Category Archives: coffee specialist

HOT Chat: Philippa Sibley of Il Fornaio

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Over a million of us watched Masterchef Australia every night, which means you’re probably familiar with the work of award winning Melbourne-based pastry chef, Philippa Sibley.

Being a HUGE dessert fiend, I’ve been a fan of Philippa’s work ever since I moved to Melbourne and she was cooking at three-hatted est est est.

Her latest venture is taking over the reins at iconic café Il Fornaio (2 Acland St, St Kilda +) as Executive Chef. Philippa has developed the mouthwatering breakfast and lunch menu (I have my eye on the country pie and her famous smoked salmon, pea and dill quiche) – but what I’m most excited about is that the dessert bar. Yes, a place to go where it’s ok just to order dessert!

Philippa is one busy lady so I’m thrilled that she’s taken the time to have a chat with me today. Thanks Philippa!

Philippa, tell me a bit more about your background?

My passion for pastry emerged early on, but it was during a stint overseas, where I worked at Le Gavroche, Est, Quaglino’s, Harvey’s and three-starred La Cote Saint Jacques, that I honed my dessert skills.

When I arrived back in Australia in 1996, I decided to focus on desserts at est est est, Luxe and Ondine, and all three restaurants collected three hats in The Age Good Food Guide.

In 2005 I was appointed Head Pastry Chef at Circa, The Prince, and then in 2009 I moved to Bistro Guillaume.

What’s do you consider to be your cooking philosophy?

Desserts are the nursery rhymes of eating. They are silly and frivolous, and no one ever died from not eating pudding.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your years as a chef?

I feel like I’ve faced every challenge there could be. I have terrible wheat allergies to start with!

At La Cote Saint Jacques, being the first Australian in the kitchen in 25 years and the first ever woman who had worked there was a novelty for a while, but once I started to excel and eventually overtaking the skill levels of the male staff, things changed and they were not so nice. Of course the language barrier made working there even more challenging because once I began to learn French and understand what they were saying, they could now longer talk about me!

What advice would you give to someone who wants a career in the kitchen?

Say goodbye to your social life. Don’t become a chef unless you are really passionate. It involves a lot of blood, sweat and tears, literally.

I have to ask. What was it like being on Masterchef Australia? Was it just like we saw on TV?

It was very exciting and the producer and all the people involved where lovely and very helpful. It took a really long time to do such a short section and I was very nervous. I’d seen other chefs loose the challenge and I’m not so arrogant. I was scared. But I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Moving onto your latest venure, what approach have you taken with the new menu at Il Fornaio?

Fresh, seasonal French and Italian bistro food. It’s similar to what I did at Luxe (St Kilda) and I would describe it as things that I personally like to eat.

As Executive Chef, what are you next plans for Il Fornaio?

Purveying. As the weather warms up we will have picnicables, where you can come in and buy a baguette, some terrine or house smoked salmon, chutney, cheese and wine, plus a few slices of tarte. Instant picnic! We’ll also be selling ice cream. There’s nothing else like it in St Kilda.

Finally, you’ve worked around the world but you’re born and bred in Melbourne. What HOT places and things do you love about your home town?

As I live in Richmond, I love Victoria Street as a casual dining destination. My favourite would be the mud crabs at Pacific Seafood BBQ House.

I love all the hospitality regulars such as the Supper Club, The European and Siglo, because I’ll always see someone there I know.

Attica is a wonderful dining destination. I like Maze as it was special and very accessible. Lucky for me my son is a little gourmand so we always enjoy eating out.

Philippa’s daily-changing desserts and cakes will be available in the pastry case of Il Fornaio along with speciality coffee from St Ali. Il Fornaio will also offer a made-to-order cake service with 24 hours notice. I know where I’m getting my next birthday cake!

Images via Masterchef Australia and Philippa Sibley

HOT: Liaison Cafe, Monaco House, 22 Ridgway Place, Melbourne

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I must be the only food blogger, nay the only Melburnian, who doesn’t drink coffee.

