Sakuratte, brunch at Operator 25, Australian Footy and cheap eats at Dodee Paidang
The week is fast approaching that I was set to end my working holiday in Australia, leave Melbourne and head back home. However, I have a surprise for you- I am leaving to travel around Asia for a few weeks with my best friends from home but then, guess what- I’m coming back to Melbourne.
This recent turn in events wasn’t actually an easy decision to come to. Staying here means that I won’t get to see my friends and family for that bit longer and it means that I’m swapping a warm summer in the UK for a cold Australian winter. However, when it came down to it- I’m having way too much fun in Melbourne to go home and quite simply, I’m not done here yet.
Anyway, my upcoming trip to Asia brings the chance to take a break from working, an opportunity share my adventures with you guys on the blog and then a fresh new start when I return to Melbourne mid-July. So, in the meantime, I’ve been soaking up as much of my favourite Australian city as I can and I wanted to share a few of my latest discoveries with you guys. So here we go.
Brunch at Operator 25
Last week, my friend and I decided to spend a hungover day like all true Melburnians do- by going for brunch. We decided to check out one of the city’s favourite brunch spots, Operator 25.
This quirky cafe is housed in Melbourne’s first phone switchboard and it has an eclectic menu with everything from peanut butter caramel french toast to a Japenese octopus omelette on the menu- so Melbourne, I know. I went for the Matcha and Avocado smoothie bowl and my friend for the pulled pork benedict. Both of which were good and very aesthetically pleasing.
Thai Food on a budget at Dodee Paidang
Another foodie outing I took last week was to Dodee Paidang- a budget Thai eatery housed in an underground basement and that’s repeatedly hailed as one of Melbourne’s best cheap eats. I got here for an early lunch by myself but there was already a queue- looks like it’s a favourite with office workers on their lunch breaks. However, once I sat down my Pad See Ew came almost right away and I was in and out in about 30 minutes. What’s more, lunch only set me back $10.
Japenese Sakuratte at Little Rogue
Next, I went to one of my favourite Melbourne coffee shops: Little Rogue. I usually come to this cute little cafe for their delicious matcha lattes but last week I decided to try something different and ordered the Sakuratte.
If you’re wondering what I’m talking about- a Sakuratte is a milky drink made out of Japenese Sakura Cherry blossom. The drink comes with the blossom syrup drizzled in it which you then have to mix, turning the drink a greyish colour. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I really liked the subtle sweet taste of the drink and it was a really enjoyable caffeine alternative.
Experiencing my first Australian Footy match
You’ll be surprised to hear that my last big Melbourne experience of the week was not food related (well not entirely). I finally made it to an Australian footy match. This had been on my Melbourne bucket list for a while so I was really excited.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this unique Australian sport- let me try and enlighten you. Footie is a contact sport that’s played on an oval-shaped field between two teams of eighteen players. Points are scored by kicking the oval ball between the goal posts (which are essentially large poles with no net). You get six points for a goal. You can also score a behind in between the back posts (worth one point). The team with the highest number of points at the end of the game wins. What’s interesting is how much of a hybrid between football and rugby this game is- with contact between players and handballing allowed.
I was lucky enough to watch the game at the MCG- Melbournes most impressive stadium, where the atmosphere was insane. I also got myself a meat pie with ketchup on top and a cider- neither of which are my favourite things but I was advised this was how the Australians do it- All for the cultural enrichment, right?
Living and working in a city like Melbourne is so much fun and getting to explore this city slowly is one of the many benefits of doing a working holiday in Australia. Do you have any questions about life on working holiday or suggestions for things to do in Melbourne? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Passport Please 