Cafes in Melbourne Part 2

Karen was enlisted as our cafe-hopping accomplice on the second day of our Melbourne trip. It's amazing how often I've been meeting Karen despite being down under most of the time this year. I've been seeing her every month and now, I can't wait to embark on our New Zealand trip in December!

My dear friend is a huge fan of the french toast from Degraves Espresso, our first stop for the day. Located along a quaint alley that's bustling with life, this cozy little joint reminds me of the European cafes that I have grown to be so fond of.

I have a penchant for attractive food presentation, so you can imagine my delight when the french toast was served with a light dusting of sugar. Little details like this make such an enormous difference to the entire gastronomic experience.

Hot chocolate is a staple for Karen because like me, she doesn't take caffeine.

Unfortunately, Karen lamented that the French toast that day was not up to standard. According to her, it is usually crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The bread was indeed a tad too hard, but other than the texture, it was relatively yummy.

Just when you thought we would be full from all the carbohydrates in the morning, we headed immediately to our next stop for food - MART 130! Sometimes, I wonder where all the food we eat go to, because we hardly put on weight considering that we're eating practically all the time!

Situated at a tram stop which has since been refurbished and converted into a cafe, the very aptly named MART 130 (read it the other way and you'll see why!) offers a wide array of food that's bound to delight your taste buds.

We ordered the pancakes with fruits compote and corn fritters to share. You can never go wrong with pancakes in Australia. I've had my fair share of thick, fluffy pancakes here, and never once have I been disappointed!

I've a huge soft spot for corn fritters. In fact, I'm determined to learn how to make corn fritters so I can have them any time of the day!

On a completely random note, I had just bought this gorgeous pink fur coat from Harry Wragg (a fabulous vintage store in Melbourne) and totally couldn't keep my hands off it.