I need exercise inspiration.... mmm...served with cofffee, maybe!!

A moment on the lips, forever on the hips... every dieters mantra for long as I can remember!

 I'm not doing so well at upholding  this mantra of late, with all of these coffees at amazing places, there is generally an array of amazing food on offer that is hard to resist, especially if I have a 3 year old tugging at my leg!!

 I have found myself  consuming  a selection of  heavenly food; blissful cakes, muffins, biscuits and the odd breakfast!

Well I found a place today that mixes business with pleasure.. Have a Divine Latte and then head upstairs to a torturous spin class and work it off! mm sound tempting!!

Darby and I  tottered off to Doncaster today to $5 kids movies  and on the way stopped off in  Kew for my  coffee fix at Studio MoVida http://www.studiomovida.biz/ in Cotham Rd.  Although an exercise Studio as well as a cafe it does boast  a Top 6 Victorian  barista Champion, so  we must be on to a good thing! 

 It seems to be a bizarre combination, but I think the whole concept works here. There is no blurriness  between the cafe that makes amazing food and coffee and the exercise studio upstairs ! Even if the place is scattered with Personal Trainers, Spin  instructor's and the odd husband waiting patiently over some bacon and eggs while their wife finishes their 9am Pilate's class!

 Today I am here for the coffee, although am feeling a little on the guilty side that I'm not getting my heart rate up with some exercise and maybe even  some Spartan training (whatever that is, it sounds frightening!!!)



Great kick start to the day!



We order our drinks  from the lovely waitress and  Darby's babycino  comes first! It looks like a mini creme brulee, how cruel but oh so divine! The little ramekin with chocolate on top and smooth froth underneath is gone in a few sips, and leaves Darby with a decadent Chocolate moustache!

My coffee comes next  and looks delish, it has a generous scattering of chocolate, with a large crema which is sometimes hard to do with Soy milk. It is very strong and made with precision. I leave feeling as though I have done a Spin class. My coffee gave me the perfect balance of a caffeine 'buzz and headiness just like a real exercise class  does . Now I'm just waiting for the post coffee Endorphins to kick in!  Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning to replace exercise with coffee.. but sometimes its a great substitute!!





After our movie adventure to see Tangled we head to Brunswick to meet Laura,  she is going to an organic grocery and Darby and I are starving! We need some protein! We decide on  A Minor Place in Albion St,  http://www.aminorplace.com.au/ , we tried to get in last week, but it was too busy! I cant believe I  once lived around the corner... it would have been an old shack back then! It still is really a shack, but it is sooo popular with the locals!  Today we were lucky and managed to get a booth!  The coffee came quickly and was really good, although when the food arrived I started pigging in, and my coffee went cold and I always forget food alters your palate and it tasted differently!  A lesson to remember next time. The food was simple but very tasty! Darby and I lapped up our eggs and bacon! Although I ate the majority of it!



It was a rather quick visit! I wanted to get home so I could do a few laps of the oval!! 'A moment on your lips ' was still ringing in my ear and I needed some exercise inspiration........

Until next time xxx



Big call, but I'm going to make it!!

So today I made a big call, announcing the best coffee I have had so far on my coffee adventure! And who would have thought it would be from  a takeaway!!! I'm sure I will have plenty more that rock my socks off, but I cant wait to write about this one, but  first things first.

My Weekend began with an early morning Darby drop off and so a  child free visit to a local cafe - Social Roasting Company http://socialroasting.com.au/about-us.html in Flemington, only a hop, skip and jump away from home. I have ventured here in the past  and I drive past frequently but its always such a hard place to park. 

 I sat at the large communal table and ordered my coffee as I tapped my feet to the almost tribal  sounds of Paul Simon's "Graceland" (this album always reminds me of my youth!). My coffee arrived from the gorgeous teal  coffee machine like magic and I was instantly impressed by the generous sprinkling of Chocolate on top! mmm

I first noticed the nuttiness of the Soy milk followed by the strong flavour of the coffee and even some orange and citrus undertones that made it so bittersweet and oh so good. The cafe has a nice and casual feel to it, I like the big Racecourse Road street sign at the back of the cafe.. like its stating its address.. The inviting menu is scrawled across a massive blackboard wall and the food on show leans mainly towards organic breakfasts with all the usual trimmings. I didn't eat today, but will next time!

