My Monthly Chronicles, September 2024

September was such a whirlwind that I can't believe it is suddenly over.  Work keeps getting busier. I have had some fun outings with Sylvia to some of the icons of Melbourne: the Zoo, the Tea Rooms in the Block Arcade and the Royal Melbourne Show.  I also found myself at some of the city's hidden gems: a cat cafe in Box Hill, Paddock bakery in Geelong and the Albrecht Durer exhibition at the University of Melbourne (above).  And I never seem to have enough energy, especially after a wonderful Clare Bowditch gig or the fireworks at the Show.  There was less time for lunching in cafes but I had an outstanding meals at Just Loved in Blackburn and had quite a few opportunities for innovative food.  You can also see more on our food at home on my In My Kitchen post.

I am told by my teenage daughter that I read too much of the information signs in museums and that is why she enjoyed going to the Hellenic Museum in the city with her dad and grandfather this month.  I say never too much!  So I really enjoyed a couple of visits to the University of Melbourne's Albrecht Dürer's Material Renaissance exhibition (above photo), most recently between a chicken pox vaccination and lunch with a friend.  I love the Arts West building where it is located and have enjoyed immersing myself in the worldview of Medieval prints.  One of the most fascinating prints was the Witch Riding Backwards on a Goat (c1500).  Indeed, the past is a foreign country!

Assembly Ground, Essendon

Sylvia had wanted to go to Assembly Ground (104 Fletcher Street) for some time so she was delighted when we finally got there.  Sylvia had a great meal of zucchini, spinach and halloumi fritters with
tzatziki, pita, crispy kale, pomegranates and a poached egg.  I was envious because my Nourish bowl had a lot of spicy rice and chickpeas.  It was too spicy for me and I felt it needed some creamy sauce.  I was more keen on my Boost juice with beetroot, carrot, pineapple and orang.  Sylvia was also very keen on her Pink juice with watermelon, pineapple, mint.

RIP Dame Maggie Smith.  She sparkled with wit that was not without compassion.  Her death is mourned for all that will never happen but we are all the richer for her legacy of memorable characters she brought to life on the screen, notably Professor McGonagall, the Dowager Countess of Grantham and Miss Jean Brodie.

Paddock Bakery, North Geelong

On Father's Day I went to Geelong to visit my parents.  My dad was out at lunch so I stopped off at Paddock Bakery (Federal Mills: Tenancy W4, 33 Mackey St,got some Mexican corn with avo and salsa fresca on a seeded bagel that I shared with my mum.  It was lovely.  I bought some Jam doughnuts for my dad.  He can never resist one.  And I bought myself a Pesto and cheese scroll and a Brulee doughnut for Sylvia.

Father's Day Afternoon tea

We had a lovely afternoon tea for my dad.  My mum baked lamingtons, profiteroles and scones.  It was delicious.  My dad also got some chocolate for Father's Day.  The Violet Crumble bar and Polly Waffle bites remind me of Christmas time when my older sister and I took it in turns each year to buy dad Violet Crumbles and Polly Waffles.  He is not as busy with work as he used to be.  It means he has more time to help out the kids and grandkids.  Last week he was in our backyard putting up a new shelf for Sylvia's ever growing pot plant collection and fixed the flywire screen on her window so she can open her window without bugs flying in.

The Tea Rooms 1892, CBD

We had a lovely time at The Tea Rooms 1892 in the Block Arcade (282 Collins Street) having our deconstructed high tea of scones, sandwiches, and cake.  I've written about our visit in my post about Tea Rooms 1892, Block Arcade, Spellbox, Melbourne. 

Memories: The legendary Punters Club reopens after 22 years.  20 August 2024 in The Age.  I went to this iconic pub in Fitzroy to see great local indie bands as a twentysomething, and visited when it became Bimbos and then Kewpie.  I hope to get back to the "Pun'ers" once of these days.

Croix croissant, Flemington

Croix croissant (185 Mt Alexander Rd) came to my attention when it was mentioned to me by someone I met in Yogyakarta in Indonesia last year.  She was a friend of the owners.  I heard that it had vegan croissants but was still amazed at the good quality of the baking.  It is a bijou small cafe with lots to offer.  For those who want classic flavours, there are cheese croissants, almond croissants and pain au chocolat.  For people like us there are many fascinating new bakes to try.  I was tempted by the  tempted to get Oreo milk tea croll or Nut black sesame croll.  Sylvia was disappointed that there were no Biscoff croissants available.

