Category Archives: collingwood

HOT: Aka Siro, 106 Cambridge St, Collingwood

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Could Peel Street be the start of a Little Tokyo in Collingwood?

First Tokyo Bike cycle shop, then Aka Siro lunch spot and recently Mina-no-ie cafe from the folks behind Japanese-style cafe and shop Cibi (also in Collingwood).

Part the door curtains and step into cosy Aka Siro and you really could be in a backstreet neighbourhood joint in Japan. The bustling kitchen prepares home-style Japanese food along one wall while the seating is squeezed in narrow rows along the length, with Japanese cushions lining the wooden benches.

Aka Siro’s selling point is authentic, simple Japanese cuisine that will nourish your soul and your stomach. There’s no hidden trickery here – the stoves are there to inspect and fresh produce is presented as part of the decor.

The menu lists eleven teishoku meal sets ie a hot dish served with rice, salad and home-made miso soup which they clearly state is not packet-based. What a difference in taste too!

I tried the San Sai Teishoku ($16) which is merely described as three different types of dishes including a Japanese omelette. My three dishes turned out to be three vegetarian items that I couldn’t identify other than ‘beans’,  ‘tofu’ and ‘vegetables’ (so if someone could help me, I’d be grateful). Regardless, the plate held simple, honest flavours which combined well with the rice and soup to make a healthy, filling meal which I could imagine my non-existent Japanese grandmother serving me for my well-being.

B had the fragrant soup ($12) with minced chicken balls and a mix of daikon, Chinese cabbage and mushrooms. As denoted by the fiery red colour the soup was spicier than you’d expect Japanese food to generally be and with the dumplings I guess you could consider it the Japanese equivalent of comforting matzo ball soup.

There are many other teishoku I would like to try on the menu so I’ll definitely be returning…if I can get a seat.

Aka Siro,  

Tue-Sun, 11am to 4pm


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HOT: Storm in a Teacup, 48 Smith St, Collingwood

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I’m a Melburnian and I’m a non-coffee drinker.

Gasp!

My hot drink of choice is actually tea and finally, in amongst the million excellent coffee shops in my neighbourhood, Storm in a Teacup has arrived to cater to those who are discerning about their tea leaves (and maybe even convert some diehard hipster coffee drinkers).

I can’t believe the venue used to be the garish orange Trippy Taco. It’s now a calming white and pastel space with seating starting from the window and wrapping around the bar, with a few small tables and a communal bench at the back. I love the stormy lightning bar stools!

Storm in a Teacup is a teabag-free zone. Instead you receive three infusions from a tiny, single serve teapot of your tea leaf selection from a mind-bending choice of black tea, green tea, white tea, oolong and tisanes.

I enjoyed the fine flavours and delicate aroma of my green tea served in a ceramic cup alongside my choice homemade sweet treats (they also have a small breakfast menu). I highly recommend the daily freshly-baked muffin – mine was a fluffy concoction of blackberry and spices – as well my giant hunk of macadamia praline cheesecake.

You can go home with your tea of choice and they also sell tea wares from local and international artists.

At night Storm in a Teacup offer dessert tea,  frappes and cocktails with a savoury menu and starting from Wednesday 30 May they’re hosting monthly sessions of Cake Bar – a pop up dessert degustation by Cake Boy (in the picture below). The first Cake Bar event has the theme of ‘art’ with three disparate artists providing inspiration – Pollock, Caravaggio and Mondrian. [Update: Event has sold out! Be quick to book for next month’s event, provisionally called ‘Will Contain Nuts’]

Storm in a Teacup is a modern tea salon that appreciates the ancient arts of tea and the tea making ritual. Yay a place for non-coffee drinkers! I love it.

Storm in a Teacup, +

Tue & Wed 10am–5pm
Thu to Sat 10am–11pm
Sun 11am–4pm


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HOT: Gorski & Jones, 304 Smith St, Collingwood

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I’ve been eye off the maroon meat slicer in the window of Gorski & Jones since it opened about 2 months ago. It’s a big, shiny, impressive beast atop a long white marble bar and it announces the restaurant’s Italianate roots with no need for dinky red gingham tablecloths and an accordian player.

