I love Leroy

If you’re anywhere near Acland Street in St Kilda and looking for a smashingly great breakfast, listen up! Nestled amongst this wonderful street of iconic, drool-worthy patisseries, wintry water of St Kilda beach and rows upon rows of shops to please your inner-hippy, Leroy Espresso is the spot to be. Even late on a Monday morning, the café was almost full and buzzed with great music and a laid back atmosphere. Our fellow diners appeared to be all regulars or at least young locals, which is usually a good indicator that a restaurant is doing something right. The retro orange booth seating was incredibly comfortable and fit in well with the arty, retro vibe of the place. Every inch of wall was covered with posters featuring upcoming festivals, movies and other cultural happenings. Despite the waitress taking a while to come back for our order after initially greeting and seating us, the fast, fresh and scrumptious food and well-made coffee certainly made up for any patchy service.

My girlfriend L and I giggled at the huge bottle of Absolut vodka that was placed on our table – which we quickly discovered was a recycled vessel used to serve us our tap water. Clever, yes, but I’m glad I hadn’t had a big night on the vodka the night before or the mere sight of the bottle might have triggered more than just laughter! Out came two stunning looking serves of home made toasted corn bread, home made baked beans, poached eggs, rocket and crispy bacon. The corn bread was TO DIE FOR, the baked beans were rustic and perfect, the poached eggs perfectly gooey and void of any nasty vinegar aftertaste and the bacon was pure crispy goodness. My soy latte was fabulous too. I would love to go back to try some other items off the menu, but after one satisfying experience I can confidently say this place is great! Don’t be put off by its tiny indoor area – what it lacks in size, it makes up for in taste. Besides, I’ve always been a sucker for a cosy little corner in a retro orange booth.

Leroy Espresso
191 Acland St
St Kilda VIC 3182‎
(03) 9525 5166
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Home away from home

The problem with living in a new city is not knowing where to go for a special occasion dinner on a brisk autumn evening. I discovered Home Dining Room as the result of typing my local area into Google combined with a bit of good luck. Situated in Hawthorn, one of the beautiful leafy suburbs in Melbourne’s East, Home Dining Room could be easily missed in amongst the hub of Burwood Road.

From the outside it appeared small and actually had us wondering whether it was closed, because there wasn’t a customer in sight. We were greeted by a smiling, efficient waiter who led us upstairs, to where – much to our relief – there were a few other groups of people sitting at tables in the cosy candle-lit upstairs section. I’m sure most people can remember an awkward, uncomfortable dining experience being the only table in a restaurant, so I was pretty relieved to see other patrons! The interior truly made me feel as though I was visiting someone’s home – warm, rich tones, well-loved old books as part of the table settings, shelves filled with teapots and various bits and pieces, old-world picture frames and regal-looking mirrors. It was a unique take on restaurant décor and certainly evoked a homely, welcoming vibe. Our waitress presented us with a taste of Rosé from the wine list in what seemed like a slightly-too-pushy bid to persuade us to order a bottle of wine. She seemed disappointed when I said I would stick to my one glass, but I didn’t want to have to point out that I was taking my cousin out to celebrate turning seventeen…and getting on the vino could wait for next birthday!

To start we shared the bread and dip of the day, which if memory serves me correctly was some sort of delicious pumpkin and fetta concoction. For mains, we were very unoriginal and both ordered the same dish! Perhaps the ultimate food blogger’s sin?! Regardless, it was a phenomenally tender breast of chicken with a lovely apricot sauce which I am sure was worded much more eloquently on the menu! What blew me away was the beetroot gnocchi on which the chicken breast was served. Those velvety little purple mouthfuls of bliss were the highlight for me. The dish was a surprisingly delightful combination of flavours and textures.

For dessert, we shared the Eton Mess: a martini glass brimming with white chocolate mousse, mixed berries and wonderful little white puffs of meringue. The tartness of the berries complemented the sweetness of the white chocolate, while the meringues added an extra dimension by giving the dessert a lovely crunch. Divine.


More recently, my good friend S came down from Brisbane to visit me for the long weekend. I had read great reviews about Home Dining Room’s breakfast menu, so we braved the icy winter winds and spots of rain and decided it was too tempting to resist. This time, we were seated in the downstairs section of HDR, tucked away in a cosy corner in front of the warmth of the coffee machine. I once again admired the innovative interior design: the stacks of books on each rustic wooden table, tiny flowers in little glass jars and old-fashioned glass milk bottles being recycled as water carafes. S and I couldn’t make a decision so we decided to order the two most appealing-sounding dishes and share.

The final verdict came down to the Eggs Benedict served with spinach on olive bread and the Potato Rosti with poached eggs and chilli jam. While both plates were scraped absolutely clean, both S and I agreed without hesitation that the Rosti beat the Benedict hands down. I’m not sure whether the slightly over-cooked poached eggs (I like mine seriously runny) on the Benedict was the decider for me, or whether the chilli jam on the Rosti was just so damn scrumptious that nothing else stood a chance. Either way, Home Dining Room provided truly pleasant breakfast and dinner experiences. I would highly recommend Home Dining Room for a satisfying weekend brunch. The coffee was outstanding and the servings were adequate but not so filling that you’re forced to go back home and sleep it off. The staff were relaxed, friendly and happy to have a chat with us. I would happily call this place Home any day!

Home DIning Room
601 Burwood Road
Hawthorn VIC 3122‎
(03) 9819 5555‎