Sometimes it can really hinder the completeness of my reviews, especially when I go to a place that specialises in coffee, like . is the sixth cafe run by Danny Colls of Cafe Racer fame, and from what I could tell, in the morning everyone heads there for their first coffee before heading to the office. There’s really no sit-down breakfast menu to speak of other than Danish pastries, toast and muesli.

I perched myself at the high window bench and ordered a muesli with yoghurt and fruit ($11), a lovely toasted concoction of large whole nuts. With no coffee for me, Danny suggested I try a glass of chai ($4) ‘the best chai you’ll ever have’. Well, it was very creamy and fragrant and made with brewed tea, not powder. Definitely one of the most comforting cups of chai I’ve tried.

I liked the cosy atmosphere of the cafe housed in the crazy jagged Monaco House, from the U-shaped bench surrounding the coffee machine, the Urban Crop tulips suspended from the ceiling and red Perspex figures designed and made by Danny – to represent that welcomes all people from all walks of life.

Coincidentally I ran into Suzanne from Essjayeats lining up for her coffee. She told me that she goes to for its consistency – Danny makes every coffee and as a result he knows the orders of his regular customers very well. Apparently if he’s sick or away, the cafe closes. That kind of dedication to quality is very admirable.

For more details about the actual coffee-drinking at , check out Melbourne Gastronome.

  • , Monaco House, 22 Ridgway Place, Melbourne

Liaison Cafe on Urbanspoon

NOT: Breadwell, 135 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

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Breadwell? BreadNOT.

This small café is popular with the lawyer/banker crowd down towards the Paris end of Collins St, and I’m not sure why because the food that L and I had for lunch was pretty poor.

Breadwell, 135 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Hot or Not review

To whit – Breadwell’s ‘famous’ spicy meatballs with pasta ($20) and green lentil dahl with yoghurt and crispy (huh?) chapatti ($14). L’s dahl was so sweet it was like eating one of those Asian bean desserts. She said it was passable but now she knew why her friends had dismissed Breadwell as a lunch venue when she’d suggested it previously.

Breadwell, 135 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Hot or Not review

My dish was a gigantic mound of pasta with equally huge meatballs. As I bit into one of the ‘spicy meatballs’, I discovered absolutely no spice whatsoever and in fact detected the rather off-putting taste of sub-standard mince. ‘I’ve made better meatballs! ‘ I thought as I pushed them aside and dug into the fresh tomato sugo instead.

To add insult to injury after our disappointing lunch, I’m not kidding – I broke out into a fat sweat as soon as I got back to the office. And that’s not good for open plan.

  • Breadwell, +

Breadwell on Urbanspoon

HOT: Coffee Hit, 81 Church Street, Hawthorn

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One of the pieces of feedback I received from the MEL: HOT OR NOT Reader Survey 2010 was that you wanted to see more reviews from other people. I’m decisive, but I’m not necessary the Gospel According To Joyce.

That’s why you’ll be seeing more guest posts soon, from previous guest-posters to newbies. Today we welcome Melbourne blogger Ceri (otherwise known as ), who checked out great coffee in Kew. Thanks Ceri!

Coffee Hit 81 Church St Kew Melbourne Hot or Not review

For those that complain about the lack of decent cafes in Kew, your prayers have been answered by Coffee Hit.

A fresh, new café and soon-to-be roasting house, Coffee Hit boasts young baristas with over twenty years of experience between them, the best Veneziano coffee, homemade food, and a fresh outlook on the café scene. I discovered this one just recently and will be making my way down as often as possible from now on. They’re so new that they don’t even have a website or business cards, and the most obvious address is taken by the just-sold store in Westfield Doncaster.

The young, funky team have already acquired regular customers and on Sunday afternoons they come in for a late breakfast and a chat, sharing the space with new faces that have discovered the recently opened corner shop. Owner Troy likes to have his fingers in as many pies as possible and is looking forward to starting the in-house bean roasting as soon as possible while juggling a young family and still being all hands on bar.

