Perhaps you've noticed the declining frequency of spider web log posts appearing hither these terminal vi weeks. (Hopefully yous haven't noticed a pass upwards inwards enthusiasm inside those few posts; nosotros nevertheless love doin' what nosotros attain here.) There was that holiday, in addition to so nosotros accommodated friends for a few weeks spell they searched for a to a greater extent than permanent Melbourne dwelling theatre - their contrasting eating habits altered our own. Michael disappeared to Queensland for most a calendar week in addition to I worked long hours, subsisting on soft tofu tacos in addition to brightly wrapped items that could simply barely last described every bit food. I was working towards my ain trip to Queensland, where I wanted to pack every bit much family, friends in addition to nutrient every bit I could approximately a conference.
And I did. I saw former theatre unit of measurement friends, novel babies, people I've known since nosotros were children ourselves, in addition to I was utterly spoiled with their dwelling theatre cooking. Chocolate appointment cake, sesame-crumbed felafel, cheesecakes in addition to gnocchi, afternoon teas in addition to punnets in addition to punnets of new-season strawberries. All the spell the Sun shone, unseasonably hot.
Have yous attended many conference dinners? I've been to a dyad of crackers, but many to a greater extent than disappointments. (It must last hard to conform an accessible venue, entertainment, in addition to simultaneously serve pleasing meals to several hundred delegates.) This fourth dimension a few colleagues in addition to I decided instead to pass what nosotros could bring on that conference dinner, on a smaller but exceptional dinner elsewhere.
It started at the Lychee Lounge. This bar was opened upwards on Boundary St for all the years that I lived inwards West End, yet I never stopped inwards for a drink. Its hip cocktail lounge style, mutual inwards Melbourne, wasn't my scene - I was a frugal full-time student, to a greater extent than casually dressed than the stilettoed girls visible out forepart (still am) in addition to the Pavilion across the street offered cocktails at one-half the toll on Dominicus evenings.I tin terminate at nowadays confirm that it's a lovely spot to settle inwards with friends, drinks in addition to fifty-fifty a few snacks. The cocktail bill of fare is extensive in addition to non unreasonably priced - I sampled their signature drink, the Lychee Lounge Martini, with lychee-infused vodka, lychee juice, triple sec, a squeeze of lime in addition to a frozen lychee garnish ($13). The snacks are deliciously pretentious - I couldn't larn plenty of the beloved in addition to shichimi crushed white patato chips, served with love apple tree jam in addition to lemon mayo ($7).
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The top dog event, though, was dinner at Mondo Organics. Having enjoyed a few brunches in addition to i terrific cooking cast at Mondo when I was a local, I was looking forrard to this meal. I e'er remembered their efforts to cater for vegans in addition to coeliacs in addition to with their devotion to local produce, it seemed a proficient selection to percentage with some interstate vistors too. The Mondo folks got us started with an amuse bouche of blended beetroot in addition to caprine animal cheese with a acidic boot in addition to slender spelt breadstuff side.
One of the evening's specials was truffled in addition to scrambled duck eggs served with puff pastry - a deliciously rich dish.
Another memorable entree was the spelt ravioli filled with Stilton in addition to quince, walnut crude in addition to opal basil ($18) - the nutty crispness on the exterior perfectly offset the oozing cheesy filling.
The featured vegetarian top dog of the flavor was sweetness white patato gnocchi with tallegio, peas, enoki mushrooms in addition to oloroso sherry ($28). I was straightaway impressed with the depth of flavour inwards the stock-like sauce - it's a flake of a rarity when there's no meat involved. The gnocchi were shine in addition to silky, in addition to the peas in addition to mushrooms worked well. I surprised myself past times setting aside much of the cheese; it was simply every bit good intense upwards against that sherry-soaked sauce.
Across the tabular array nosotros tried 2 of the desserts. First up, orangish bloom dumplings with poached orange, whipped vanilla tofu in addition to pistachio ($14.50). Though they looked similar piddling doughnuts the dumplings had a course of pedagogy heaviness that reminded me of a flourless orangish cake; everyone loved the pistachio-flavoured fairy floss garnish.
More impressive nevertheless was the amaretti-crumbed goat's curd cream cheesecake, served with fig compote in addition to vincotto coulis ($14.50) - a stunning, slightly sweeter option to finishing upwards with a cheese platter.Our meals at Mondo were unrelentingly rich. There were a dyad of little disappointments alongside the dishes in addition to some overindulged stomachs past times the terminate of the night, but these were eclipsed past times wonderful entrees in addition to actually creative desserts.
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A cheaper agency to process yourself inwards West End is to caput to Three Monkeys Coffee in addition to Tea House. The rambling rooms offering plenty of nooks to percentage secrets in addition to enormous slabs of cake with a friend. Further out dorsum is a leafy courtyard, where yous tin terminate sip tea in addition to play backgammon. 
Air-conditioned indoors in addition to well-shaded out back, it's i of the coolest, calmest places to last inwards the superlative of this city's summer. And inwards spite of the heat, I couldn't bring felt cooler or calmer afterward my fortnight catching upwards with Brisbane.
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