Abbotsford Convent

The beautiful building and grounds of the Abbotsford Convent were home to the Sisters of the Good Shepherd between 1863 and 1975. During this time they "provided shelter, food and work for thousands of vulnerable and poor women and girls. They provided a refuge for orphans, wards of the State and girls considered to be in moral danger." Since that time the convent has become home to artists, writers and health practitioners. There are spaces for rehearsals, creative work spaces for designers, a glass blowing studio, a primary school, a classical radio station, a bakery, a restaurant, as well as venues for weddings and other events.

The convent is made up of 11 historic buildings on nearly 7 hectares of beautiful grounds along a bend in the Yarra River. 

We visited the convent on the day of the Slow Food Farmers' Market, which is held the 4th Saturday of each month from 8am-1pm. The key words for the Slow Food Market are: organic, fresh, and gourmet. Here you'll find fresh produce grown by local Victorian farmers, bread, jams, free range eggs, rare meats and cheeses. Yummy!

The vendors were all very proud of their products and happy to talk to us about what they were selling or offering samples. We bought some figs to share with the kids (as they'd never had them before), a package of strawberries that were just too red and beautiful to pass up, some homemade jam and fresh feta cheese. 

Abbotsford Convent is home to many different markets and events, here are some of the monthly markets that take place:

• Supper Market: Every Friday night, November-February, 6-10pm- Quality craft, fashion and food stalls with music and entertainment
• Sunday Arts: 1st Sunday of every month in the Community Room- fine art prints, drawings, exquisite jewellery, beautiful designer clothes, paintings, photography, childrens books, organic body-care products, fun garden sculpture, ceramics, and lots more.
• Finder's Market: 1st Saturday of every month 10am-1pm- Browse stalls filled with collectables, nic-nacs, bric a brac and memorabilia.
• Shirt and Skirt Market: 3rd Saturday of every month- Home to Melbourne's emerging designers, producing quality Australian fashion and accessories in limited editions.
• Maker's Market: 3rd Saturday of every month in the Community Room- Browse, discuss and purchase the work of local artists and crafts people

After browsing the Slow Food Market, strolling through the grounds, and brunch at Lentil As Anything, we stopped by the Convent Bakery on our way out. Since we had just eaten we grabbed a sweet roll for the road, but I'll certainly have to make a trip back for lunch one day.

Name: Abbotsford Convent Website: www.abbotsfordconvent.com.au Location: 1 Heliers Street, Abbotsford, Victoria 3067 Geting There: Via public transport the best way is bus. Take the 200, 201 or 207 from Lonsdale, or the 205 from Melbourne Uni (it then heads down Lygon, Elgin and Johnston), get off at the Clarke St stop (just before you cross over the Yarra). Turn right and walk down Clarke then left onto Heliers and into the Abbotsford Convent.		View Larger Map

Lentil As Anything

I took the opportunity today to visit a very different and delicious restaurant, Lentil As Anything. This restaurant was unlike any I have ever visited before; Lentil survives on the generosity of its patrons. There are no prices, no bill when you finish your meal, no cash register, just a box near the front of the restaurant where patrons may, if they wish, pay what they feel.

So let me first talk about the restaurant, then we'll revisit the concept of Lentil. When you first enter, it can be a little confusing as to where you are meant to go. To get to the front you walk past the outdoor dining tables and there may be someone out front preparing food for the next group of visitors. You'll see the days menu on a big chalkboard near the main door, there is also a menu just inside on a large white board. Chances are someone will greet you here and this is where you will order your meal. They will also happily answer any questions about the menu- like, What is a Sri Lankan Farmers breakfast?

Once you've ordered you can choose a place to sit, out front, inside, or outside in the rear of the building. Just be sure to let the staff know where you're headed so they can bring your food. The food is all vegetarian and you'll find a mix of traditional as well as foods from all over the world. You can see the brekky menu on the above photo and later on you can enjoy items such as: lentil burgers, Vietnamese salad, Japanese cabbage-and-carrot pancake, or a range of curries.


We thoroughly enjoyed our meal of poached eggs on toast for myself,

for my husband, The Sri Lankan Farmers Breakfast (a crepe filled with spiced potatoes and other veg),

and for the kids, sweet French Toast.

We were pleasantly surprised with the quality and presentation of the food. When you take in the surroundings of mismatched chairs and tables along with the eclectic art hanging on the walls you may wonder what type of food you'll be eating. But not to worry, the food was delicious! 

Lentil's philosophy of trust and generosity allows them to provide food for all, including those with very limited resources. They also provide training and educational opportunities for new migrants, refugees, and the long-term unemployed. Basically, if you are willing to put on an apron, you are welcome to work in the kitchen.

