The Land Down Under Part 2: The many flavourful Coffee moments in Melbourne, Victoria...

So Australia certainly has brought me many memories over the last year. Many of which were enriched with great conversations, laughs and relaxing breaks between adventures over a flavourful and much-needed caffeinated beverage.

My last post described my experience in Northern Queensland where I had a deliciously frothy latte at the Coffee Club chain that has cafes popping up almost on every corner just like Starbucks and Tim Hortons here in Canada. My Australian adventure didn't stop there. After my vacation in Port Douglas, I did return to the Land Down Under yet for another 3-week vacation, but this time in Melbourne, Victoria and other surrounding cities of this beautiful state.

Melbourne is a coffee beverage capital. When I arrived a Latte guidebook was presented to me for my perusal. Hmmm where to experience first!? Well, I didn't disappoint myself in the many a beverage I consumed and enjoyed. I will showcase 3 beverages I had here in this posting and in part 3 of my Australian segment, will describe 3 more.



Latte ~ Melba's Restaurant, Melbourne, Australia



The first featured beverage was a delicious frothy full-on frothy latte. This latte which adorned a heart design in the foam, was served to me in a swanky high-end hotel named Melba's, found in the heart of Melbourne's busy city. This hotel eatery was a beautiful and elegant buffet with such food stations as make-your-own tempura and seafood bar. The latte was light, very bold in flavour and had just enough steamed milk to make this combination espresso beverage delightful after a full buffet meal. It was a perfect ending to a delicious celebratory supper. The people I was dining with also ordered lattes and did comment that for those needing sugar to sweeten their drinks, this latte proved delicious even with the sugar enhancement.



Latte~ Mt. Dandenong, Melbourne, Australia



The second beverage I'm featuring in this segment I experienced atop Mount Dandenong with Devonshire tea. I was brought to this beautiful little tea room where my latte was coupled with homemade scones, clotted cream and jams, just like I remembered having in England, except with the espresso twist instead of a brewed spot of tea. The latte complemented the sweets and savories perfectly and added the right amount of bold taste. The experience could not have been better when you include white linens, sterling silver utensils and a view from atop a mountain. This is one place and one experience I hope to hold close for a long time.



Latte, Flat white, ~ St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia



The third beverage I'm featuring was on a street in the little town of St Kilda  that featured a beautiful and famous beach in the state of Victoria. Leroy cafe featured a deliciously rich latte, done flat white, no foam, just a white top, and rich with steamed full milk. The espresso was boldly within the milk's flavor, but made me feel fuller with the rich aroma of the whole coffee beans and full milk. I enjoyed this latte without the usual amount of froth for a change and this one did not disappoint. The art also looked interesting when I received it to drink with my muesli.

Stay tuned for more Melbourne and surrounding city lattes and caffeinated goodness to come soon!