Good Food & Wine Show - Breakfast with Maggie Beer

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited by the good people from the Good Food & Wine Show and Spark Communications to stay at the luxurious Olsen Hotel in South Yarra and wake up to have breakfast with Maggie Beer! Breakfast with Maggie Beer!?! Yes, you read that right. The charismatic and endearing Maggie Beer is one of many celebrity guests who will be participating in the Good Food & Wine Show this year at the Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre from the 7th - 10th of June (Queen's birthday weekend).

If you haven't stayed at the Olsen Hotel before, it's a fantastic place to relax away in. I've stayed here many times before and it honestly is my favourite boutique hotel to stay in Melbourne; modern, luxurious and fitted out with everything you could possible need. Not to mention the pool has a see through bottom that allows you to look down to Chapel Street while you do a few laps.

The view overlooking Chapel street

Room service is delivered from the restaurant in the hotel, Spoonbill, and we have consistently enjoyed our room services meals whenever we stay. I recall the wagyu burger was exceptionally good last time; the braised beef mini burger and lemon ricotta & tomato spagghetini (below) were great too. There's just something about being in your pjs in a nice hotel room and getting dinner delivered to your room.

Burch and Purchese goodies

Despite the plushy bed calling my name at 6:30 in the morning, I was determined not to miss breakfast. Maggie emanates such passion and love for food and cooking that it's contagious, we were all captivated by her entertaining stories and opinions, one quote that sticks out in my mind - "Life's too short for Sauvignon Blanc!" Was waking up that early to get ready for breakfast worth it? Absolutely; and it seemed like everyone else in attendance was hanging off her every word too!

My breakfast of smashed avocado, feta, baby spinach and hazelnut dukkah on sourdough

I took a photo with Maggie (yay!!) but my smile started getting the shakes after smiling for so long, so I can't bear to post it up.

Among the gourmet food and wine stands at the Good Food & Wine Show, there will be masterclasses, celebrity appearances, wine classes and more so if you're keen to catch all the gourmet action, buy your tickets now. I went last year and enjoyed it very much; we ended up coming home with a few jars of 'Caramelicious' salted butter caramel spread, tubs of Chobani yoghurt, a huge hunk of pancetta and lots of cheese and dips, mmmm!

Good Food & Wine Show
Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre
2 Clarendon Street
Melbourne VIC 3006


Fri 7th June: 10am - 7pm
Sat 8th & Sun 9th June: 10am - 6pm
Mon 10th June: 10am - 5pm

Tickets:
General entry $33
Children (12-17): $25
Children under 12: Free
Concession: $27

For more information on exhibitors or events, please visit the website.

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Everyday Coffee

Everyday Coffee evolved from the former Black Coffee @ No Fixed Address, a pop up dedicated to black coffee with 'no bullshit'. It is a minimalistic cafe in Collingwood focusing on coffees with a great line up of beans to choose from. They also have a concise food menu offering a variety of home made dessert pies, Lune Croissanterie croissants and other baked treats.

I ordered a magic and whilst I was waiting, a glass of sparkling water was placed in front of me, great for cleansing the palate I find and a refreshing change from the warm water we're typically served in cafes. The magic was extremely enjoyable - full-flavoured and smooth, no sugar needed.

Magic ($3.90)

I made sure to grab some goodies to enjoy later in the day, and I had heard great things about the pies so got all the flavours available as well as a croissant to take away.

The croissant was the usual perfection that Lune Croissanterie is best known for; puffed up and lovely buttery layers of pastry. I saved it for the next morning and after a brief stint in the oven, it was delicious. I neglected to take a photo but below is the same croissant I had elsewhere.

Dark chocolate and almond croissant ($5)

The key lime pie was zesty and creamy although we found the crust to be on the thick side and made it difficult to cut through.

Key lime pie ($6)

The pumpkin pie was a wonderful balance between spiced and sweet although again, we found the crust a tad thick. It was my first time trying pumpkin pie but I'd love to try to recreate it at home.

Pumpkin pie ($6)

The pecan pie was the stand out with caramel filling topped with pecan nuts. The sticky caramel really made the pecan pie addictive while the pecans added a crunchy nutty texture; absolutely scrumptious!

Pecan pie ($6)

Everyday Coffee are serving up great coffee with friendly service and I loved the relaxed vibe there, especially with all the natural light flowing in. A lovely spot to waste away an afternoon and the great thing is that they close at 5pm - I'm finding many coffee shops I have been wanting to visit close frustratingly early at 3pm.

Food: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Value: 7.5/10
Will I return? Yes, a nice spot to have a coffee catch up.