I shared an early afternoon snack with a friend while chatting to Troy as he demolished the eye-catching breakfast salad: poached eggs, bacon, feta, capsicum, rocket, avocado and croutons. In fact, all the food looks amazing. The counter displays home made muffins, paninis, tarts and slices – everything is made in-house apart from the bread & croissants which are brought in from a quality bakery in Port Melbourne.

Other drool-worthy menu items include the Hit Man Breakfast (complete with home made hash browns) and the Breakfast Bruschetta (smashed avocado, tomato, fetta and white balsamic) but the one thing you must try is the coffee. Troy and Sean effortlessly smash out perfect lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos with gorgeous latte art and a cheeky grin. It’s obvious these boys have a passion for coffee and that’s before the cup even reaches your lips. Take a seat out the back or soak up the sun and the view with the paper at the big table in the front section.

It’s the details that really make Coffee Hit a lovely place to visit, from the Aesop products in the bathroom, the fridge full of organic bottled beverages, the menu clipboards hanging from hardware pegboard and the fresh daisies in little bottles all around the place, all giving Coffee Hit that fresh, laid-back and modern feel.

If you can’t get to Kew, you might be lucky enough to pass by one of their associated mobile coffee carts at Elwood Park for the occasional race day Sunday or on Burwood Highway (outside Beaurepairs) on weekday mornings. But for me, I’m hanging out for a latte from one of Troy’s own roasts. Lovely!

  • Coffee Hit, +

Coffee Hit on Urbanspoon

HOT: Launch of MEL: Heat Map

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For those of you who may not have noticed yet, there’s a new little button on the top menu of MEL: HOT OR NOT –  MEL: Heat Map.

What’s that, you ask? Well, I have been spending my waking hours putting every review on MEL: HOT OR NOT onto a single map. So that means you can go to the movies, find out where to eat nearby, go for dessert at the gelati shop around the corner and drop into a shop to buy your Mum a birthday present on your way home.

To help me launch this whiz-bang map project is Jenny Jiang, one of the co-founders of Melbourne Op Shop Tours. Jenny’s a resident of North Melbourne, and here are her picks for what’s HOT around her neighbourhood. You can take yourself on a little tour with the MEL: Heat Map to guide your way. Thanks Jenny!

Fantastic coffee, house-baked sweet treats and really friendly staff

  • Fandango, (Next door to Auction Rooms with coloured streamers in doorway) +

My favourite breakfast in town – especially the eggs with beetroot relish and the fruit toast with marscapone spread. They have a very limited lunch menu but it’s yummy all the same. It looks really really tiny but there is a courtyard out the back for those rare days when Melbourne weather isn’t ridiculous!

  • , +

Tiny hole in the wall vintage store with great jewellery and some really outrageous items of clothing! They also have nice   leather bags and scarves. If you do go in and Martin’s there – say Hi for me! We visit his store on our Inner North op shop tour.

Lovely higher-end second hand store with some new stock by Melbourne designers. We also visit this store on our Inner North tour. Gianna (shop-owner) is really sweet and some of the dresses in here are amazing. It is quite pricey though so better for  special occasion shopping. Some of their stock is sourced overseas so it’s perfect for event shopping because you know you’ll   be the only one in that outfit!

  • The French Quarter Patisserie Boulangerie, +

Yummy almond croissants and other buttery baked treats.

HOT: Outpost, 9 Yarra St, South Yarra

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Outpost 9 Yarra St South Yarra

Outpost. How much do I love thee, let me count the ways:

Outpost 9 Yarra Street South Yarra

The open kitchen. MasterChef has shown us that cooking can be theatre, and at Outpost you can have a front-row view of the kitchen goings-on. Great entertainment if you’re eating alone and love food (like me).  Oh, and they use Aesop handwash in the kitchen – a touch of luxury.