Name: Lentil As Anything Telephone: (03) 9419 6444 Website: www.lentilasanything.com Location: 1 Hellers Street, Abbotsford, Victoria 3067 Geting There: Via public transport the best way is bus. Take the 200, 201 or 207 from Lonsdale, or the 205 from Melbourne Uni (it then heads down Lygon, Elgin and Johnston), get off at the Clarke St stop (just before you cross over the Yarra). Turn right and walk down Clarke then left onto Hellers and into the Abbotsford Convent.		View Larger Map

Toto's Pizza House

We were craving some Italian the other night and were having dinner with friends, so gave Toto's a try. We've walked by plenty of times and it's always bustling with lots of patrons enjoying themselves, so that's a pretty good gauge that's its worth a try. Toto's is located on the city side of Lygon Street, which makes it really convenient to us city-folk. They opened up in 1961 and claim to be the first pizza restaurant in Australia. One thing I can say for sure is that their pizza was yummy! We actually had our food delivered this time, which is a nice option. We tried Toto's Super Special (tomato, cheese, hot salami, ham, mild peppers, mushrooms, olives, prawns) and the Pizza Bolognia (tomato, cheese, spiced meat, onion, bacon, salami, ham). I preferred the Super Special as the Bolognia was just too much meat, and I'll say I liked it so much that I'll have a hard time trying something different next time. The olives were a mix of black olives and kalamata olives, which gave it such a nice, distinctive flavour.

We also tried a few pasta dishes, the Fettucini carbonara and Rigatoni matriciana, both were delicious. I was really impressed with the value of the food at Toto's. It was delicious and quite inexpensive. A pasta main dish costs under $11 and was more than enough food. The main meals (meat based) are served with chips and a salad and include things like chicken parmagiana, veal scaloppine, porterhouse steak - In my opinion the mains were nothing special (we tried the chicken parm), I'd rather have a flavourful pasta any day.

Bottom line- great pizzas and pastas, affordable, casual/family friendly
Sorry for the lack of pics (next time I'll take some, because I'm sure we'll be back)

Name: Toto's Pizza House Telephone: 03 9347 1888 Website:  totospizzahouse.com Location: 101 Lygon Street, Carlton Getting There: Take the Free City Circle Tram to Russell and La Trobe (at the North of the City) get off the tram and walk North (Russell turns into Lygon St)

View Larger Map

Queen Victoria Market

It was brought to my attention that I have failed to do a post about Queen Victoria Market! I can explain why... I live close enough to our beloved market that I am lucky enough to do lots of my shopping there. I guess it has become such a normal part of my life that I forgot it's also a tourist destination! So today I brought my camera and tried to look at the market through the eyes of a first-timer.

When most people hear "market" they think fresh produce/farmer's market, and they would be right. Queen Victoria's Fruit and Veg Precinct is amazing. The produce is fresh and delicious. I saw some of the biggest mangoes I've ever seen during the summer, literally, as big as small pineapple. Beyond its quality, the produce is also wonderfully inexpensive. Just to give you an idea, I was there today and bought Willaim Bartlett pears for $1.50/kg, white button mushrooms for $4.00/kg, and Pink Lady apples for $1.00/kg. There's also an organic section where you can find 3  certified fresh fruit stalls and an organic dry goods outlet.

One of my favorite parts of the Market is the Deli Hall. Here you will find heaps of fresh bread/bakery stalls, local and imported cheeses, dips, olives, chocolate/sweets shops, and poultry shops (where you will also find game meats like crocodile, rabbit, kangaroo). 
Within the Deli Hall you'll also find a number of take-away stalls where you can get some great eats to take to the tables outside for a quick bite or eat as you browse the rest of the market.

One of my favorites is Colour of Earth (shop 97-98), which specializes in all-natural pizzas. They make a variety of Gluten-free, Vegan, Vegetarian pizzas, as well as full gluten, meaty pizzas :)
I spoke with their chef, who told me they've started grinding their own specialty flours to make the pizza bases, including: pumpkin, beetroot, polenta, wholemeal and white. They make so many different flavours you're sure to find one that suits your taste buds; from a simple margherita to a spicy satay or asparagus pizza. Delicious!

There's also a food court in the market with plenty of options to satisfy your hunger (my favorite in the food court is the butter chicken from Drums).

Adjacent to the Deli Hall is the Meat Hall. Here is where you find all types of meats; pork, beef, lamb, with every cut to suit your needs. The Meat Hall also home to ten fishmongers, offering whole fish, fillets and crustaceans. Even if your just touring the market, don't skip a walk through the Meat Hall. It's quite a sight to see the butchers shouting their specials down the aisle, luring customers to their stalls.