Croix croissant, Flemington 2

Sylvia had the Korean garlic cheese croissant which had quite sweet garlic cream cheese in a cute cross on a croissant.  She also had a Tiramisu Croll (or croissant wheel) that had a lot of cream inside it.  I had a Vegan bacon and cheese croissant.  It was nice but the cheese wasn't heated enough to make it melty.  Vegan cheese is better when melted so I enjoyed the leftovers I took home to grill more than the warmed portion I had in the cafe.  

As I was aware that the owners of Croix Croissant were from Yogyakarta last year so it was no surprise to find an Indonesian influence in this bakery.  I could not resist the novelty of the Indonesian inspired vegan "martabak".  It was a round pastry with a lot of vegan cheese filling topped with chocolate chips, peanuts, sesame seeds and condensed oat milk. As with my croissant it suffered from not being heated enough to melt the cheese.  Even so I really liked the sweet and savoury flavours.  I would have had more chocolate but can you ever have enough!

Lazy Cat Cafe, Box Hill

On Sylvia's bucket list is a desire to visit every cat cafe possible.  So when we discovered the Lazy Cat Cafe (g03/830 Whitehorse Rd) in Box Hill it was only a matter of time until we visited.  The cats were cute and friendly, especially when being fed the food that was available for purchase  In fact most cafe cafes give food to humans but this one was really all about feeding the cats.  Sylvia wanted to purchase another hour at the cafe but I was quite ready to leave after an hour.

Just Loved, Blackburn South

After the cat cafe, we drove to Just Loved (8 Hunter Drive). How cute is my Japanese curry with the Miffy shaped rice!  And the crispy potato croquette was really good.  Sylva loved her creamy curry udon noodles and we both loved our drinks.  I hope to write more about it soon, so stay tuned.

Podcasts - The strange life of Ingrid von Oelhafen Parts 1 and 2, ABC was a fascinating story of how the Nazi love for blond haired, blue eyed "Aryan" children went as far as arranging adoptions into German families.  As we now know, adoptions are never straightforward and it is fascinating and often sad following this life of this woman as she looks to find out who she is.

Melbourne Zoo, Parkville

It has been years since we have been to the Melbourne Zoo (Elliott Ave).  I took Sylvia along because her school had an excursion there just before the school holidays.  We had sushi for lunch and a Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  Highlights were the giraffes (as always), feeding time at the seals, cheeky penguins, the active red panda, the big yawn on the Tasmanian devil and the peace of the Japanese garden.

Finding joy.  Nick Cave asked his readers on The Red Hand Files to let him know "when or how do you find joy?"  He has compiled the answers on a page simply called Joy and they are indeed a joy to read.

 

Clare Bowditch at Howler, Brunswick

I went along with a couple of friends to Howler (7-11 Dawson Street) to have dinner and see a Clare Bowditch gig.  I had fried cauliflower in a leafy salad with crispy kale, a small plate of pumpkin arancini and shared some hot chips.  It was good but even better to catch up with Andrea and Jo.  The gig was far far better than I expected.  I like Clare Bowditch's music but it is so much more entertaining live.  She loves chatting to the audience ("my darlings), gets the audience singing along and encourages us to call out "where's marty" when her husband is about to play drums or keyboard on a song.  Mostly it is just Clare Bowditch with her guitar telling stories that along the way get accompanied by guitar and then morph into the song but it is so seamless that the music is just part of the all the fun.

Carlton Farmers Market, North Carlton

It has been a long time since I have been to the Carlton Farmers Market - so long that the location has changed from Carlton Gardens Primary School to the Carlton North Primary School on Lee Street. I was there recently to see my sister at her peanut butter stall but also enjoyed browsing the stalls.  I enjoyed a vegan nachos pie from Pie Thief for my lunch and took some delicious food home (see what I bought at In My Kitchen post.) 

On the telly: The Unforgotten crime show and I have started watching Series 5.  It is also so interesting to see the stories of people who have been affected by cold cases.  Even so I don't think it would reflect real life according to this article - Why forensic science is nothing like the popular TV investigation shows when it comes to solving crimes By Fiona Pepper and Claire Slattery for Big Ideas on ABC RN, 26 September 2024.

