As I mentioned in my previous post, I ended up booking the best Airbnb in the best location ever. Hip, weird, close to the main city area but special in its own kind, here’s what to do in Fitzroy, Melbourne’s part Brooklyn, part Shoreditch neighbourhood.
Melbourne is a mecca for coffee lovers so I momentarily threw my zero caffeine lifestyle in the bin and had some amazing flat whites. Proud Mary’s is THE place where you should have one – creamy but not too much, perfect size, perfect amount of caffeine. The space is always busy and lively but never noisy.
Proud Mary’s are coffee specialist who brew their special batch and ship it all over Australia so if you haven’t tried it, you’ve missed out.
Unfortunately I wasn’t chosen to be Idris Elba’s Valentine in the wonderful competition that was Omaze so I decided to eat a lot of doughnuts to drown the pain in jammy carbs. Donut Shop in Fitzroy came to my rescue with unique doughnuts that tasted incredible without being overpowering. Think passion fruit glaze, or black sesame glaze with coconut cream filling, or ginger and rhubarb. Idris definitely won’t look at me now with all this extra doughnut fat in my belly.
LUNCH
I sometimes eat healthy too. I know right? Shocker. Well, Vegie Bar was a great option for a healthy lunch that didn’t make me want to go for doughnuts straight after. I had a fresh and filling lettuce salad with roast pumpkin and yummy crouton style crispy sushi rice cubes which you should really get if you’re in the area. Smoothies are totally yummy too and so are all the cakes and parfait on offer. Oh and did I mention they make vegan pizza?
DINNER
Now let’s get back to bacon cause that’s the food of Gods and what you all want to hear about anyway: enter Easey’s. This incredibly cool restaurant is situated on a Collingwood rooftop by the defaced pregnant Beyoncé mural on Easey Street and its main characteristic is that it is basically a dining room made out of a train carriage.
The space is tiny and it gets busy, so book in advance. For amazing sunset views grab a drink in between carriages before your meal, then go sit down for your chance to eat in a New York style venue with Melbourne views.
So I’m just gonna put it out there and say that I’ve had the best burger in my life at Easey’s, probably also thanks to bacon, which I added as an extra. The bun was tender and spongy, but not crumbly. The meat was cooked just enough. The cheese was runny. Salt was on point. The bacon was as crispy as it gets. Overall, a winning mix. I topped it all up with a side of fries and mac n’cheee coming in the same plate and topped up with crumbly pretzels, which all sounds very weird and unhealthy but damn it tasted good.
Beers and tacos are what this tiny Brunswick Street eatery is all about. Their fish taco is tiny but tasty enough to get you through a night of bar crawls without feeling hungry and costs only $5. The staff are friendly and there to help with recommendation. It’s a true style beet and tequila bar and a badass taqueria, so what can go wrong?
DRINKS
Hands down my favourite place in Melbourne. Aside from an giving me an awesome idea for a butt tattoo, Naked for Satan has the best views of Melbourne at sunset and all day round – from the lit skyline to the busy Brunswick Street. No reservation and the slowest lift in the world might deter you from going up to the rooftop, but do go, grab yourself a Naked Lager or a cocktail if that’s your vibe and breathe in the chill, magic vibes this place has.
This New Orleans style cocktail bar was actually born before Pirates of the Caribbean became a thing and not only drinks here are incredible, the staff have a heart of gold, too. Every year they pose naked with hilarious results for a themed sexy calendar, the profits of which go to charity. This year they went to Beyond Blue, researching mental health and raising awareness of depression and anxiety.
Now featuring a drawing by my absolute favourite current artist Celeste Mountjoy (aka Filthyratbag), Kent St is a relaxing, random boozer with an amazing “No jerks” lager and attitude. The staff legit give people hell if they’re being annoying but always with a smile on their lips. It’s the best place for a nightcap.
SHOP
A Vintage emporium from heaven, selling denim, pin up clothes, leotards and Madonna style spiky boob outfits. I would have bought the whole place if I only could.
Most of Rose Chong’s costumes are for hire but the shop is so colourful it’s a real pleasure to just walk in and get some party/disguise material. Or a crazy dog lady playsuit from the sales rail.
SEE
Street Art
Melbourne is THE place in Australia for graffiti. No wonder Banksy’s exhibition was held here. Take a street art tour or walk around the CBD’s laneways and Fitzroy’s streets for some of the most beautiful graffiti you will ever see.
Skip the natural history and science bits if you’ve already seen your fair share of science museums and head to the aboriginal art and history section for a stark reminder of what colonisation did Australia’s original population. A must-see.
Pictures: Carolina Are