Outpost 9 Yarra Street South Yarra

The tiles. The chef Paul Jewson told me that the tiles were sourced from the UK but the designer Hecker Phelan Guthrie Interior Designers really wanted grey tiles to match the black ceiling and overall look of the café. But the tile manufacturer didn’t make grey tiles. The builder’s solution – flip the tiles over to reveal the unpainted underside. I had thought that the design was a faux-Grecian terracotta tile reference, but in fact the circular grooving is on all the tiles and is used to hold them in place against the foundations.

Outpost 9 Yarra Street South Yarra

The hanging shelves. Rumour has it that owner Sal Malatesta was initially reluctant to open a café in a South Yarra office building, but the developers enticed him with a no-expense spared design budget. So every piece of the fitout has been custom-made for the café, which is a shame because I’d really love one of the iron quasi-butcher’s rack shelves to hang from my ceiling. I watched, fascinated, as the Yeo’s sesame oil, Squid brand fish sauce and Maldon smoked sea salt swayed gently back and forth over the workbench. Even the EXIT sign was hung from butcher’s hooks.

Outpost 9 Yarra Street South Yarra

The banana and coconut bread ($12.50). If anyone tells you that banana bread is healthy because it has fruit in it, they’re fooling with you. This was moist slices of cake embedded with shredded coconut for texture. Not too sweet, it was served with a squiggle of maple syrup and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Tea and coffee. The waitress almost pulled a moue of disbelief when I said I didn’t want a coffee. After all, Outpost is run by the same people as speciality coffee purveyors St Ali. Instead I opted for the Buddha Tea of hand-tied jasmine tea leaves for a delicate and fragrant beverage ($3.50).

Outpost South Yarra 9 Yarra St

The business card. The handmade, functional feel of the recycled cardboard and the punched indentation of the Courier typeface perfectly epitomises the industrial cosiness of Outpost.

Outpost 9 Yarra Street South Yarra

Decorative elements everywhere you look. Volume and repetition make a bowl of tomatoes as cheerful and festive as Christmas baubles.  And my first real-life encounter with a burger phone below.

Outpost 9 Yarra Street South Yarra

Their passion.  It was obvious that Paul loved his job and was full of enthusiasm and ideas, and the wait staff were all very friendly and solicitous during my breakfast, asking whether I was comfortable and enjoyed my meal.

Outpost has become so popular that they’ve now taken the lease on the unit next door to cater for the cold/wet weather come winter and it should be fully furnished in two weeks. It’s not currently open in the evenings and with the new space Paul said that he had an idea to provide 50ml wine tastings with small dishes so that customers could sample a whole range of wine and food without committing to a single glass of wine or a main course.

If you haven’t been to Outpost or any of St Ali’s other cafes, Saturday 6 February might be the day to do it. St Ali will be hosting the St Ali Yarra Place Project, a laneway party with live street art in South Melbourne. Ten of Australia’s best street artists will be painting every building down Yarra Place, plus there will be a barbecue, DJ’s and an alleycat race at 2pm, a time trial between St Ali, Sensory Lab at David Jones, Liar Liar and Outpost organised in conjunction with Fixed.org.au.

Finally, as a sidenote, Paul’s mate and St Ali executive chef Ben Cooper (ex-head chef at Ezard and Nobu London and Nahm alumni) will be opening a noodle restaurant near Outpost around April, so keep a look out.

Outpost on Urbanspoon

HOT: Three Bags Full, 56 Nicholson St, Abbotsford

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Three Bags Full Nicholson St Abbotsford

Three Bags Full is the latest addition to the industrial chic cafe scene that Melbourne does so well.

It comes with good credentials, as it’s run by the same husband-and-wife team (Sarah Foletta and Nathan Toleman) and their business partners Ben and Diamon, who are behind award-winning cafes APTE and Liar Liar. On the second day of opening the whole operation seemed to be running smoothly, with a steady stream of customers coming into the historic Denton Mills Hat Factory for breakfast – evidence that there’s always room for one more new white-washed warehouse eatery in Melbourne.

