St Edmonds on St Edmonds

White, decorated with antique weighing scales and dressed in splash of denim, St Edmonds is located at the corner of St Edmonds and Greville street in Prahran. St Edmonds is the latest edition to the cafe scene boasts beautifully brewed coffee and a delicious menu. What to have at St Edmonds? Try their perfectly poached eggs with smoked ocean trout dressed in a sinfully delicious hollandaise sauce and their Asian inspired spanner crab omelet. I am serious when I say they poach eggs perfectly; cut into the eggs and find the golden yoke oozing out onto the bed of smoked ocean trout. The sinfully delicious hollandaise sauce;  just a creamy enough high quality clarified butter whisked into submission. We look forward to our next visit to St Edmonds for lunch.

Rear 154, Greville Street, Prahran.

Taste Bud Pleasers Rating: 5 out of 5 STARS.

Wallis & Ed

Wallis & Ed (named after King Edward), located at the corner of Spring and Bourke Street in Melbourne, is the newest edition to the Melbourne food scene. They say curiosity killed the cat, but in my case, my curious peer into the windows of Wallis & Ed earlier this week earned me an invitation (as well as a cup of beautifully made cafe latte and canelle on the house) into the restaurant for a sneak preview into the good things to come. Part of the Hotel Windsor, King Edward's  namesake is staffed by polished and experience front of house staff and its modern chic decor promises a good dining experience. Wallace & Ed is open for breakfast and lunch service, Monday to Friday.

Visit Wallis & Ed at 111 Spring Street, Melbourne.

Taste Bud Pleasers Rating: 4 out of 5 STARS.

Chu The Pho

Visitor or resident, it is safe to assume that most of us love Pho. What is Pho you ask? It delicious Vietnamese rice noodles, bean sprouts and fresh basil served in a beautiful concoction of beef bones, star anise, cinnamon and various other secret spices simmered in water for hours to produced a wonderful aromatic stock. Our favourite Pho restaurant is Chu The located at 270, Victoria Street, Richmond, Melbourne. The owner aunty knows us by face and smiles every time we walk in. What to have? Their famous sliced beef Pho of course, prawn spring rolls and iced coffee.

Taste Bud Pleaser Rating: 4 out of 5 STARS.

The Sushi Monger

Situated in one of the many discreet allies on Bourke Street is the Sushi Monger. The Sushi Monger is known for its affordable Japanese hot meals and sushi box sets. A small sushi set and a sushi roll will set you back by only $10 - a reasonable price to pay for lunch these days if you ask me given the rising price of fuel and public transport. Table space is limited so if you are after a sit down lunch be sure to arrive before 12 to earn yourself a seat. Where exactly is this famous monger you ask? If you are coming down Little Collins Street, out of Australia on Collins, it is situated in the same ally as Laurent Bakery.

Taste Bud Pleaser Rating: 4 out of 5 STARS.

Kathrin's Daisy Cupcakes

Inside pink boxes held together by a pretty pink satin bow were Kathrin's daisy cupcakes - home designed and made with love, they were moist vanilla cupcakes topped with fresh lemon mascapone buttercream icing. A field of hand made pink and baby blue daisies decorated these cakes to tie the whole theme together.

Happy Birthday Kathrin!

Island Spiced Indian Noodles

Every trip back to the island guarantees some time spent at my favourite Indian noodle stall. Operated by a team of mother and son, under the umbrella of a wise frangipani tree, they have been producing spiced Indian noodles, what the local islandnights call "Mee Goreng" and "Mee Rebus", for as long as I can remember. RM5 (less than $A2) will buy you a good plate of noodles and a cooling nutmeg, "Lao How Chui", drink. Where? Corner of Jalan Ayer Itam and Jalan Dua, Ayer Itam, Penang. If you are travelling towards Penang Hill, the restaurant is on the left hand side of the road.

Taste Bud Pleaser Rating: 5 out of 5 STARS.

Pork Ball Noodles

Every year I look forward to a trip home and one of the first things I have is pork ball noodles at the corner "kopi tiam" near my parents home - Restaurant OK (opposite Maybank on Jalan Burhanuddin Helmi, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia). Operated by two brothers, they make the killer broth and pork balls to die for! At RM5 per bowl, either dry or soupy, with egg, vermicelli or tear drop noodles, these yummies are are sold out before lunch each day.

Taste Bud Pleaser Rating: 5 out of 5 STARS.

Liaison Cafe

If you are like me, and you too enjoy a quiet cup of cafe latte with a slice of home made dried apricot bread after being bombarded with all the yakking on the ride into work, Liaison Cafe is where you will find your zen again. Located in the quiet nook of Melbourne CBD (22 Ridgway Place Monaco House),  Liaison not only offer a good caffeine hit (think they use Genovese) but also a range of breakfast goodies like home made muffins, canele and if you are lucky pandanus flavoured macarons.

Taste Bud Pleaser Rating: 4 out of 5 STARS.

