Home Sweet Home: Melbourne in Summer!
G'day mate!
These holidays I spent my time exploring all that my beautiful city has to offer in summer. I absolutely love living in Melbourne and I really think that it has so much to explore when the weather is so beautiful! To understand my love for this amazing city I am going to be bold enough to say that my love affair with Melbourne rivals that of Carrie Bradshaw's to New York City...... I know, I love it a lot! Living gluten free in Melbourne is super easy as it is now becoming really well known and more and more wait staff really understand the importance and the danger of gluten, when eating gluten free and especially being coeliac... so that makes Melbourne an amazing city to live in! With an amazing coffee culture, great people, spectacular sites, beautiful beaches and interesting history it is hard to envision myself living anywhere else! I do believe that having a great sense of home and loving where you live makes travelling overseas all the more exciting, as you see incredible places but also really appreciate coming home to an equally incredible home base. The feeling of bliss when you're driving home from the airport underneath the Rib cage and across the Bolte Bridge, to see the city twinkling in all its glory, gives me chills every time I come home! Growing up in Melbourne I always knew this place was special, from its concrete jungle city centre, to its close beaches, suburban comforts and its picturesque rural country only an hour or two away. How could you not love a city where anything is possible? As a teacher I have had five incredible weeks to explore and these have been my favourite things to do, see and eat when in Melbourne this summer!
Number one: Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, repeat!
I absolutely love food and eating out. Food is an amazing way to connect with people and create memories. However being gluten free it can be an isolating experience and make you feel slightly excluded at times, that is why having a variety of food hot spots where you can feel included and experience food with your friends is really important! Here are my current picks for eating out:
Fifth Chapter - (Centre Rd, Bentleigh)
If you follow my Instagram you will know that this has been my summer go to! With a variety of gluten free or gluten free on request options on the menu it is a great cafe to go to. A beautiful and funky cafe, located in the south eastern suburbs, everything I have had there has been incredible, in particular, the amazing Eggs Benedict on pulled pork and delicious Mexican bowl. Fifth Chapter is amazing!
Nandos - (Many locations)
This is my fast food fav! Being coeliac there are not a whole lot of options when looking for fast food, but Nandos chicken and chips are the best. Their BBQ chicken thighs are to die for and don't get me started on the peri peri chips!!!
Fonda- (Many locations)
Fonda is an absolute favourite of mine for lunch and dinner. Their tacos are completely gf and they have other great options that are gf on request! When having a cheeky drink there, an absolute must is their Elderflower and Lychee margarita... yum!
Foddies- (Albert Park or Moonee Ponds)
Eating out with other people who suffer from a food intolerance? Foddies is the place for you! With pre-prepared meals, sauces, an amazing menu and incredible donuts I need to go back ASAP to try other options on the menu as one meal was not enough.
Left Field- (Leila Rd, Carnegie)
The queue waiting on the street is definitely a clue to how yum the food is here! I had the Eggs Benedict with Pulled Pork and it was GOOD!!! It was definitely worth the wait!
Sushi Hub (Many locations)
The best sushi I have ever, ever, ever had!!! I have got to admit I love Sushi Hub, the Nigiri is delicious and there are a lot of different gf options. The prawn salad is also absolutely scrumptious!!!
Number two: Winery time!
Melbourne is just a hop, skip and a jump from several major wine regions, the Yarra Valley and the Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas. Tucked away all over the countryside are little niche wineries or huge well known wineries, there is literally something for everyone. With so many wineries to explore and try, you could honestly never have to step into the same vineyard twice and you could go out for lunch or dinner everyday (this may be slightly hyperbolic, but trust me there are a lot of wineries!). With so many to see and each having their own unique story, take on wine and philosophy, a wine tour is a great way to see a nice array of what each district has to offer or just simply driving up for lunch or dinner can be an absolute delight. Bringing in so much business means that finding a restaurant that caters to a gluten free diet is very easy!
Some personal stand outs for me on the Mornington Peninsula are Pier 10, The Cups Estate, T'Gallant and Merricks store. In the Yarra Valley I love Oakridge and De Bortoli, but with so many to choose from I think everyone will have different choices and the only way you are to know is to explore and find what hidden gem you find!
Number three: Get out of the city ASAP!
Now this one may be contradictory of my big spiel of how much I love Melbourne, but I think one of the great things about Melbourne is its easy access to all the things outside Melbourne! Escaping the city is an absolute must during summer if you’re not going away and you’re an absolute travel addict like myself. As a teacher I get an enviable amount of holidays but if you’re a massive stress head and work obsessed fiend, like myself, you find yourself spending holidays catching up on marking, starting reports, thinking about lesson plans, laminating and recovering from the bugs, germs and fatigue from the term before. Therefore a drive down the coast is essential for a change of scenery and a mental detox and cleanse. I made my way down to Anglesea located on the Great Ocean Road. Visiting my sister and her fiancée down at his parents beach house was the ultimate escape. With their house less than a kilometre to the beach it was an idyllic and relaxing couple of days. When sharing a house and cooking most of your meals with loved ones, food woes melt away and you just need to remember to get to the communal butter before anyone else.
Number four: Nights out!
Melbourne nightlife is absolutely amazing with a variety of places to head out to. It is hard to pick a good place on a night out as we are so spoilt for choice. Therefore here are my top places to go to on a night out depending on your specifications:
Secret Bars: Secret bars are the coolest! I love going to hidden places where you need to know what to ask or what flight of stairs to head up to find a trendy bar. These two are my favourite secret bars for summer as they have killer open outdoor areas!
Boston Sub/Jungle Boy - (Chapel St, Windsor)
Madame Brussels (Bourke st, Melbourne)
Trashy Dance Places: If you are anything like me, you absolutely love having a boogie! I love cutting up the dance floor to classics from Robbie Williams and Spice Girls. This means you need a 'trashy dance spot' where they play the tunes you love and can sing along to. Here are just two of my favourites:
Revellers - (Chapel St, Prahan)
Richmond Club Hotel - (Swan St, Richmond)
Sunday Session Bars: During summer there is nothing better than a Sunday session during the day! A cool cocktail or cider in the early afternoon with great beats and atmosphere as the sun beams down is honestly a perfect summer tradition. Here are my three Sunday sipper spots:
Republica (Jacka Blvd, St Kilda)
College Lawn (Greville St, Prahan)
Arbory Bar (Flinders Walk, Melbourne)
Number five: Beach adventures!
Melbourne is a truly terrific city to explore in summer and I hope if you are in Melbourne in summer you enjoy all the amazing things about this incredible city! If you have any recommendations comment in the box below, as I know I have merely touched on what Melbourne has to offer!
Happy and safe travels,
Georgia
The Coeliac Adventurer
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