Everyday Coffee
33 Johnston Street
Collingwood VIC 3066
(03) 9973 4159


Mon to Sat 7am - 5pm
Sun 8am - 5pm

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Dr Juicy Jay's Fried Chicken and Crab Shack

Many carnivorous cravings have been caused by the television show Man v. Food and one of the episodes which sticks out in my mind is watching Adam Richman using a wooden mallet to smash up crabs and well, it just looks like a lot of fun and mighty good eating! As of Thursday last week, welcome to Melbourne's dining scene Dr Juicy Jay's Fried Chicken and Crab Shack, serving up Southern fried chicken with waffles, crab boil, home made corn dogs and much more. Dr Juicy Jay's is the brainchild of Chingón duo and brothers, Will and Mick Balleau, who are taking over the kitchen at The Public Bar in North Melbourne.

It must have been happy hour because both our drinks came to a total of $11 which was dirt cheap.

Little Creatures pale ale and Tecate beer (both for $11)

We started off sharing a serve of the Southern fried chicken, coated in 21 secret herbs and spices, with a single waffle hidden underneath. The delicate balance between savoury and sweet within a dish can sometimes be overstepped however here it proved to be a winning combination. The boneless fried chicken was succulent, packed with flavour and balanced nicely by the sweet waffles and tangy ranch sauce. These waffles were something else - light and fluffy yet still retained crispiness with a slight caramelisation, so much deliciousness in a mouthful. Is there anywhere else in Melbourne that does a good fried chicken and waffles? If so, please let me know (I don't rate The Merrywell).

Southern fried chicken with waffles ($21)

Next up was a Southern style dish consisting of blue swimmer crabs with sausages and cobs of corn thrown in. A combination of spices, lemon, garlic and a lot of butter dressed the dish and complemented the sweetness of the crab. We were advised that the hot sauce went especially well with the crab boil and it did indeed add another dimension to the dish.

Juicy's Lowcountry Boil ($24)

Will was kind enough to offer a half serve of the shrimp as I was looking for something small to finish off our meal. The shrimp had the same dressing as the crab boil which was lovely although Mr A thought that the shrimp were slightly overcooked. I also appreciated the addition of potatoes with the shrimp to provide a carb element as I tend to get hungry quicker without them.

Shrimp - half serve ($10)

The menu is small and succinct allowing the kitchen to focus on quality.

Being only the second day of operation when we visited, we enjoyed our meal and I was in awe of the fried chicken with waffles. Service was efficient and came with a smile while food didn't take too long to arrive. Although more appropriately deemed as bar food rather than a full meal, be prepared to get your hands dirty digging into these crabs. So hurry, "the Juice wants to sell you crabs!"

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 8.5/10
Value: 7.5/10
Will I return? Yes, absolutely loved the Southern fried chicken with waffles in particular.

Dr Juicy Jay's Fried Chicken and Crab Shack
238 Victoria Street
North Melbourne VIC 3051
(03) 9329 9888


Wed to Sun 5pm - 9pm

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Hammer and Tong 412

Bestie outings are rare and few these days as our schedules are so busy and hard to coincide but sometimes the stars align and we're off to indulge in good food. Hammer and Tong 412 is another café opening, fronted by Dennis Ferreira and Simon Ward who both have impressive backgrounds, set where The Brix previously stood. All interiors have mostly been retained with a few little vintage tweaks; it is a beautiful space with three segregated areas - we opted for the very back area which felt like a little hideaway room.

I loved the look and feel of the walkway outside the kitchen where you can perch on the stools and look out to the quintessential Fitzroy views of graffiti.

Same area, different view

Coffees were both great and chugged down before they even had a chance to cool down.

Magics ($4)

The corn fritters had a great curry flavour however they were slightly doughy. The fresh elements - sour cream, chunks of avocado and snow pea leaves did well to lift from the heaviness of the corn fritters.

Spiced corn fritters, avocado, sour cream, smoked tomato & poached egg ($17)

A simple yet well executed dish - there was a faint aroma of truffle and I loved the combination of the duck egg with the crispy buttery brioche and grilled asparagus, although I found some ends to be more on the woody and fibrous side.

Truffled duck egg on toast parmesan & grilled asparagus ($18)

We loved the look of the fizz and had to order a round to share. We fund the orangina fizz to be on the bitter side and later found out that the batch we received did not have sugar which they quickly rectified, as soon as they realised, with a new bottle. The Turkish delight was rose-scented and did not have much sweetness to it.

Turkish delight and Orangina fizz ($3 each)

Our brunch at Hammer and Tong 412 was enjoyable with good food and fantastic company. Service was hospitable and friendly, with the little mishap with the non-sugared orangina fizz quickly fixed. We were much too bloated after our lunch to sample anything but I had my eye on the pancakes with blueberries and popping candy ice cream - it looks amazing! They also do dinner service three nights a week now with some tantalising dishes on their menu if brunching isn't your thing.

Food: 7.5/10
Service: 8/10
Value: 7.5/10
Will I return? Yes, I could see myself coming back if in the area.

Hammer and Tong 412
(Enter via Westgarth St)
Rear 412 Brunswick St
Fitzroy VIC 3065


Tues & Wed 7am - 4pm
Thurs & Fri 7am - late
Sat 8am - late
Sun 8am - 5pm

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