Tag Archives: Melbourne

Free Books and Breakfast at Queen Street Rescue, Melbourne

Street sign with Queen Street Rescue
Queen Street Rescue

Cafes and restaurants are abundant in Melbourne. When travelling, it is always nice to catch up with friends and try a new place to eat. Therefore, when some friends suggested meeting in the Melbourne CBD for a late breakfast, we jumped at the chance to test out Queen Street Rescue. We met up at 11:00am, to sample their breakfast and have a look at a special little area for their customers which is mainly unknown.

Even knowing that we had the opportunity to sleep in, we were awake by 07:00am. Isn’t that always the way, you have a chance to sleep in but your body doesn’t want to cooperate. Damn you body clock! We didn’t sleep in, but at least we could take our time before checking out of our hotel.

Queen Street Rescue is located at 1/189 Queen Street, Melbourne right next door and attached to the Adina Apartment Hotel. We’ve actually stayed at this hotel a few years ago. From what I can remember the apartment rooms were large and spacious and very comfortable.

We made our way into the cafe and sat at a booth and waited for our friends. The interior of the Queen Street Rescue has a beachy feeling. In fact it reminds of the cafe in the popular Australian series “Home and Away”. There are colourful chairs and some rustic furnishings. It feel like a  welcoming room with a large bookshelf along one side of the wall next the main entrance.

colourful chairs and tables with large bookshelf
Such a comfortable colourful room, with a large bookshelf along the wall

In the Melbourne Central shopping centre there is has a unique library, aptly called The Little Library. Travellers and locals can exchange books for free. Here you can have a look at what novels people have left and exchange your book for another on the bookshelf. We thought this was the only place this free exchange occurred and was surprised that the Queen Street Rescue offers the same. They have a large bookcase which is filled with free books for its customers to take with them as they leave the establishment.

Colourful menu boards
Colourful menu boards

The Queen Street Rescue changes its menu throughout the day to cater for the different meal times. At night it also becomes a nice place to have some quiet drinks. They also allow for functions, so it is an option if you are planning a get together with friends or colleagues. This morning they had a good variety of breakfast dishes ranging from AUD$7 for basic toast up to AUD$23 for their “Big Breakfast”. Of course I ordered a Big Breakfast, whilst Josie had some toast. We also ordered a Cafe Latte and Chai Latte, to wash it all down.

The Big Breakfast was  just that, Big. It usually comes with eggs of your choice with a serving of buttered toast, wilted spinach, baked tomatoes, a continental sausage,  some crispy bacon and a cheese hash brown. Everything on the dish was excellent, the bacon was crispy. The scrambled eggs were smooth and creamy, the continental pork sausage was good and the cheesy hash brown was superb.

Big Breakfast
Big Breakfast with scrambled eggs

The toast served were large thick slices which came with a good choice of condiments from vegemite, jam or honey. The Cafe Latte and Chai Latte’s were perfect, so perfect we had some more whilst chatting away about past and upcoming travel plans.

There were a variety of other meals ordered by our friends, and they all looked just as tasty as ours.

Lemon Coriander Smashed Avocado
Lemon Coriander Smashed Avocado
3 Egg Omelette
3 Egg Omelette

The Queen Street Rescue is a welcoming, comfortable place to relax and chill out.  You can have something to eat or drink, you can read a book or just meet up with some friends. The  counter service is efficient and the meals are delivered to you table relatively fast. It serves alcohol, so would be a perfect place to pop in for an after work drink too.

The overall price is good for the quality of food being served. The restaurant is clean and their books on offer are mainly popular fiction. You should be able to find something to read no matter what your genre.

When you’re in Melbourne and have some time to spare, give Queen Street Rescue a shot and remember tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Decor = 8
Atmosphere = 7
Service = 7
Price = 7
Food =7

Overall = 7

Doubletree by Hilton, Flinders Street, Melbourne

Melbourne is one of those cities where staying for one day or overnight doesn’t do it any justice. There is so much to do in Melbourne and the surrounding areas. Why not stay for a week or two and enjoy all it has to offer? The City of Melbourne has many accommodation options for travellers, depending on the amount they wish to spend. The Doubletree by Hilton on Flinders Street, is one of those reliable mid-market hotels that offers quality service to their visitors.

When we travelled to Melbourne recently, we opted to stay at the Doubletree by Hilton on Flinders Street, due to its handy location. We have been to Melbourne many times so we decided to walk from the Skybus stop at the Southern Cross Station to the hotel. The walk takes about 10-15 minutes and is perfect on a nice sunny day. The entrance is a little bit setback into the wall so if you aren’t concentrating, you can walk straight by. So be careful, unless you enjoy walking and backtracking.

