Nothing finer than Gills Diner

Gills Diner (here's a review from hip website and sometimes actual broadsheet Broadsheet), is tucked away in one of Melbourne's much-lauded laneways. The multi-level cafe/bakery/bistro was pretty busy the day The Beaufort 8 Group and I visited. It appears to have had a fairly minimal fit-out to transform the former warehouse into the sleek, minimally industrial space that it now is. I especially loved the tiles and steel-framed windows that created more spaces within the large, high-ceilinged space. The food was lovely (look at my nicoise salad's perfectly soft-boiled egg!), well priced and the service was excellent.

More Melbourne moments

Window display at Miu Miu.

Love this apartment building in St Kilda. I've walked past it countless times.

And Luna Park, of course( does that face/place take a bad photo?), and the Palais - oh, the memories...

Lovely, luxe ladies lunch

The sister restaurant to St Kilda's Cicciolina, has taken up residence in this beautiful modernist building in East St Kilda. Ilona Staller (smarty pantses will know Italian porn star/politician Cicciolina's name is Ilona Staller) is a lovely casual, but classy bistro on Balaclava Rd. The Beaufort 8 Group and I dined there recently. I loved its '70s luxe interior, that balances precariously (for some) on the precipice of good and bad taste. I wanted to move in. 

Food wasn't bad either.

Dressed to impress

Anaessia is quite the confection, isn't it. The store literally shimmers, like a sparkling 1950s diamante necklace, on the first floor of the modernist jewel box that is Melbourne's lovely, former GPO building. The one-off Anaessia creations are simply divine and are worth saving up for for a super special occasion.

More marvellous Melbourne

Ganesh in Flinders Lane; large, colourful and removing obstacles. 

Bikes are many Melburnians' mode-of-transport of choice, as the wheels lined up outside Journal Canteen attest. For late lunch I downed a delicious tomato and basil bruschetta at my little round window table for one. 

Craft Victoria is a fabulous gallery and retail space that elevates and shines a light on Melbourne's many many makers. So much great jewellery, knitwear, books and more.

ChinChin is reasonably new, but was full whenever I walked past it. From the outside (why didn't I go in!?), it appears similar to a vast, but kind of sparsely industrial Parisian bistro. Cumulus Inc, a favourite, is always busy, but not the outside tables on this particular cold Melbourne day.

You have mail

How lovely is it to receive a letter or package in the mail?!
On Monday I received a package from my gorgeous sister-in-law, one half of the cool Birdy Popcorn girls.
Two beautifully fragrant soaps were wrapped in vintage fabric, along with an old newspaper image of a '70s girl in a cool long dress and a retro playing card.
Whenever I go to Melbourne I walk a couple of kms from St Kilda up to Balaclava to buy these vegan soaps from the local health store.

The eyes have it over at The Beaufort 8 Group

View from the top at The Beaufort 8 Group.