Gorski & Jones is a handsome establishment serving rustic, affordable comfort food from the folks behind Alimentari (By the way, what is with restauranteurs in the inner north expanding to another restaurant in the same suburb? That’s three reviews in a row now where that’s happened. Next thing you know Andrew McConnell will be opening another resto in Fitzroy…..Wait! The Builders Arms has been bought by McConnell and will reopen in its revamped glory in April 2012.)

The space has high ceilings, a long narrow expanse of burnished mirror on both sides, exposed brick walls and those ubiquitous industrial lampshades and it manages to be spacious and light while exuding warmth and cosiness at the same time.

The back courtyard is particularly inviting being amongst greenery and quiet and they are getting planning permission for streetside tables as well.

The kitchen is half open, half behind the wall and there’s a glorious wood-fired oven taking pride of place. The pantry is piled on shelves in open view so they have nothing to hide – fresh ingredients are core to their cooking.

First thing to note is that the complimentary bread at Gorski & Jones is amazing. Unlike any sort of ciabatta I’ve ever had, it had the lightest and thinnest of crusts (almost to the point of being filo-pastry like) while still having a substantial crunch. As we arrived at almost the start of dinner service the bread came to our table still warm from the oven. Ask nicely for seconds!

The menu is divided into antipasto, entrees, mains, sides and desserts. As we were in a hurry we went straight for the extremely well-priced main dishes – the fish of the day of medium-seared tuna with caponata, a risotto with spanner crab, lemon oil and fennel ($26) and roasted and stuffed spatchcock with quinoa salad ($30) – all accompanied with a side of classic caprese salad ($6).

When our dishes arrived we were impressed with the generous servings and fresh and vibrant presentation of all our dishes.

The fish was cooked perfectly (nothing worse than a dry hunk of tuna steak) and the lively scent of the basil pesto and salty caponata gave the fish a huge flavour kick.

The risotto was declared by D to be ‘one of the best risottos I’ve ever tasted’. Light, yet full of flavour, each grain of rice was just the right texture and not drowned in the richness of butter or cheese.

Wood-roasted meats have a particularly salivating aroma and this spatchcock was no exception. The tunnel-boned, extremely juicy bird was paired with a refreshing pyramid of quinoa, tomato, parsley and red onion. Filling without being heavy and rich.

Our side salad could not have been any better – torn mozzarella, juicy ripe tomatoes and freshly picked basil drizzled with olive oil and with a smattering of salt and cracked pepper.

From the dessert menu I wanted to try the tiramisu ($10) but it couldn’t be taken away as it’s already presented in crystal glasses. Never mind, I’ll definitely be returning to Gorski & Jones. It’s a good value local restaurant with food that makes my stomach growl for more.

For more beautiful photos of this delicious food, check out Melbourne Food Files and Two Munch.

Gorski & Jones, 304 Smith St, Collingwood +

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HOT: Huxtaburger, 106 Smith St, Collingwood

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Thanks to the folks at deliciously excellent Huxtable, Smith Street now boasts its own American-style burger and beer joint.
It’s a small space across the road from the mother ship with a few outdoor tables and continues the Cosby Show theme with the moniker Huxtaburger. Cute!

The menu is short and straightforward – there are no lentils, tofu, fish or chicken burgers to be found. Just a choice of five burgers consisting of a toasted sesame seed bun (of the super-soft kind that I love about filet-o-fish, my guilty food secret) stuffed with a juicy wagyu beef pattie and various accoutrements.

All the burgers are named after members of the Huxtable family, from Bill to Theo to Denise (the hot one). Double cute!

Always a sucker for heat, I picked Denise, a mouth-watering and head-sweating combo of beef, cheese, salad, jalapeno and sriracha mayo ($9). Beware, there are a lot of chillies in that burger!