Upon entry into the hotel foyer, you are greeted by a large reception desk on the left hand side. From the initial appearance you can see this hotel has incorporated so much into its limited floor plan. This open area alone holds the main reception, the bar and the dining area. In fact the reception desk and the bar is one continuous desk. This means there is always someone available to help you with your booking or serve your drinks.

Reception Desk and Bar
Reception Desk and Bar

If you decide to have breakfast included in you accommodation stay then the Platform 270 Restaurant and Bar is where you will find a nice spread of breakfast options, in a comfortable dining area.

Breakfast Buffet at the Platform 270 restaurant and bar
Breakfast Buffet at the Platform 270 Restaurant & Bar

The hotel receptionist was very friendly and once the check in process was done they gave us the signature warm and delicious chocolate chip cookie Doubletree are known for. They also mentioned that you could keep coming back for more of them, but we didn’t take them up on the tempting offer. Check in is usually set for 3:00pm but if your room is available they will allow early access. Subsequently if it is not ready they will store your baggage whilst you explore this amazing city.

A hotel can win you or lose you based on the first impression of the room. In this instance the Doubletree by Hilton on Flinders Street does not let you down. Upon entry you can tell the house cleaning staff take pride and care in the rooms they present. Our room wasn’t large, but it was clean. No musty smell, no mould in the bathroom, and no evidence left from the previous tenants.

Hotel Bed, with clean sheets
Queen Room, good to see a clean fresh smelling room

The bathroom was in pristine condition and well stocked with hotel accessories. The water pressure in the shower and hand basin was fantastic, the toilet was clean and there is enough bench space to hold our toiletries and hair dryer. As standard the room had a fridge, coffee-making facilities, an in-room safe and guest robes. The television was large with a good selection of in-house films or cable television channels. Wifi is free as a Hilton Honors member, so it’s a good idea to sign up before visiting.

Clean hotel bathroom perfect
No water streaks in that mirror, shiny bath tiles. Nice clean bathroom

For the fitness fanatics, the gym is located on the first floor, along with the function and conference rooms. The gym room itself isn’t large, but they have two treadmills, an exercise bike and an elliptical machine. There is also a good range of free weights and a weight machine offering different exercise options.

hotel gym, treadmills, weights
The 1st floor gym, if you can’t work up a sweat in here, you’re not doing it right!

We didn’t eat in the hotel, but it is worth noting they offer room service in case you decide to eat in, or you can try Platform 270 Restaurant and Bar. From what I hear the food is pretty good, and we saw that the dining area is nicely set out.

kitchen area platform 270 restaurant and bar
Platform 270 Restaurant and Bar Kitchen
The Verdict

The Doubletree by Hilton is located at 270 Flinders Street, Melbourne across the road from the Flinders Street Station. The average room price per night ranges between AUD$200-AUD$400 depending on the type of room you want and the dates you require. Bookings can be made through here.

We found the hotel comfortable, accessible and helpful. The CareLine service will assist you with most of your additional needs. We required a corkscrew and it was brought to our room within minutes.

The best way to get to the Doubletree by Hilton from the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport is by the Skybus service. A round trip ride is currently AUD$38 for an adult or family of four (2 adult and 2 children). The Skybus will take you to the Southern Cross station. There you can either use their free hotel shuttle service for CBD hotels, walk, take a taxi or catch a tram using a MYKI card which you can purchase from the train station.

Our team would happily recommend the 4 star Doubletree by Hilton hotel on Flinders Street. If you’re going to Melbourne check out their rates and if you book, tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Service = 8
Comfort=8
Cleanliness = 9
Price = 7
Facilities =8

Overall = 8

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Gazi Restaurant – Melbourne, where it’s all Greek to me!

Melbourne is a fascinating melting pot of multiculturalism. Your ability to access a wide range of cuisines is within reach inside the bustling CBD. One of those culinary delights is George Calombaris’ Gazi Restaurant.

When we arrived there was a line up out this door and down the street.
When we arrived there was a line up outside Gazi’s door and down the street.

George Calombaris is one of the judges on Australia’s version of Masterchef. George’s Gazi restaurant is located at 2 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, on the corner of busy Flinders Street.

The winner of our last giveaway suggested we head to  Gazi restaurant to experience what it has to offer. After our recent trip to Greece we were tempted by the thought of some more excellent Greek food.

Gazi is extremely popular with the residents of Melbourne, so I do recommend booking well in advance. We called in at lunchtime to book and were offered the last two seats on their communal table. If you can’t book, then you can try waiting in line hoping for someone to finish early so they can fit you in. Another option is to look at their takeaway option, and dine in the comfort of your home or hotel accommodation.

