Hello loyal readers!!!
Thank
you for being patient with me during my super long blogging hiatus! Please expect an
influx of food posts now that I am on HOLIDAYS, woohoo. To be frank - I
actually finished exams on the 14th of June but I've been extreeeeeemely busy working
everyday since! Due to my laziness, I'm starting to regret not bringing my
camera along with me because I've been to many 'new' restaurants in the past
couple of weeks and iPhone 4s photo quality is deplorable.
I
want to start off my holiday posts with a lovely visit to AUCTION ROOMS. Located just 5 minutes from my
workplace, I decided to fill my stomach there because I finish work early on
Fridays. My, my, my...... it was certainly a pleasant surprise.
Think - open
spaces, friendly service and aesthetic food presentation. What more could you ask for? The list of positive
describing words is never ending. My favourite part of the eating experience
was the brewing techniques that Auction Rooms has implemented in their menu for
avid coffee enthusiasts like myself. When my best friend and I entered, we were
expecting a long wait as the place was bustling with people ranging from
families to businessmen (and businesswomen) to couples and friends. It's such a
great place to meet for coffee and there is plenty of street parking
surrounding the old industrial-looking warehouse. The wait to be seated was around 20 minutes and
I would have preferred it if they had handed us menus (like Mamasita's system)
so what we wanted to eat was pre-determined before we sat down. I was wishing
in my head that I wouldn't be seated at the two seaters right next to the door
way because I really don't like it when people stare at me while I'm snap
snapping away at my food *rolls eyes, another Asian taking photos of their
food*. In the end we had a choice of either sitting in the back room THAT HAD A TREE
or on the bench where coffee magic was being created. The best friend chose to
sit on the coffee bench and I'm so glad we did! We were greeted by a lovely
barista who moved to Melbourne from Adelaide and we were just chatting away
about coffee and the way he was preparing it... through SYPHONS! I had an idea
what a syphon was, only because Vietnamese people prepare drip coffee in a
similar way... but watching the fire, the glassware and the entire process was
rather enchanting.
The normal barista area behind us.
Beef Cheek with fried egg (sunny side up) and raddish.
This was a bit salty for my liking but it sounded so delicious on the menu. Auction Room meals are always seasonal (this time last year they had beef cheek in a sandwich) so you need to go and try or you will miss an opportunity! I probably wouldn't order this again because although the cheek was extremely tender, the dish on a whole was plain and dry.
"The Shady Deal" - shakshouka with poached eggs and sausage.
Now that we are in the midst of Winter, I am always looking out for soups and hearty foods to keep me warm. Egg noodle soup with duck is currently my favourite thing to eat. This shakshouka looks smaller than it actually is in real life. Well proportioned, good balance of flavours and the whole notion of dipping is so fun!
Sarah's photography skilllls haha.
Now finally! Introducing the syphon! I know many cafes around Melbourne already incorporate syphons into their menu but it was fun to be able to sit at the bench and watch the magic happen right before my eyes. The barista was extremely friendly and helpful. In my opinion, service and hospitality from the employees is so important. On my trip to Proud Mary, I found the waiters very rude and people who arrived after us who happened to be the waitresses friends were seated first. Talk about shit service! Never going there again.
My coffee! Filtered GOLDEN TICKET!
It was too strong and sour for my liking. I can never drink black coffee without adding milk or condensed milk. It just felt like drinking tea because the flavour was tangy. I'll probably stick to a normal coffee on my next visit, I just wanted to see how it worked and take photos with the pretty tea set.
Every coffee comes with an information card for more avid coffee lovers than myself. The aroma of coffee when you walk in to Auction Rooms just hugs your insides and makes you want to see what the fuss is all about.
Winter Fruit Salad (to share)
If only I had the time and patience to prepare this for myself every day... I would be the world's biggest fruit eater! The fruits ranged from golden kiwi, strawberries, green apples, oranges, feijoa, pear and pomegranate with yoghurt and sesame snaps. The feijoa was BLOODY SOUR!!! The first time I ever tried it was in a spread for my scones at Lady Bower Kitchen. The rest of the fruits were pretty average. I much prefer summer fruits!!! Will have to go back here in a few months time to try the summer fruit salad :)
Find more images like this on Instagram! @badasiandriver :)
Auction Rooms
Address: 103-107 Errol Street North Melbourne 3051
Contact: 9326 7749
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Weekends 7:30am - 5pm.
Price: $$-$$$ish
Website: http://www.auctionroomscafe.com.au/
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