RM wanted bacon on his burger so went with Theo ($11), not realising that it came with two patties instead of one, thus causing an outbreak of meat sweats on the way home. Unless you’re feeling particularly carnivorous, it may be better to stick with the Huxtaburger ($8) a classic mix of beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese and then add an extra slice of crispy bacon for $1.

We accompanied our burgers with a large cardboard bucket of hot chips ($3), crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I reckon the crinkle cut is the key to their crispiness – more surface area to expose to hot oil.

On a related note if you are going to order sides then my advice is to decide whether you’re going to tackle the burger or the sides first! Once you’re committed to that burger you’ll find yourself clutching a dripping handful of bread-and-meat deliciousness that you won’t be able to put down (or pick up again without making a huge mess).  Mental note – BYO moist towelettes next time.

And we will definitely be returning because, to paraphrase a well-known marketing slogan, ‘The burgers are better at…Huxtaburger‘. My curiosity has also been piqued by the Bill Cosbys tacked onto the storefront next door…will Huxtaburger be extending the burger and beer experience? I think some milkshakes in steel cups and Mom’s apple pie would go down well.

Huxtaburger, 106 Smith St, Collingwood

Tuesday to Sunday, midday till late

Huxtaburger on Urbanspoon

 

HOT: The Mercy Seat, 31 Johnston St, Collingwood

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In case you get confused by the ’99 Problems’ emblazoned on the door of number 31 Johnston Street…the address is a cafe called by day and a bar called 99 Problems by night. Time-sharing space (and facilities) is such a good idea!

serves vegan food that’s not just beans and lentils. In fact, here’s the place to get your fake meat fix! The lunch menu has three ‘meaty’ choices – a Creole Chicken burger, Philly Cheesesteak roll and Blackened tofu mushroom burger. The all day breakfast menu doesn’t contain the same degree of meat fakery – make your choice between scrambled tofu, scrambled pesto eggs and avocado feta smash.

D and I shared the Creole Chicken Burger with extra vegan bacon and cheese ($12) and the Blackened tofu mushroom burger ($10). The food is prepared behind the bar using a simple oven grill and came out promptly (though we were also the first table to arrive for lunch).

Both burgers were very tasty so it’s hard for me to pick a favourite – but I think I preferred the blackened tofu as it was less processed than the ‘chicken’ patty and contained nice big chunks of creamy avocado. That’s the compromise with mock meat – sometimes it’s the choice between taste, texture and processing. I did really like the smokiness of the facon though so I think they should have the option for facon and cheese for all the burgers! Oh and definitely hit your burger up with the bottle of hot sauce if you like some heat.

For sweets they source their brownies, cupcakes and cookies from Box Brownies in Collingwood. The vegan and gluten free peanut butter brownie ($4.50) was amazing! It had an oozy caramel topping studded with peanuts and caramel shards and a surprisingly moist brownie base given no eggs or butter were used. Despite the sugar-coma-inducing description, the brownie was actually not too sweet so it’s easy enough to finish a whole slab on your own :–)

I liked – the food is good and cheap, the staff were friendly, the atmosphere and uber-relaxed and they were playing Prince on the speakers.

For more places to eat mock meat, try Englightened Cuisine and Las Vegan.

, 31 Johnston St, Collingwood
Wed – Sun: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
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HOT: Bluebird Espresso, 134 Johnston St, Collingwood

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You had me at hello.

There are some cafes which just grab you by the coat and give you a big bear hug, providing smiles and instant comfort. I loved Bluebird Espresso from the moment I spotted it – a retro blue bike chained to lamp post, colourful tulips bravely wavering against the grey grunge of Johnston St and a wide padded bench seat in the window. Then when I stepped inside – Dave Brubeck’s Take Five on the speakers and a bright smile of welcome from the waitress. LOVE.