Three Bags Full Nicholson St Abbotsford

Settling down to one of the small tables and cheeky stools made from old street signs, I was handed a bright yellow menu with at least twenty breakfast items on offer. However, as soon as I saw the specials board I knew what I wanted – a sticky black ginger bread with roasted plums, marscapone and praline  ($13.50).

Three Bags Full Nicholson St Abbotsford

While I waited for my breakfast, I took the time to inspect all of the different decorative touches. Quirky lino prints are hung up on the walls and available for sale. I counted at least six different styles of lighting, from naked bulbs to Moroccan inspired lantern cages to these custom-made upside down tea-and-saucer sets. I loved the bursts of yellow in the decor (in apt choice, as in colour psychology yellow is cheery, warm and stimulates the metabolism), the striped fabric of the banquette and the cute succulents growing in the narrow window boxes. Antique scales are used as display stands for business cards and cupcakes. The staff all wear heavy duty cotton aprons fringed with kimono fabric.

Three Bags Full Nicholson St Abbotsford

As for the food, my breakfast definitely had the wow factor. It was an unadulterated slab of cake, toasted, and slathered with a vibrantly hued plum compote sprinkled with crunch. It’s indulgent and certainly not a dish for those watching their waistline.

Three Bags Full Nicholson St Abbotsford

To compensate, for lunch I also took away a large filling tub of the daily-changing selection of salad ($10): orange and fennel; tuna and penne with fresh basil and parsley; and chargrilled eggplant with juicy roasted mushrooms.

Three Bags Full Nicholson St Abbotsford

The cafe serves 5 Senses coffee and has a Clover machine, so while I’m not a coffee drinker I think you can be assured of some level of quality from your latte.

For other aesthetically eye-catching cafes, try Auction Rooms and Cibi.

Three Bags Full on Urbanspoon

HOT: Auction Rooms, 103-107 Errol St, North Melbourne

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Auction rooms errol street north melbourne

Auction Rooms is a casual cafe/restaurant set inside the old WB Ellis auction house in North Melbourne. In fact, the long wooden floorboards, exposed beams, distressed brickwork and high ceilings hoisting a series of whirring fans reminded me a lot of the interior of an airy Queenslander home. It seems like the kind of place where the dress code should be to kick around in shorts and despite its large size the atmosphere was still warm and cosy. Unfortunately my iPhone photos don’t really do it justice.

Auction rooms errol street north melbourne

Auction rooms errol street north melbourne

Already in love with the stylish interior, we delved into the extensive dinner menu which contains about twenty dishes ranging in small bites to full meals. In the interests of research, we tried something from all parts of the list: extremely moreish rosemary polenta chips with a slightly bland smoked paprika mayonnaise ($7.50), melt-in-your-mouth tender salt and pepper squid with caramelised lemon mayonnaise ($13), a light and spicy coconut duck salad with wombok, green papaya, snake beans and tamarind which could easily have been a meal in itself, and a rich beef cheek ravioli with hommus and braising reduction ($28). Every dish was punctuated by exclamations of ‘OMG this is so good!’ ‘Delicious’ ‘We’ve got to come back!’. We didn’t have room for dessert unfortunately, but my choice would have been the chocolate and banana spring rolls with vanilla bean labna ($12).

Auction rooms errol street north melbourne

Auction rooms errol street north melbourne

The food at Auction Rooms is so fantastic that I would happily cross town to try the rest of their menu of hits. Apparently their coffee is very good too and they are one of a slew of speciality coffee shops (with siphon coffee) that have recently opened in Melbourne. It’s the sort of place where I think there’s something for everyone, whether you’re on a date or with a group of friends, looking for brunch options or a glass of wine and nibbles before a night on the town.

For more delicious food in North Melbourne, try the Court House Hotel and  Sosta Cucina.