ST. Ali update - the proof IS in the beans

With ST. Ali, the proof IS the beans. We returned last weekend for breakfast and coffee. The sound of the industrial size coffee machines working and the smell of beautifully made coffee woke our senses as soon as we walked in the door. Friendly staff greeted and seated us at the large shared table within five minutes of us arriving; now that is what I call service! The Menu; seemed simple yet a little bit out of the ordinary. We ordered the classic fried eggs with bacon and home made baked beans cooked in sage with a hint of spice. "Coffee up!" yelled the barista, and our coffee arrived. The verdict? As the Italian would say "Cosi Cosi", so-so because we had very high expectations coming to a place that earned its title as the institution for great coffee. Our meal was good but lack the gusto we seek. BUT all is not lost, the "Champion" coffee beans we bought the week before was the highlight of our Monday morning. Strong, full of depth and gusto, a definite purchase when we next visit ST. Ali.

Hooked - Fish and Chips

A big fan of fish and chips? Have I got a place to recommend to you. Hooked as the name suggests is a fish and chip joint located just at the corner of High Street and Chapel Street, Melbourne. Furnished with ship wrecked props, shark shaped fish tank and a singing fish hung on the wall, Hooked is everything you would expect from a traditional fish and chip joint and more! Beer battered or grilled to have with vinegar and salt or with tartar sauce, the fish of the day or meal box sets are available on the menu.

Visit Hooked Fish and Chips at 172, Chapel Street, Windsor (www.hooked.net.au)

Quists - Melbourne's First Coffee Roaster since 1938

What is likely to happen when you change office location is that you will discover new places to feed and meander. I love meandering and discovering places like Quists. A small coffee merchant off the corner of Little Collins and Russell Street. Gunny sacks of roasted beans and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee hits the senses as you walk into the merchants doors. For as little as $7.50, a small set back for a lot of gain, your investment will get you 250g of roasted beans. We use "Espresso" roasted beans at home for our morning kick of strong caffeine. On offer is also coffee equipment and accessories including espresso shot glasses, coffee tampers and mini dregbins.

Visit Quists at 166, Little Collins Street, Victoria Melbourne (www.quistscoffee.com.au)

Taste Bud Pleaser Rating: 4 out of 5 STARS.

Gellatello of Windsor

Tucked away in the corner opposite the Swan Hotel in Prahran is one of the best (yes the best!) Argentinian gelati shops in Melbourne. We first stumbled upon this source of delectable yummies when we were renting on St Kilda road. Skeptics initially, all it took to convert us was one scoop of cool gelati in a waffle cone to loyal followers. Operated by Argentinian husband and wife, all gelato are made fresh on site in a variety of flavours including favourites like tiramisu, rum and raisins and cookies and cream. Have your gelati on or off site (yes they do take aways as well!). Take away gelato are packed in foam boxes to keep the yummies cool and lasts for a week kept in the freezer.

Visit Gellatello at 166, Chapel Street, Prahran Melbourne.

Taste Bud Pleaser Rating: 5 out of 5 STARS.

Bergerac French Restaurant

Bergerac, as I found out, is a little town located near the famous French town, Bordeaux. Not having been to France myself and albeit having eaten the odd dozen of escargot, this was my first taste of authentic French cuisine. I said to my husband that to be a good cook, one must understand the culture, people and produce of the geography the cuisine originates from. What better place to take me out for a good authentic French meal? It had to be non other than The Bergerac French restaurant located on the famous Kings Way, Melbourne. We had for entre, a dozen escargots and a ravioli de crabe, main, confit de canard al'orange (confit duck in orange sauce) and bouillabasse royale (a medley of grilled seafood with white wine cream sauce), dessert, bombe alaska and brandied cherry crepes. I was proud to say that I was able to read the menu in French (benefit of having cooked from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French cooking). So what did this dining experience teach me? That my duck al'orange needs much more refining and that it is no wonder the French can be afford to be arrogant about food. It is that good! Bon Apetit!

Visit Bergerac at 131, Kings Street, Melbourne Victoria (www.bergeracrestaurant.com.au).

Taste Bud Pleasers Rating: 4 out of 5 STARS.

Toby's Estate - The Coffee Kiosk

Sandwiched in between office blocks on Exhibition Street (in between Little Bourke and Bourke Streets), Toby's Estate is the coffee "kiosk" and roaster to be seen. What's good there you ask? GET delectable LuxBites macarons with your coffee order and TAKE HOME freshly roasted coffee beans.

Visit: www.tobyestate.com.au

Taste Bud Pleaser Rating: 4 out of 5 STARS.

ST. ALi South Melbourne

ST. ALi. The quaint cafe restaurant situated in the back streets of South Melbourne need no further introduction, it is the water hole where foodies and caffeine addicts gather. A word to the wise, plan your journey and arrive early as share tables and cosy nooks are occupied as the morning progress. The restaurant is full and buzzing when brunch looms into sight, be prepared to stand in line. That said, standing in line with a freshly brewed cafe latte made by the well trained barista makes the wait well worth your while. Aside from good food, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, ST. ALi offers a good spread of freshly roasted coffee beans. We bought a bag of the "Champion" - a good strong coffee from what we have been told, the proof is now in the crema. 

VISIT ST. ALi at 12-18 Yarra Place South Melbourne, VIC 3205 (www.stali.com.au)

Taste Bud Pleaser Rating: 3 out of 5 STARS