The cafe is pretty small, filled with kitschy prints of Tahitian women, cute knick knacks and with the pantry becoming a decorative feature with tins of tomatoes and black beans lined up neatly on a bookshelf. There’s a spacious communal table towards the back of the room and an Astroturfed courtyard thoughtfully stocked with woollen rugs for breezy days.

Their breakfast menu is very eggs heavy but it’s eggs with a twist. I’ve tried both the Harissa eggs with chorizo ($14) and Mexican eggs ($12) and can highly recommend both if you like a bit of spicy heat in your belly in the mornings.

On both occasions – perfectly poached eggs running their yolks around some interesting flavour combinations – with the harissa eggs it was firey strips of  roasted capsicums and tangy rocket ladled on top of crusty Noisette bread, with the Mexican eggs it was black beans and spicy salsa on a flour tortilla. With the mouth-panting chilli on the plate I was thankful for sips of my excellent fruit smoothie ($5.50) to temper the heat.

The service was super-friendly, with the owner Anthony manning the La Marzocco coffee machine and chatting to the regulars.

is a little gem. Don’t miss it.

For other excellent breakfasts in Collingwood, try The Bell Jar, Cibi and Proud Mary.

Bluebird Espresso, 134 Johnston St, Collingwood +
Mon – Sat: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sun: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Bluebird Espresso on Urbanspoon

HOT: The Cutting Table, The Social Studio, 128 Smith St, Collingwood

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Since I wrote about The Social Studio almost 18 months ago the social enterprise has grown and developed.

In terms of their cafe, it has moved from the back of the studio (where it was cute but small and hidden) to a bigger, brighter and more prominent site right next door. I’m so glad that they’ve taken over the forlorn Eatz and Treatz and jazzed it up to turn it into The Cutting Table. The cafe is part of The Social Studio enterprise and it provides hospitality training, work experience, employment and pathways to employment for refugee youth.

The menu has expanded too to encompass burgers galore. Eight African inspired burgers to be precise – from beef to chicken to lentils to tofu. The burgers are a variation on a theme – some sort of protein filling, some sort of sauce (shiro, spicy lovers sauce or tahini yoghurt), salad and all sandwiched between a Turkish roll. The menu states that all meats are halal and they use free range chicken and free range eggs.

I decided to go for the tofu burger marinated with spicy lovers sauce ($10). The burgers are not for elegant eating – mine was a hefty two-hander containing several slabs of spicy tofu. As with all the burgers it came with a small side of home-style African potatoes which were cold and frankly an unexciting mix of boiled potato, chopped carrot and a very mild sauce. I washed it down a smoothie ($5), a very vibrant purple coloured mix of berries, bananas, oats and cardamom, the spice taking it above the norm.

At lunch time the cafe was fairly busy so there was a bit of a wait on the food, but I would have expected dishes to come out much faster since most menu items were very similar. In fact, if you’re in a hurry at lunch time this is not the place for a quick feed – the service was a little haphazard but I understand that comes with the territory of it being a training business.

Besides the burgers they also have daily specials which commonly feature some sort of African stew. Seeing the other (African) patrons gnawing on drumsticks and cleaning their plates with injera bread makes me think that next time I’m going for the stew.  I also like the idea of returning on a Wednesday night for ‘African night’ which features an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, music and food.

In more Social Studio news, this Thursday 8 September they are launching their Magic Tent Collection at BMW Edge as part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. The gala event will feature fashion, food and music and tickets are $55 ($45 for Craft Victoria Members. For more information, click here.

The Cutting Table, The Social Studio, 128 Smith St, Collingwood +

Café hours     7am-4.00pm, Mon-Sat, 6pm-9pm – Wed African Night

HOT: Tokyo Bike Shop Melbourne, 5 Peel Street, Collingwood

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The newest addition to the Fitzroy/Collingwood bike shop enclave is Tokyo Bike, a small independent bike brand hailing all the way from Yanaka, Japan via Sydney.

I’ve previously written about Tokyo Bike’s Sydney store on The Design Files and now husband-and-wife team Fuyuki and Yuki Sagahara have headed south to bring their colourful steeds to a lovely light-filled shop off Smith Street.