Auction Rooms on Urbanspoon

HOT: Proud Mary, Cnr Stanley and Oxford Sts, Collingwood

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proud mary collingwood stanley oxford street coffee

Lena: Do you really not drink coffee?????

Jetsetting Joyce: Um, that’s right. I’m not a true Melburnian. Can you and James please come to Proud Mary with me? It’s reputed to have the best coffee in Melbourne and I’d really appreciate your expert coffee-drinking opinion.

James: Sure. I have been coffeeing a bit at Brother Baba Budan and St Ali lately, the two other challengers to the Melbourne coffee throne, so will be interesting to compare them to the $40,000 God Machine.

proud mary melbourne collingwood coffee oxford stanley street

Evidently the word had got around the coffee drinkers of Melbourne, as 9am on a Saturday morning found Proud Mary (named after a Creedance Clearwater song) pumping after only the fourth day of opening. So let’s get to the key question first – how good is the coffee? James and Lena both agreed that their house blend espresso, Columbian roast siphon and Guatamalan long machiato (made with one of only 250 Synesso coffee machines in the world) was some of the best coffee in Melbourne – smooth, no bitterness and with a beautiful crema. Proud Mary also serves coffee made using a rare Clover coffee maker, a machine handbuilt by Stanford engineers. From my point of view the coffee smelled gorgeously rich and was extremely photogenic!

Proud Mary's coffee stanley oxford street collingwood

Proud Mary's coffee stanley oxford street collingwood

Fortunately for me, Proud Mary also caters for discerning tea drinkers. Somage Fine Foods provides Proud Mary with Chamellia organic imported teas and naturally I gravitated towards the most expensive tea – a hand-picked shiny Lumbini golden tip tea from Sri Lanka which sells for a whopping $350 a kilo.

All the tea comes with precise instructions for brewing – for the Lumbini golden tip it’s 180 seconds with water at 80-90 degrees. You can have your tea served at your table with a timer, but I opted to have it brewed using the Japanese siphon from Hario. The friendly and knowledgeable barista and owner Nolan Hirste (a bit of a celebrity in Melbourne coffee-drinking circles apparently) talked me through the process of siphoning. Basically, siphoning uses vapour pressure and vacuum to create a clean, crisp, rich and smooth flavour because the heated water bubbles up to to the tea leaves/coffee grounds instead of having water poured on top of it, and then the vacuum in the bottom chamber draws the water back down through a strainer. In the 50s it was the most common method of making coffee, but when espresso came along the Western world kind of forgot about it. It’s still quite prevalent in Japan, where 30% of the coffee is brewed using siphons.

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

At the end of an almost scientific process, my delicate Reidel glass (love it!) of golden-hued tea was almost savoury in flavour – in fact it reminded me of the dried scallops used in Chinese cooking. Nolan said that next time I should try one of the teas which tasted like chicken broth!

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

As for the food – all I can say is that I’m a breakfast-sceptic and Proud Mary may just convert me. From savoury to sweet, everything by chef Kane was fresh, colourful and flavoursome. Between us we tried the potato hash topped with a properly jiggly poached egg, crisp bacon, grilled asparagus and a creamy sauce, an unusual semolina custard with vincotto caramelised peaches and toasted hazelnuts baked to almost a fluffy pudding, a tumble of scrambled eggs spiced with red pepper relish, with chorizo, grilled haloumi and rocket on the side,  plus some of the best hotcakes I’ve ever eaten, served with spiced pears, maple syrup, ricotta and a sprinking of almonds.

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary's stanley oxford street collingwood coffee

proud mary collingwood stanley oxford streets coffee

Proud Mary, I’m so happy that you’ve arrived into my hood. I’ve already got my eye on my next breakfast – muffins here I come! (Note cash only).