Melbourne Coffee Culture adverts

I have noticed a few billboard advertisements making capital of Melbourne's Coffee Culture lately.  The Support Your Local Oat Milk Dealer with Oatly adverts have been eye catching.  I laughed when I saw this Stay Fussy Melbourne advert The Alternative Dairy Co's almond milk in Moonee Ponds.  We all make fun of Melbourne's coffee culture but according to coffee drinkers, Melbourne is the best place for having your coffee made just right.  Having never drunk a cup of coffee, I can neither support nor deny this. But even I know that a good barista and a range of non-dairy milks is important to our coffee scene!  And I can always appreciate the coffee art!

Royal Melbourne Show, Flemington

It is quite a while since we have been to the Royal Melbourne Show at the Showgrounds in Flemington.  We had lots of fun with rides, craft, decorated cakes, llamas, horses, and came home with showbags.  The meals on offer were ok but nothing fancy.  We enjoyed trying some fun food in the Gourmet Pantry and Cellar.  I enjoyed my milo macaron and Sylvia was excited to try a skewer or fruit tanghulu.  I prefer my fruit without hardened sugar.  (See what we bought home at In My Kitchen post.)

In the News:

Come to your census: data, Dutton and ducking for cover by Jo Dyer in The Shot, 6 September 2024. 

Ban the socials! But keep the gambling ads and urinating contests that ‘traditional’ media serves kids, by Angela Priestley in The Women's Agenda, 12 September 2024

Kamala Harris effectively baited Donald Trump during the debate, drawing out his insecure white masculinity, The Conversation, by Karrin Vasby Anderson on September 13, 2024.

The Easey Street killings haunted Melbourne for five decades and an arrest in Italy is just the latest development, by Melissa Brown, ABC News, 22 September 2024.

The US cannot allow Israel to turn Lebanon into a second Gaza: This crisis is a humanitarian disaster that may destabilize the whole region, by Mohamad Bazzi, The Guardian, Fri 27 September 2024

Gisele Pelicot: The New French Feminist Icon In Landmark Rape Trial, by Anushka De in NDTV World on Sep 28, 2024

In My Kitchen: September 2024

September has brought us longer days, gentle sunshine and spring rains.  It is hard to believe iwe are already well into spring.  Not so long ago it I was admiring autumn leaves glowing in the light of the early setting sun.  Now my bike rides pass trees sprouting lots of new green leaves, rabbits bounding with cute little bobtails and the evocative smell of spring flowers.  It has been a busy month with lots of delicious meals and interesting food shopping trips!  I will share more meals and outings in My Monthly Chronicles post (coming soon).

Above is a photo of what is our favourite salad of the moment: Lemon Cucumber Couscous Feta Salad.  I have renamed it from the Hungry Happens blog where we found it.  It is as simple as she says, though we are still unsure about the salad dressing.  It feels really healthy with all the greens (cucumber, rocket and we add edamame), substantial with pearl couscous and so tasty with feta stirred through.  We have already made it a few times and plan to make it often over summer.

 

I tried Serious Eat's Scallion Sourdough Pancakes and loved how simple and delicious they were.  They are not as robust as some crunchy pancakes I have had in Asian restaurants but are a great way to use up sourdough discard.  I ate mine with pumpkin soup.

The pumpkin soup was not great but when I added tahini and salt it made a it taste so much better.  Tahini is such a transforming ingredient!  I made the soup more substantial when I served it with Tomato orzo with chickpeas and mushrooms, leftover wholemeal spaghetti and green leaves.

Cauliflowers have been cheap so I made a cauliflower soup with potato and celery.  It was quite thin when blended but Sylvia is a big fan of cauliflower and enjoyed the soup with leftover vodka pasta.  I enjoyed mine with tofu bacon, peas and vodka pasta.

Sylvia has been adapting a favourite vegan banana and coconut cake recipe into a banana and choc chip cake.  I find it hard to believe she omits the desiccated coconut but somehow she is convinced this is better.  The chop chips are an excellent addition.

If the banana cake recipe is Sylvia's current favourite sweet recipe, her favourite savoury recipe is cheese and parsley muffins.  She made a variation with fresh corn (3 cobs), jalapeno (about 1/4 cup) and haloumi (sprinkled on top of the muffins.  She was not so keen on the texture when she added uncooked tofu bacon and plans to fry it next time.  These muffins were a big hit with me and excellent as a portable snack when we went to the Royal Melbourne Show.