The fitout is simple but thoughtfully furnished with small tokens of Japan, from the sprig of cherry blossom at the entrance to the series of overhanging Japanese fisherman’s lamps.

Tokyo Bikes are made with the urban cyclist in mind. The wheels are designed smaller for more stop-start riding through city streets and are perfect for moving through Tokyo’s and Melbourne’s back alleys. The pared back frames are super-light and the colours are eye-catching. In fact, a Tokyo Bike is one of “50 things to improve Your life” according to the July 2011 edition of Monocle!

Four styles are available – the classic CS, Bisou step-through for the ladies (and enlightened gents), SS single speed and Sport for the speed demons. You are encouraged to test ride any of the bikes in streets around the store, hence the deliberate choice to have a shop off a main street.

The shop also has a neat curated collection of accessories, from Knog lights and locks, Gropes leather grips from the UK and Tokyo Bells.

Tokyo Bike Shop Melbourne, 5 Peel Street, Collingwood +

Monday 11:30am-5:30pm
Tuesday closed
Wednesday 11:30am-5:30pm
Thursday11:30am-5:30pm
Friday 11:30am-5:30pm
Saturday 11:30am-5:30pm
Sunday 12pm-4pm

HOT Chat: Benjamin Roberts of SKAPA BILDA

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I recently visited the Portobello Bride Boutique Wedding Market with two of my about-to-be-wed friends and was  enraptured with the work of SKAPA BILDA. Who knew you could create such gorgeousness with paper! Todays’ HOT Chat is with Benjamin Roberts, one of the principals of SKAPA BILDA. Thanks Benjamin!

Benjamin, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start your business SKAPA BILDA?

I have a degree in Painting from the National Art School in Sydney went there straight out of a country high school. I have worked as a props maker and spent time in the retail industry.

My partner, Kristina Sundstrom, and I started the business a couple of years ago while Kristina was completing a BA in Printmaking. Our business growth has been a wonderful organic process. There has been a blurring of the boundaries between design and art for quite awhile now, we definitely feel we have a foot in both camps. Within the design process we provide an artists perspective, which allows for a unique approach to design parameters and construction techniques.

We have been lucky enough to collaborate with other creatives in the design and art fields on a variety of projects, from a bespoke envelope to large scale installation. A big thank you to Christian Wagstaff for being the first to pluck us from obscurity!

What’s the story behind the business’ name?

Our business name is inspired by Kristina’s Swedish heritage. A rough translation is skapa = create and bilda = form. That’s what we do…..

You do some really creative things with paper. What is it about that material that draws you work with it?

Paper as an everyday object is fantastic, totally underrated. We draw on it, fold it, store information on it. I love collage and have always used paper in my art. Kristina has a strong affinity with paper ever since her childhood xmas card sweatshop days. Yes, she blames you mum and dad!

SKAPA BILDA utilises a variety of different papers from tissue, found and recycled, newspapers as well as the highest quality cotton rag papers from Japan and Germany (which will literally out last us!).

Paper carries the association of being fragile and ephemeral, however it is such a versatile medium. It is very malleable and has great structural properties and this allows us to push it into different applications. From embossing text to kilometres of hand spun paper thread, paper flowers, cardboard houses, to using old wallpapers and found lists/letters to create different layers and textures.

Why your focus on environmentally sustainable design? How does it constrain or enhance the design process for you?

To be environmentally and socially aware is a responsibility of everyone whatever field you are in. We try to support this notion through our daily work practice and as parameters for  design .

Every part of the design process we try to make accountable.

We do short runs, most of our work is made to order. Jobs are site specific enabling bespoke  problem solving ( less waste).

Because we do things in a small scale we try to source product and labour locally. We choose to do most of the work ourselves to provide for our clients a unique, high quality handcrafted object, made to last rather than a mass produced throw away item.

