Melbourne wrap #2

Everyone knows Degraves Street in Melbourne. If you haven’t been, your concierge/guidebook/Melbourne host/random on the bus/boyfriend’s little brother’s friend’s workmate will tell you. It’s a go-to place for breakfast nearly any time and in near any state.

Degraves Street, Melbourne CBD

It appears there have been changes at Degraves Espresso since I’ve been last. Despite the same look and interiors of the laneway café, tapas dishes now feature on the menu, presumably for lunch and dinner. Service levels seem to have declined somewhat (coffees arrive midway through the meal; we source our own cutlery, pepper and sugar), while the kitchen still pumps out brekkies at a hunger-pleasing pace.

Poached eggs with chorizo and hollandaise from Degraves Espresso,
Degraves Street, Melbourne CBD

Poached eggs seem to have taken over as the brekky favourite, with scrambled and fried selections seen less and less I think. Must be a balancing/health thing, considering the usual breakfast accompaniments of bacon, sausages, hash browns and so on.

At Degraves Espresso, eggs on good toasted sourdough come with an array of sides options. The chorizo looks a little unexcited, pink and barely charred, but salty and moreish nonetheless. The hollandaise sauce is lukewarm, tart and decadent poured over the perfectly poached eggs and toast.

Poached eggs with bacon and home made baked beans

I’m always inclined to get home made baked beans when they’re available on the menu, and this doesn’t disappoint. A mix of broad beans and navy beans in a well seasoned tomato-based sauce, they’re sustainingly healthy and a pleasant change from plain old bacon and egss – which I also have on my plate.

Strong short macchiatos find us eventually and we’re then ready to face the day ahead in Melbourne, which involves getting around on foot and the lovely city circle free tram.

Not a free tram

While the clean, straight lines of the CBD ‘rectangle’ and wide footpaths make for easy navigation, I find architecture and styling noticeably less straight than that of Sydney – less sleek and modern, more character and quirk – to say nothing of the graffiti art culture. Makes for a nice lifestyle change every now and then.

More Melbourne wraps and restaurants to come, including GT's best restaurant of the year.