What I love about this  innovative place is firstly they are not for profit  and secondly they  take their coffee making very seriously and roast all of their ethically sourced beans on site ... They also used recycled furniture  with a 50's retro type twist and more importantly lean towards employing people who have been out of work for a long time! What a cool concept that I hope catches on!!!

 I feel absolutely virtuous walking out of here enhancing my social conscience through drinking coffee their fabulous coffee !!!I like!!!!  

Next up, I picked a slightly hungover Laura  from home and head over to Brunswick to get some brunch. I want to go to the Minor Place http://www.aminorplace.com.au/Site/a_minor_place.html in Albion St as I had just been reading about their owners in the Broadsheet. Annoyingly all of their tables were full (damn damn, It must be good!) and with Laura wanting to eat NOW, we decided not to wait and head to Sydney Road. (note to self: I will come back on a week day)

 We easily got a table at the Flour Mill http://www.flourmill.net.au/. Breakfast here was very tasty.. and I would come back again too even if its only to taste the gorgeous artisan bread mmmm and the yummy cakes, slices and hot cross buns  they bake on site!! Mouthwatering!

Afterwards I was still yearning to have another coffee and I couldn't waste the opportunity while I was in Brunswick! Laura made it clear I had to get a takeaway and I needed to make a decision and not drive around with no purpose which I so often can do ! So I settled on the Brunswick East Project http://padrecoffee.com.au/ in Lygon St and drove their pronto!

With a time limit ticking, I knew I had to be quick. The Brunswick East Project  had a wonderful friendly and community vibe, people walked in and knew the staff (brought back my guilt factor of not having been to Le Chien for quite awhile!) It is a long and narrow cafe with what looked like a tasting room in the middle leading down to a tables and chairs at the end. I didn't venture down there, so I will have to next time. They use Padre blend coffee which is roasted on premises here. They have almost  30 different single origin blends.. I would have loved to have tasted "Daddy's little girl" - I wonder what the inspiration was for that.. or what it tastes like!

I ordered my coffee from a very friendly waitress, the friendliness  transcend  to the baristas, two guys working so well together.  I loved how they serve their coffees in handcrafted ceramic cups too, very eclectic and different. The barista was so friendly asking what I was doing for the weekend, I was taken aback by the genuine care the staff had for their customers... and it didn't feel fake at all!! My coffee didn't take long, too soon really as it meant I had to leave! I will be coming back here on the weekend, booking a date with myself  and sitting down to savour a coffee!! And as for the actual coffee... That was my big call - it was nothing short of amazing! I loved every last drop!! It was perfect, 10/10 .. I cant explain it much better than that!!   

On Sunday before my road trip to Bendigo, Darby and I stopped into The Premises http://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/food-and-drink/article/premises-opens-kensington in Kensington for a cup of Joe to get us (well me) through the Drive! They use Seven seeds beans here and the Coffee as always is  spot on! Thought Id better capture my deliriously happy self!! hehe! The Premises will be a ring in  for the 2012 Melbourne Coffee Review book for sure..

And I better note now I have only 68 coffees/cafes to experience !!! Yay... My goal is in sight! 285 days left in the year, and Im not much of a mathematic, but I'm guessing I still need to do around 2 new places a week! I'm managing to get to  around 3 at the moment soooo I'm very much on track! Yay!! That little buffer may just help me when lifes challenges get in the way!!  
I hope its not like kilos coming off on the scales... fast and easy at the start and then slowing down towards the end!! Ill try and plough through those plateaus that I am bound to have with lots of energy and I have heaps of that from all the caffeine Im consuming!!!
Until Next time xx