Environmental considerations are also inherent in our design and construction process. Finding the beauty in, and potential for off cuts, deleted lines, found objects is a regular starting point for many projects. Our lines of quilts, cushions and rope jewellery are all made of upcycled industry remnants. ‘not blowing strongly nor falling heavily’ recently exhibited at aRtECYCLE at the Incinerator Arts Complex is also an example.

Where can we find your work?

Our quilts are stocked at Mark Tuckey and online through Estralia. We also have a sculpture at Format Furniture.

We do a large variety of projects you may have seen a little piece of SKAPA BILDA in your home, at the office, in the post, at the races, on a bed, as a necklace. We also try to do two art exhibitions a year.

We also do lots of weddings, private and corporate functions… anything!

What websites, magazines, books and/or people do you turn to for design inspiration?

We’re going to list them:

Robert Rauschenberg and his combines.

Kurt Schwitters and Piet Mondrian – I admire how they lived their artistic lives and the beautiful way Mondrian’s work crossed over to design.

Bauhaus– how they merged art, industry and design.

Yayoi Kusama – she’s mad!

Eva Hesse – poetic

Rachel Whiteread – she cast a whole house out of cement!

Concrete and bricks in general…

Katie Marx- installation artist, nature lover

Georgie Kay and the team from Georgeous –  events extraordinaire.

Carmen Reid – Melbourne based installation artist

Lauren Brown –  conceptual artist based in Melbourne and Berlin.

Krista Mcrae – contemporary jeweller.


What advice would you give to people wanting to start their own business?

Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, give up your day job and try not to work all the time

What are your next plans for SKAPA BILDA?

Focussing more on our retail ventures is main goal for us, promoting our quilts and exploring lines of jewellery and bags. We also look forward to future collaborations.

Finally, what are your tips for HOT places you like in and around Melbourne?

We’re currently building a studio and house in Malmsbury so most of our spare time is spent in the beautiful Macedon Shire. So head up the Calder and check out some favs:

A paddle of beer from Holgate Brewhouse.

Awarding winning vanilla slice from Bourkies Bakehouse in Woodend.

Piper Street is our new local in Kyneton.

The Sequoias in Malmsbury’s Botanical Gardens, designed by Dr Ferdinand von Mueller. (He also designed the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne)

When in Melbourne:

One of my favourite paintings which is usually on permanent display at the NGV ‘Moonrise’ by David Davies , oil on canvas, 1894.

The Bell Jar (656 Smith St, Collingwood +), was a beacon of sanity we discovered last year while we did a three month job nearby. Great coffee and food, they are mean table tennis players as well.

Gills Diner (rear 360 Little Collins St, Melbourne +) uses local produce and has an amazing interior.

HOT: Studio Ink, Hogan Gallery, 310 Smith St, Collingwood

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My last event of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival for this year was to support a friend’s winery, Pyren Vineyard.

Pyren Vineyard is a small scale producer of cool climate wines in the Pyrenees. For their newest wine, a Shiraz/Cabernet blend, they invited twelve artists to produce an original piece of art under the theme “Combinations of Two”. Each piece of art was then printed on the label of the wine, named Studio Ink, so that each dozen carton would have one of each design on the bottles.

At the launch of the wine, each guest was offered complimentary glasses of Studio Ink and the twelve artworks were displayed in full scale at the Hogan Gallery. The artists featured included Fleur Harris, Tomoro Takizawa, Riley Payne, Sarah Hankinson, Julia deVille, Jacqui Stockdale, Sarah Larnach, Danny Young, Andy Murphy, Polly Dedman, Nate Gamble and David Joy. They were all friends or related to the Joy family, which run Pyren, and the works on show at the Hogan Gallery ranged from naive colourful block prints to whimsical and delicate birds. This latter work by Melburnian Sarah Hankinson, as pictured on the left bottle, was my favourite .

The wine and the artworks, some of which are single pieces or limited edition prints, are all available for sale now.

Studio Ink, Hogan Gallery, 310 Smith St, Collingwood +