Update 8 November 2009: The food at Proud Mary was so good that I went to bed anticipating my Sunday breakfast. It didn’t disappoint the second time either – my toast with crushed avocado, roasted tomatoes and rocket was vibrantly coloured and took me back to summers in Italy, but the highlight was my fresh-out-the-oven strawberry muffin. Queue up everybody, because these intensely moist muffins (buttermilk?) were baked just to the point of golden and were of chiffon-cake lightness. Simply put, the best goddam muffins I’ve ever had.

proud mary's melbourne coffee stanley oxford street collingwood

For other breakfast options in the area, try Birdman Eating, Monsieur Truffe and .

  • Proud Mary,

Proud Mary on Urbanspoon

HOT Chat: Alex Hume of Eco Fashionista

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This week’s HOT Chat comes from Eco Fashionista. Alex Hume chatted to me about fashion, living eco-conscious and being a business-owner with a young toddler.

DSCF0981

Alex, how did Eco Fashionista come about?

Eco Fashionista was launched almost a year to the day my son Max was born. Max’s arrival (and the huge sense of responsibility that arrived with him) was the catalyst for me to make a bigger commitment to being “green” – and, ever the keen shopper and fashionista, I realised the “greening” needed to extend to my wardrobe!

As I began to explore whether there was such a thing as “designer eco fashion”, I became so excited about the amazing labels I was unearthing – many of which weren’t available in Australia and in the one shopping destination. If I was going to seek out these chic pieces for myself, then why not share the love and let others in on my discoveries? I believe most people want to be eco-conscious about their lifestyle, but they also don’t want to give up the things that matter – such as style, quality and individuality. And that’s where Eco Fashionista comes in….

With so many fashion designers out there, how do you select the stock for Eco Fashionista?

A lot of brand research lies behind Eco Fashionista‘s collection and the designers must demonstrate serious design and eco credentials.  How they achieve their “eco fashion” mission differs – from using organic, sustainable or vintage fabrics,  eco-friendly production, making small quantities to order or by hand and ensuring fair work conditions. We have given “eco attributes” to each piece in our collection with these symbols.

key

Where do you turn for eco-fashion inspiration?

I’ve always devoured fashion magazines, and it’s wonderful to see titles like Vogue, Madison and now turning out green glamour and eco chic issues. I also read the stylish Australian eco fashion magazine Peppermint, and inspiring eco fashion blogs –  Eco Stiletto and Green Lashes and Fashion just to name two. For high-end designers with a conscience, it’s hard to go past Philip Lim (who launched his “Go Green Go” line in 2008) and Stella McCartney.

What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?

Three words have guided me over the last few months  – patience, perseverance and perspective. Having a clear vision of your business and its direction is essential, but equally important is the flexibility to adapt to the challenges that will be inevitably thrown at you. I’ve also had to learn that sometimes I am not the best person for the job! You need to concentrate your energies on your strengths, and in areas where you lack experience or skills – delegate or outsource if /where you can.

What are you wearing at the moment?

I’m wearing one variation of my “home with Max” uniform – Good Society jeans, Sublet Courtney top and  Beyond Skin Tilly floral ballet flats. It’s all about comfortable style these days.

I do love to dress up when I get the chance though! My fiancé and I have a rare dinner date tonight, and I’m looking forward to wearing my Minna Maria vintage print dress, accessorised with a pendant from fair trade jeweller Fifi Bijoux and Ashley Watson’s super-soft recycled leather oriole clutch.

What are your tips for what’s HOT in Melbourne?

We love our morning coffee, and breakfast is really the only meal we go out for these days! Our local favourites are Mixed Business ( +‎) and Palomino ( +) which both make a great soy latte and exude an arty community vibe.

A little further afield, we recently discovered St Ali ( +) – a funky converted warehouse with specialty coffee blends and chocolate brioche, yum! Joe’s Shoe Store ( +61 ‎) is a very small bar with a whole lot of atmosphere – enjoy a glass of red with pizza from next door at Pizza Meine Liebe ( +), along with a game of French boules out the back.

For something more special, we love Cumulus Inc ( +) for fine wine and adventurous food in a vibrant setting.