Melbourne Brunch Favourites Part #1

My two favourite brunch haunts of late. They're both restaurants which are generally a bit too pricey for a student, but the brunch menus are reasonable.

The European, Spring Street, CBD
Close to Parliament Station or take any tram up Collins or Bourke
I think weekday brunch ends at 11 or 12, but goes til 4 on weekends.
Favourite Meal: Turkish Eggs $18
The European is stylish, classy, and way out of my student budget for anything other than the breakfast menu. It's a popular lunch venue for business people of Collins Street... the Paris end, that is. I was once waiting for a friend and the waiter gave me the wine list to peruse, there was a bottle of French wine for something crazy like two grand. Me: " Tap water, please".

Manhattan, Toorak Village,

Catch the No. 8 Tram towards Toorak

I went to Manhattan for the first time a few weeks ago and have been back four times since. The waiters are lovely and the menu is great.

Favourite Meal: Flat Iron Eggs around $17

A Customer Crush and Brunch in Lorne

Ugh. I have a huge crush on a customer at work. He has come in the past two Sundays and I have served him and his pretty eyes. But this Sunday I was serving some bloody woman when he turned up and so pretty eyes bought his food from someone else. I was shattered. What a waste of a pair of my contact lenses. I've never had a customer crush  before, it's entertaining. When I saw him out of the corner of my eye I felt my cheeks flushing, ah so great to feel alive....and thirteen again.

Yesterday my parents and I went to Lorne. I'd never been before and to be honest I was expecting it to be much more picturesque than it was. The Great Ocean Road was nice, but compared to European scenery it wasn't really worth stopping to take photos. I just don't find Australian landscape inspiring. Although I love the Melbourne cityscape. Anyhow, we had a really nice brunch at a restaurant called Ba Ba Lu, a charming Spanish themed place away from the main resturant/shops strip. With the rustic tables and umbrellas I could almost pretend I was in Malaga. Almost.

Mamasita Restaurant and Bar. Mamacita. Oh my god I think you're on fire. Do you want me to get your water?

I have a friend who can eat hardly anything! Bless her. So, with my googleskillz I did a search for restaurants in Melbourne which offer gluten free food and came across Mexican Resturant and Bar, Mamasita. The entire menu is gluten free.

The title lyrics are by Pharrell by the way, I don't want to burn down the restaurant. The location is charming, interior is trendy and the food was great, especially the papas; the plates are ideally for sharing, so the bigger the group the less it will cost to split. The waitress scared us a little, but you can't win 'em all.