Have been AWOL for a bit as I was venturing around the city of Melbourne. My apologies! I had an amazing time and it was my first trip there, very excite!
I didn't get to do many touristy things but here are some of the things (mostly shopping my ass off!) that I did while in Melbourne..
The first place I ate in Melbourne was Chillipadi - a Malaysian style chain similar to Oaks or KK Malaysia but much more commercial. I had fried noodles with seafood and Jeff-wah had Beef Rendang. The noodles were very tasty, quite standard. The rendang was great. Better than KK Malaysia - shock horror! They have Chillipadi restaurants pretty much all over Melbourne. The one we went to was in Habourtown.
Burger from Grill'd, pretty much Australias version of Burgerfuel. Definately not as good but it is pretty up there. I got just a basic cheeseburger type thing, I know what I like when it comes to burgers. It was good but nothing to write home about.
My favourite meal in Melbourne from the Queen Victoria Market - spicy beef bratwurst with sauerkraut, tomato relish and dijon mustard. Located in the deli section of the market, this stall is always buzzing with people. Around the lunch rush the amount of people surrounding is massive but never fear! The lines move quickly. I suggest standing back for a bit to really decide what you want because the locals know and they will get pissed (along with the staff) when you take ages to choose between a cheese or spicy brat. Wash it down with a blood orange drink and sit opposite Maccas and just enjoy. Really puts the Brat Pack to shame.
Shopping - my favourite place to shop was very handy in Harbourtown shopping centre. Located at the Docklands there is also a car park there that offers a flat rate of $5.00 (we parked there everyday we went to the city) and the City Circle tram stop is right outside. Harbourtown has a mix of regular AND outlet stores. Love it!
We didn't go to this particular Lord of the Fries outlet but we did eat at one while in Melbiurne. We were really excited to try it as it promises "The best fries you will ever try". Ah NAH! They were below average. The thing that is supposed to set them apart is the fact that they smother their fries with sauces of your choosing. I got a burger combo - the burger was disgusting, meat was so dry it felt like I was eating gib. Get it together mate.
Shopping and walking around Melbourne Central. Melbourne central acts as a mall but it really isn't. It's underground mostly and it connects many streets together with the illusion of being inside a mall. It really is quite a lovely place to browse around since the fresh air is still able to circulate throughout. It also links up to a train station!
Ride the City Circle tram. We used the tram to get pretty much everywhere all over the central city. On a map Melbourne doesn't look too bad but the reality is that everyone uses the trams to get everywhere. The city circle trams run in clockwise and anticlockwise directions and are every 12 minutes. The tram also had on board audio which advises tourists of which stops have which attractions. Oh and it's FREE!
Lunch at the Pancake Parlour. I got a fish and chip type meal all served on top of a potato pancake. They have lunch deals and their regular menu looked awesome! Lots of dessert type pancakes too. Mmm..
The cutest penguins can be found at the Melbourne Aquarium! Jeff-wah was mesmerized by the penguins and we were lucky enough to arrive at the time of day that they feed the penguins which was sooooo cool to see! We also got to feed some fish which was actually pretty cool and was only AUD$5.00 extra. If you have a valid metcard then you can get 20% off the entry price.
Hot chocolate at Max Brenner. The coolest place for hot chocolate! So yum. This particular one is called a Suckao which is hot milk served with chocolate drops (your choice of dark, milk or white) and you melt it all together in a special candle burner. Mmm..
Shopping at Chadstone Mall. Without a doubt the biggest mall I went to while in Melbourne. On the top floor they have all the flashy flashy stores like Gucci and Louis Vuitton (and Tiffanys - which had a line!) and on the ground floor they have all the normal chain stores and the foodcourt. Definately not the place to go if you are on a bit of a budget shopping wise.
IKEA! Oh my goodness I loved IKEA! It has everything I could want - homewares, furniture, kids toys! Everything! Honestly, we spent a whole day at IKEA just looking around at all the displays. I really wish they had an IKEA in Wellington.
Lunch at Red Rooster. This place doesn't seem very popular in Australia and I can't really see why. Everytime we drove past one it always looked empty. We even asked a few locals and they said it was gross. I'm glad we went against their word 'cause it was actually pretty yum! The chips were amazing.
I would recommend a Rippa Wrap.
I honestly for the life of me cannot remember the name of the place we ate on Lygon Street. Lygon Street is like the Little Italy of Melbourne and most of the dining places are al fresco which is great and was so lovely on a nice night Melbourne. We went with some friends who live in Melbourne and generally speaking it seems that if the service is bad.. The food is probably good!
COSTO is a huge discount store kind of like a supermarket meets the Warehouse. They have pretty much everything. The only thing is you can only enter if you have a membership or are with someone who has one. We got a giant bottle of Tobasco sauce for just a little more than the price of a tiny one from NZ.
Come on, go to Melbourne..
Kalliana
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