busy in the city

Friday is my free day and on this particular one, it was Jack’s too. So we went out to the city to do some things we’ve been meaning to do for some time..

Like …

Go to the music store on Bourke Street to buy Jack’s drum sticks

And then have coffee and some yum lunch at a laneway in Flinder’s Lane

Katsu & Coffee

I can never be a food blogger.. The reason for that is soon as I order I already have the utensils (or chopsticks) in hand in eager anticipation of the yummy feast that will be brought before me. Soon as the plate makes contact with the table I attack the food within 2 seconds. What is the point of this admission? Oh yeah.. I never get to take a photo of the food. (I’m no good at taking photos anyway).

But today we had lunch at a Japanese restaurant called Yume on Brunswick Street and I just have to rave about my favourite Japanese dish – Katsudon. I‘ve been to quite a number of Japanese restaurants in Melbourne, and every time I go to one, I always order Katsudon. And so far, all of them fell short of my expectations until this one..

Okay so I’ve already taken several bites from this dish and the photo is unclear because I took the photos with my mobile phone but believe me when I say this particular one was fantastic! It tastes just like I expect Katsudon to taste. The breading was tasty, pork cooked to perfection, egg just the right kind of gooey and the rice was sticky enough for my mediocre chopstick skills. We also had assorted tempura as appetizer and they had a good mix of prawn, fish, eggplant, potato & carrot there.

I think (but I may be speaking too soon) I have found my favourite Japanese restaurant in this city. The ambience is unpretentious with simple origami décor and a few Japanese paintings. The service was superb without being stifling. The prices are reasonable (we he paid about $8.80 for our plate of tempura and $8.90 for our individual rice dishes each).There were other customers but the place was not packed allowing for conversations without having to overhear what the other diners are saying. Best of all it is only three blocks from where I live!

On our way back to my flat, Jack and I decided we needed some caffeine in our systems and sat down for lattes at Café Nova, also on Brunswick Street. Coffee is good here too and they have raw sugar which I personally believe make coffees taste a lot better than white sugar.

Another beautifully spent couple of hours in Fitzroy. I love my neighbourhood!