well experienced and passionate locals.. this is a great addition to our corner of town! -

It is a dilema! ( and so far that is just the first 3 off the top of my head.. we have 15 that we share on our Cafe Culture Walk  but thats another story!)

Great Salads, fresh pastries, and amazing Soups! - oh some other yummy's too

Hoboken with great coffee from Seven Seeds - home is Hosier Lane

Pop ups are fun, but prefer the real thing -

I ventured out today to catch up with some small businesses I have not been chatting to for a while, and amongst saying "Hi" to valued colleagues, I visited the much hyped Broadsheet Cafe in Crossley Street....

Day 1 is by Seven Seeds, and passionate founder Mark Dundon was there orchestrating the tiny room... Great to see him out front.. The room was quietly filling, and almost all food was gone..

Pop ups are great for the buzz they generate, and congrats to Broadsheet on the idea, but for my money ( precious as it is) do your self a favour and go fr the real thing.. its not even that far - Seven Seeds is an awesome venue, the machines and products are worked, tuned loved daily.. and this is seen in the results! ( I don't know how to make coffee or the essentials to do so, but know those who do...)

So take yourself for a walk, or a tram ride and head to one of their 3 current locations.. http://www.sevenseeds.com.au/cms-locations/ and get a great coffee, that you can go back for again.. as you will surely want to!

A sweet tooth? we can help...

We must thank the Sunday Herald Sun ( Escape Section) for their little note about our new Cafe Culture tour last Sunday - we have such a lovely lot of new clients book in.. I think it even got into the Sydney one too - need to find a copy!

Tomorrow I have an extra early start for some VIP Malaysian Journo's to try out our tour... Little tastes along the way will compliment our coffee stops.. and get stuck into the lovely macarons from Maylynn and Hugh of La Belle Miette - they only use butter made in Victoria, and their boxes are designed in Melbourne too!

BROADSHEET CAFE is coming!! to MELBOURNE CITY

We are avid supporters of Broadsheet, and love seeing their take on the things we love about Melbourne... so as a direct report of Caroline Clements Broadsheet article today join with us, and probably too many others, as they open a little gem of this years Melbourne food and wine festival!

There will be much more said by others, but this is the Schedule of the Cafe operators starting NEXT week!!

Broadsheet Cafe Operator Schedule: Fri 4 - Seven Seeds Sat 5 - Five Senses Sun 6 - Dead Man Espresso Mon 7 - Market Lane Tue 8 - The Premises Wed 9 - Seven Seeds Thu 10 - Proud Mary Fri 11 - Proud Mary Sat 12 - Dead Man Espresso Sun 13 - Coffee Collaboration Mon 14 - Market Lane The Broadsheet Cafe will run from March 4-14 at 24 Crossley Street, Melbourne. melbournefoodandwine.com.au

Wireless - free or otherwise - this is not New York!

Its Wednesday morning and a lovely friend of Fiona's, Romy - amazing local paste up adventurer.. called for a catch up, and her limitations were that she needs to access the internet...  I wont get into the broadband debate.. but suffice to say there really is a lot to be learned from the practice of FREE wireless that abounds in NEW YORK.... to be able to leave the office for even just an hour and sit in a park, and do some catch up on the all important Vitamin D.. as well as little social networking, or general emails...
    WHY doesn't Melbourne have more of it!  So today is my starting effort to share those little gems of Wireless Hotspots.. where business owners are keen to keep your loyalty by sharing the love and their Wireless access.

As with all things of Hidden Secrets Tours... we are not out to exploit such generosity.. I will scout out those that actually tell you of their services!..

1. first of the rank FED SQUARE... the WHOLE place is free!!! - Swanston Street, Melbourne
2. The New Middle Park Hotel  - Canterbury Road, Middle Park
3. Presse Cafe Wine Bar - Brighton Road, Elwood

Please stay intouch and tell us any that you know of! - PS.. this is one of Romy's Paste ups... at Wall280 cafe Balaclava...

x Fiona

pop ups...!

As the last few days fo Christmas shopping takes a whole new meaning to retail therapy.. not so theraputic! I stumbled past another new cafe!! in Block Place.. seems to be called OLIO.. opposite Segovia.. but I will have to go further to investigate... Loving the lampshades.. seemingly old food (tomato?) tins..

What have you found thats made you stop and take another look!?