The muffins were also great with grilled sausages an a chickpea salad.  Sylvia used 3 tins of chickpeas in her salad and winged it with the other ingredients but decided more tomato and more cucumber would be good next time.  I was really pleased to have leftovers to take into work for lunch.  We still had plenty of salad leftover to serve with tofu nuggets the next night.

We made a batch of oven baked tacos with refried beans from a can.   While I liked them, I prefer more texture than pureed beans, even with some spring onion and corn added.  When we made them a second time I made these with rapid refried beans which I have made often.  The beans are a rough mash with vegies rather than a puree.  The ingredients didn't hold together quite as well.  We love the idea and want to experiment more.   Sylvia made an avocado crema both times that went well with them.

We had leftovers to use up after the oven baked tacos.  I made quesadillas for lunch out of some remaining tortillas.  The filling was refried beans, rocket, cheese, tofu bacon, tomato slices.  They were excellent.  Crispier on the stovetop with my cast iron fry pan, but more demanding than arranging 6 in a roasting tin and turning once or twice.

Another easy leftover lunch were muffins topped with zucchini slice, grated cheese and fried tofu bacon.  I put them under the grill until the cheese was melty and then tried to wait long enough to eat so it wasn't so steaming hot that I burnt my tongue!

My sister had a peanut butter stall at the Carlton Farmers Market (which is in the North Carlton Primary School on Canning Street these days - the last time I went it was in the Rathdowne Street opposite the museum).  I enjoyed riding my bike there, catching up with my sister and wandering around the stalls.  I was delighted to buy some Good Brew kombucha, purple sprouting broccoli, Frankly Raw peanut butter, and bakes from Back Alley Bakes (capsicum stuffed muff and a kimchi and cheese scroll).  I loved having a vegan nacho pie for lunch from the Pie Thief.

We had a gardening afternoon where we cut back a lot of the rosemary and salvia out the front.  Sylvia also had taken out the woody old thyme that a friend planted for me in 2007 and planted supple young thyme.  So we have had lots of thyme and rosemary about the house and a few extra bay leaves from the garden.  Sylvia has previously dried some rosemary and catnip and has brought these to the kitchen.  We also have rhubarb and lime from my mum's garden.  Not seen is also blood oranges from Yav and lemons from Kerin.  Friends and family's citrus are appreciated while my lemon and lime trees have not yielded much fruit lately in our back yard.

These are some purchase from the supermarket that have sparked joy: Charcoal and sesame crackers, Parmesan, truffle and pepper crackers, red leicester cheese, goats cheese with dill, non alcoholic Peach bellinis and Passionfruit martinis.  Isn't it odd that kids are expected to drink sugary sweet drinks and adults expect to drink less sweet alcoholic drinks (with alcopops the bridging drink).  I like that there is more non-alcoholic drinks now that have less sugariness about them in the style of alcoholic drinks.

I tried making this Cheesey tex mex rice from the Kitchn.  It is fried for a while and mine had the smoky caramelised flavour but did not have as many crispy bits as I expected.  I used black beans instead of olives.  Sylvia did not like it much so I had a lot of it.  I had it at work lunches and for leftovers.  I made a pizza with some of it as well as tomato sauce, mushrooms and cheese.  It was really good.  On th same night I had my first go of thinly mandolinned zucchini and seasoned cream cheese with cheese on top.  It was excellent.

I used my favourite fast track sourdough pizza dough again a week later and had another go at the zucchini pizza.  After it was mandolinned thinly (with a bleeding finger tip as collateral damage), Sylvia suggested salting the zucchini which helped it be well seasoned and soften slightly.  After it stood for about 15 minutes I squeezed out the liquid and arranged it on the pizza in alternating rows with lightly steamed and chopped purple sprouting broccoli.  It was delicious hot out of the oven but also great for a cold work lunch the next day.

When Sylvia told me about the weird pairing of coke and Oreos in both the fizzy coke drink and the Oreo biscuits (cookies).  So we bought both and found that the coke didn't taste very like oreos, perhaps a bit of a vanilla scent.  The Oreos had an unnervingly accurate but chemical aroma of coke.  Sylvia could not stand the smell. I quite liked it in a weird way that was ok for a packet of biscuits but left me with no desire to buy again.

We went to the Royal Melbourne Show last week.  We came home with four showbags.  The one above is from the Craft and Cookery building.  I really loved the tote bag it came in. 

