Nothing raises my spirits more after the hectic highs and exhaustion induced lows of the working week than a rambunctious brunch session with friends of mine, in Melbourne’s inner city suburbs.
Awakened with a weekend vigour I set out on a short stroll through the narrow streets of Richmond. Armed with a whole host of stories to divulge to my nearest and dearest, there’s only one destination that could aptly fit the bill for today - Swan Street’s darling café Friends of Mine.
Sweet yellow awnings adorn the windows and doors and an assortment of odd tables and chairs are scattered just outside for those that are keen to bask in the first few rays of springtime sun.
As is the case with most of Melbourne’s trendiest spots, a queue is to be expected. But like good friends that do their best to please, don’t expect to wait anymore than a reasonable 10 to 15 minutes. The notion of lingering outside becomes all the more acceptable with the ability to abate your coffee cravings with service from a dedicated window straight onto the street.
The décor is spot on and achieves an ambience that reflects the relaxed chic of its menus; exposed bricks and industrial lights are offset by wholegrain toast topped with a mountain of smashed avocado, thyme infused mushrooms, crumbled feta.
The real crowd pleaser – hailed the hangover cure – comes in the form of devilishly cheesy toast, crispy bacon, flavoursome poached eggs and a generous serve of avocado goodness. It certainly doesn’t disappoint the tastebuds but it does give you the niggling feeling that your afternoon will be spent going for an all-important one hour run to burn off those excessive calories.
The tastes and textures, the service and quality are what I’ve come to expect of any top-notch establishment in the city that’s come to epitomise café culture. It no surprise then, that Friends of Mine has quickly sneaked up the ranks and is now likely to be part of my regular weekend repertoire!
Friends of Mine
506 Swan Street
Richmond VIC 3121
Ph: 03) 9428 7516
Social Share
Related Posts
Sybarites are the Kerry Hotel's business
Jonathan Porter The Kerry Hotel in Pudong, Shanghai China, is made for sybarites. It says on their website that it caters for business travellers and so forth, but really it exists to spoil its guests. With great food in world class restaurants, awesome beer and one of the best spas in the business. And let’s […]
A valley of food and wine delights
As you hit the outskirts of the city of Melbourne and the shops are rapidly replaced by lush green fields and then perfectly manicured vines, it is easy to understand you have landed in one of Australia’s, if not the world’s, truly great wine regions - the Yarra Valley. The Yarra Valley is not only […]
Tokyu Capitol Hotel oozes authentic style
It's after dark when I reach the Tokyu Capitol Hotel, exhausted from a sweaty race around Narita airport to make the shuttle into the city. The hotel, a few minutes away from The Diet, Japan's parliament, is a peaceful shelter from the crowded chaos of a city populated by more than nine million people and […]
Songdo’s stress relieving stay
I arrive at Seoul’s Incheon airport at dusk after two weeks traversing Tokyo and Okinawa on a business trip. I am mentally and physically exhausted, desperate to enjoy the comforts of a reliable, five-star property after several nights in small, but perfectly formed, functional hotels. Blonde marble and dark wood interiors give way to a […]
Lighting up Yangon in 48 hours
Flying into Yangon by night and you’re immediately struck by the darkness below. Rather than the sparkling dance of millions of lights you would normally associate with a city of over 7 million, the twilit landscape is occasionally broken by single phosphorescent glows created by enterprising locals cranking-up diesel generators. As deeply alluring and mysterious […]
Hong Kong’s urban resort is a natural delight
The Kerry Hotel in Hong Kong on Victoria Harbour’s Hung Hom Bay, is a 16-storey Shangri-La property which is known as the city’s first urban resort. While Hong Kong doesn’t suffer from a dearth of high-end hotels, what sets the new Kerry apart is its urban experience. Sure, the hotel drips with tick-a-box five-star luxuries […]