A Minor Place

A Minor Place is the sort of cafe you see as you go by and think "I must try that"; partly because there always seems to be loads of customers outside, on the tables in the street or at the deck round the side, partly because it's essentially an old house turned into a cafe, and partly because it's clearly named after the Bonnie Prince Billy song, which may speak of a certain aesthetic (not quite what's now contemptuously termed "hipster"). Its location in Albion Street, between Sydney Road and Lygon Street, pretty much guarantees it's always busy; inside and out, it's full of nice little touches such as the fresh flowers, potted plants and mini-pictures. The staff were friendly and thankfully not at all cooler-than-though, which I confess I'd expected; when the smallest member of our party ran around boisterously, they offered him a fine selection of jungle animals to settle him down, including a warthog and hippo (hiding in plain sight in one of the pictures below). After perching inside for a little bit, the sun began to show and we went out to the side where there's an unexpected amount of space, long tables, green crates and wooden planters. The coffee was excellent - so good we ordered twice - and my breakfast of pancakes with strawberry yogurt can only be described as sensational. The pancakes were moist and airy and the yogurt had been whipped with strawberries into a mousse-like texture which perfectly complemented the juicy, tender berries strewn across the plate. D's bubble and squeak, served with a potato rosti and egg on top, was also pretty tasty although (unusually for him) he felt there was too much chorizo. The littlest one ate heartily of my pancakes and then devoured a delicious, fresh chocolate muffin. Minor may be the name, but the food was anything but minor and it's now top of the list for a return visit.

Lolo & Wren

Lolo & Wren is situated in an unprepossessing block in Albion Street, on the west side of Melville Road. The cafe has an attractive interior with a mix of pretty and industrial. On a wet Sunday just past the lunch rush it was so packed we had to sit outside. We quickly forgot the cold when lunch arrived: my pulled pork roll ("drunken swine pork") was soft, packed with delicately flavoured and melt-in-the mouth pork, and slathered with gutsy, perfectly spiced chutney; the accompanying salad was a delight, with julienned apple, roasted almonds, cheese and finely sliced radish served in the shell of a red cabbage leaf. D's chicken and chorizo roll ("chicken chori-pan") was "incredible" and accompanied by excellent patatas bravas. The food is hands-on, dig in, forget your manners delicious. We were served quickly by helpful staff and all in all it was an excellent experience. There's a selection of attractive cakes and we came away with a delicious-looking salted caramel tart. Lolo & Wren is a little gem and we'll be back.

Patatas bravas

Chicken chori-pan

Drunken swine pork

Salted caramel tarts

Maxxii Moo

The peculiarly named Maxxii Moo is situated on Albert Street in Brunswick, not far from Sydney Road and just opposite the small but perfectly formed Randazzo Park. There's a huge table in the middle and big bi-fold doors open out onto a side street. It's decorated with quirky little touches and is extremely child friendly, with a projector screening cartoons on the wall, a discrete and well-equipped child area, numerous high chairs and a not-too-cutesy children's menu - zebra toast is Vegemite and toasted cheese stripes - though it could have done with some more healthy options, eg wholemeal bread. D ordered a pie and reluctantly eschewed the chips for salad - pie and salad! - on the grounds that our small companion should be nowhere near chips, he loves them so; I had smashed avo and mushroom salsa on toast, which initially came without the poached egg by mistake, but it subsequently arrived on its own plate like a plump little pillow of perfectly cooked goodness. The smallest member of our party had cheese and tomato toast which he gave every appearance of enjoying. We'd been before and parked the bikes outside; with the warm welcome, fast service and small but effective selection of lunch options, we will be back again.

Albert Street Food and Wine

Albert Street Food and Wine, sited in an old bank and with the vault to prove it, is a fairly new addition to Sydney Road's mixed bag of restaurants. The decor is clean-cut and utilitarian, with glimpses of the original steel ceiling joists, and there's a little fine food shop annexed to the main restaurant, which on a Saturday at lunchtime was full to capacity. The food was uniformly excellent: from starters of beautifully grilled, perfectly squeaky halloumi with yellow zucchini pickle and juicy wagyu skewers with plump white anchovies, via main courses of tender pork cutlet accompanied by bittersweet red cabbage and lamb on wonderfully creamy polenta, to cool, trembling, pistachio panna cotta with fresh cherries and blueberries and a Meyer lemon tart which was satisfyingly lemony. The wait staff were on the ball despite the crowds.