Finally we come to the general merchandise stalls. When I pulled out my camera to capture this section of the market I was at a loss. There is such a variety of goods sold here that I could not choose just one photo to illustrate the diversity of market stalls. Instead, let me give you an idea of the many things you'll find.
Clothing- children's, women's, men's, leather coats, wool and cashmere jackets, shoes, accessories
Sheepskin- australia is known for their sheepskin and you'll find all types here: rugs, seat covers, fake UGGs (I've done my research and the UGGs you find at the market are true sheepskin, but are not the REAL UGG brand)
Home decor- artwork, sculpture, photo frames, gifts, fabrics, pillow covers
Souvenirs- boomerangs, photos, didgeridoo
Toys- stuffed animals, children's books, dolls

Trips the market are not complete without a stop at one of the Doughnut Vans. The Spanish Doughnut Van (located in the upper market past the Fruits and Veg) sell hot, crispy Spanish-style churros. My personal favorite is The American Doughnut Kitchen has been making hot delicious, jam-filled doughnuts right in their van since 1950. The queue can be quite long on weekends, but totally worth it in my opinion.

TAKE NOTE OF THE HOURS:

Monday- Closed; Tuesday- 6am to 2pm; Wednesday- Closed; Thursday- 6am to 2pm; Friday- 6am to 5pm (General Merchandise to 4pm); Saturday- 6am to 3pm; Sunday- 9am to 4pm

Name: Queen Victoria Market Telephone: 03 9320 5822  Website: www.qvm.com.au/qvm Location: corner of Queen and Elizabeth Streets, Melbourne Getting There: Take the City Circle Tram and exit at La Trobe and Elizabeth Street, then head north

View Larger Map

Ying Thai 2

Among all the Italian restaurants on Lygon Street there a few misplaced Asian restaurants that should not be overlooked. We tried out Ying Thai 2 last Friday night and if the number of people waiting for a table indicates anything...then we were in for a treat. 

Restaurants here in the Melbourne CBD are not like the big chains found outside of the city, you won't normally have to wait for a table. But the night we went there was a full house.We waited about 15 minutes for a table, then another 5 for the server to clean the table from the previous patrons, another 10 before he took our order, and our food came after about 15 minutes. Wow, when I say it like that it sounds like a lot of waiting. I was pretty excited to try it out after all the good things I had heard, so the wait really didn't bother me, but it's something to be aware of (on a Friday night anyway).
While we waited I had plenty of time to take in the atmosphere. Not exactly what you'd expect of a Thai restaurant, the decor was a little more like a kindergarten, bright colors, drawing on the wall. Something different. 

On to the most important part...the food.
They offer a fairly large menu, featuring salads, noodles, curry, stir fry, and rice dishes. Most main dishes range in price from $13-$16. 

We opted for the Kao Pud (Thai style fried rice with onion, sping onion, egg and choice of meat) and Pud Thai (I usually see this dish as Pad Thai).

We also tried the Gang Panang (Mild thai curry in coconut milk with Kaffir lime leaves) over sticky rice.
Bottom line- Very authentic, very flavorful, high quality ingredients, I loved the Pud Thai (some of the best I've had). Next time I will probably order different items from the menu (I'm not up at night craving the Gang Panang, although it was good), but I will definitely be back.
When ordering keep in mind the Thai love their chili, mild is equivalent to a typical medium and if you order hot be prepared to blow fire.

Name: Ying Thai 2 Telephone: 03 9639 1697 Website: none Location: 110 Lygon Street,  Carlton  Getting There: Take the Free City Circle Tram to Russell and La Trobe (at the North of the City) get off the tram and walk North (Russell turns into Lygon St)

View Larger Map

Medallion Greek Cafe

Today's Mission: Greek Food

What better place to go than the Greek Precinct, right? We headed to Lonsdale St between Swanston and Russell Streets in search of a gyro and some spanikopita. There were a number of Greek restaurants, but since we had the kids with us we opted for the more relaxed, cafe style of Medallion. 

At street level there is outdoor cafe seating for those wishing to watch people, enjoy the weather or have a smoke (as there is no smoking indoors). Upon entrance to the restaurant there is a display case of desserts including baklava and sticky fig cake. At the counter you can order take-away gyros and souvlaki. Beyond the  counter there is ample indoor seating, with plenty of space on a Friday night. 

I chatted with the owner, Ignatios Karasavvidis, a Greek immigrant who has owned the restaurant since 1990. Medallion has been in operation since 1970 and at the Lonsdale location for the last 20 years. In addition to Medallion, Ignatios also owns the Greek restaurant and taverna, DION, which is located next door. Both restaurants serve traditionally cooked lamb and chicken (DION also serves steak and seafood). 

Our lamb and chicken gyros were just what we were looking for, nicely flavoured, tender and delicious. Served with pita bread, tomatoes, lettuce, onion and tzatziki sauce. The spanikopita left a little to be desired, over-cooked and a little greasy, rather than the light flaky pastry I hoped for. Prices ranged from 5-10 AUD for entrees and 10-20 AUD for main dishes. Overall, a nice meal and relaxed, pleasant atmosphere. 

Name: Medallion 
Location: 209-211 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne 
Phone: 03 9663 4228 
Website: www.dionrestaurant.com.au (this was the website given to me, but the link didn't seem to work)