Our booking was for 8:30pm and upon arriving at the restaurant, there was a line up out the door of customers trying their luck to get a spare table. As we made our way through the crowd to the front reception, we were greeted by the restaurants maître d’hôtel and quickly escorted to our table. Due to the popularity, the Gazi staff try to fit as many customers into their service area as possible. They have communal long tables where small groups can sit together if they wish, or you can be seated by the bar. They do exceptionally well at turning over their patrons to allow more customers in to taste their exquisite Greek cuisine.

Bar seating
Gazi Restaurant’s bar seating

The interior of the restaurant is very well set out, with single tables along the Flinders street side of the restaurant and group booths alongside the Exhibition street side. The main floor is a mixture of small tables that can be grouped to make room for larger parties, and of course the communal long tables next to the bar. The roof decorations were very interesting with small terracotta pots set at different heights to create a terracotta wave. The restaurant had that nightclub bar atmosphere with mood lighting and up tempo house music pumping loudly around the room. In my opinion the music was probably too loud on this night, as it was hard to converse with my dinner guest.

Main floor and Terracotta wave
Main floor and Terracotta wave

The staff is in one word, exceptional. They always knew when you were ready to order or ask for assistance. The service was quick and attentive, even with a packed full restaurant that was already on its second sitting for the night. The staff even offered to hang up our jackets on little coat hooks well positioned around the room.

Gazi offers a solid menu, with many modern Hellenic dishes available. If you choose from the a la carte menu then you are looking at paying around AUD$28-$30 for your main meals. The best option and value would be to select their “Doing it Greek Style” seven course tasting plates for AUD$49 pp or the 10 course tasting plate for AUD$69 pp.

For our meal we decided to try the seven course tasting plate with some wine. The wine list is extensive with some quality wines from around Australia and Greece. Glasses sell for around AUD$12 and bottles from AUD$50 for an everyday quality bottle to a AUD$260 indulgent red or white.

The first course to arrive at the table was fresh soft pita bread and two quality dips, a creamy tzatziki and a beautiful sweet flavoured Beetroot feta and walnut praline. I could have honestly been happy just snacking on these quality dips for the whole night. The staff offered more bread each time we finished what we had, which was nice given the dips were large serves.

Beetroot, feta, walnut praline
Beetroot, feta, walnut praline

The second tasting plate to arrive at our table was a classic Cheese Saganaki with a modern kumquat syrup twist. The kumquat syrup brought a sweetness to the cheesy texture so we found ourselves scrapping our beautiful máti decorated plates to try get every morsel. The blue  máti eye symbols on the plates are found throughout Greece to ward off evil spirits so they are a nice touch.

Cheese Saganaki, kumquat syrup
Cheese Saganaki, kumquat syrup

Our third tasting plate to arrive was a Chicken Tyrokafteri with walnut dressing. This wood fire spitted meat is succulent and the walnut dressing gives it that extra crunchy texture. Such an excellent dish definitely worth considering when you visit. The accompanying dish was also well presented, but not what we were expecting. Gazi’s Tiganites Palates is basically chips with crumbled feta, dressed with garlic oil and oregano. A nice combination of flavours, but we didn’t associate chips with Greece so were surprised to see it. Saying that, we could not fault this dish, and struggled to finish the whole bowl.

Tiganites patates and Tyrokafteri with walnut dressing
Tiganites patates and Tyrokafteri with walnut dressing

At this stage we are getting a little full and start to leave some of the dishes unfinished, because we know we have three dishes remaining. Our ever attentive waiter brings out our fifth and sixth courses together. The fifth is a salted green bean salad topped with almonds and the sixth is Tuna Kebabs. The green bean salad had that hint of salt and were perfectly blanched thus having that perfect crunch. We divided the Tuna Kebab between us and devoured the beautifully seared tuna holding in the flavours of the sea.

Tuna Kebab and salted green beans
Tuna Kebab and salted green beans

Looking at each other we knew that dessert remained and wondered if we could possibly fit it in. When the waiter brought out our Loukoumades covered with Honey Nutella, we forgot that our stomachs were full and ate the dish with our eyes. These beautiful fried balls of goodness were delicious so topped off an excellent night in a stunning city.

Loukoumades with Honey Nutella
Loukoumades with Honey Nutella

Overall George Calombaris’s Gazi Restaurant is a fantastic place to eat. It has a hip casual dining experience feeling, with fine dining quality food. From their website you can get there by catching the 35, 70, 71 or 75 trams getting off at Exhibition and Flinders. If you are in Melbourne then try Gazi Restaurant, and tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!

Rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)

Decor = 9
Atmosphere = 9
Service = 9
Price = 7
Food =9

Overall = 9

Mati plates by Robert Gordon
Mati plates by Robert Gordon