This is the contents of the showbag were a mixed bag.  I am most impressed with the hazelnut chocolate spread.  Sylvia will have a go at the Caffe Frother and is very pleased to be able to try the green tea with mango and lychee.  The dinosaur pasta will be used and so will the tapioca flour.  The cookbooks has too many photos of the hunter with his guns for me to be comfortable with it.  I cannot see us using the cream stabiliser but maybe I can give it away.  The craft supplies are something I hope we will have some fun with: wool, envelopes, invitations, glue, modelling clay, cupcake cutouts and collage pieces.

Sylvia bought a Chupa Chups showbag and a Smiths Showbag.  They were quite small and cheap (about $6-10 each).  Too many lolly pops for my liking but I am sure she will make them last.  And there was fairy floss too.  I am told that the combination of fairyfloss and salt and vinegar chips is wonderful but was not too interested in trying it!

My preference was the Old Style Liquorice showbag.  IT has a good selection of liquorice and bullets  (I took the photo after I used the liquorice allsorts in the footy platter below).  Unfortunately I bought it before I saw the Uncle John's showbag.  They do such good liquorice.  If I had waited I might have bought this one instead.

I made some cottage cheese fritters based on this recipe.  I had one for dinner with tomato relish, roast pumpkin and green leaves in a sandwich.  Since then I have enjoyed the fritters with salads and with roast pumpkin for lunches and dinners.

Last weekend was the AFL Grand Final.  We made some purchases for a platter.  I checked the ingredients of the Thins Sausage Sangas crisps and happy to find no meat  products.  .  It smelled and tasted uncannily like when we eat vegetarian sausages with sauce.  The Truffle arancini is a favourite of Sylvia's.  I loved the cheesey cauliflower pies,  My mum gave me the Chickpea Crackers which were alright but a bit stale.  The popcorn is the one that rated best in this rather amusing Guardian taste test.  And who doesn't love some berries on a platter! 

Our Grand Final platter was fairly straightforward to put together.  I had planned making our fave vegetarian sausage rolls but was too tired from the previous day's visit to the Show.  So I headed up some arancini and cauliflower cheese pies.  I chopped up some celery, carrot, capsicum.  Everything else was just a matter of arranging the charcoal crackers, chickpea crackers, Oreos, sausage sanga chps: sweet and salty popcorn, hummus, tomato sauce, sliced green apple, blood orange wedges, coke coke oreos, liquorice allsorts

I am sending this post to Sherry of Sherry's Pickings for the In My Kitchen event. If you would like to join in, send your post to Sherry by 13th of the month.  Or just head over to her blog to visit more kitchens and her gorgeous hand drawn header.

Tea Rooms 1892, Block Arcade, Spellbox, Melbourne

The Block Arcade in Melbourne's Collins Street is an elegant example of late Victorian era architecture that attracts many tourists and locals too.  I never tire of admiring the grand arches, the tiled mosaics and the soaring glass and metal ceilings.  I often pass what until 2020 was the Hopetoun Tea Rooms and wish I had time to join the queue for the wonderful cakes in the window.  It reopened as the Tea Rooms 1892 and Sylvia and I had lunch there recently.

I had lunch there 20 years ago with my Scottish mother-in-law.  It seems a lifetime away and I wish I remembered it more clearly.  She loved being a lady who lunches and I know we loved that lunch.  In the above photo, it is too late for a queue but when we arrived earlier we had to queue briefly before being ushered in to a table.

  

In the window is a small model of an old time couple enjoying a high tea.  The clientele is not like this any more. Ties for gentlemen and hats and gloves for ladies is no longer de rigeur.  The high tea can still be ordered but must be booked in advance.  We were not so organised.

So instead of a seat at the window with a tiered plate of dainty finger sandwiches, we were in a queue peering in at the gorgeous Victorian green wallpaper and etched glass mirror.  It was redecorated in 1976 in its original Victorian style.

I really loved that the Tea Rooms menu had some information on the history of the Block Arcade which was named for "doing the block" which was the local term for the fashionable people of Melbourne  promenading on that part of Collins Street.  It was the place to be seen.  

Above is a picture of doing the Block by local artist S T Gill.  I was astounded that the date next to the artist's name was 1818-1819 because it is well known that Melbourne was not colonised (settled) by Europeans until the 1830s.  I asked the waitress who was studying history but did not know when Europeans arrived.  I wrote to the manager who said it was a typo and meant to read 1818-1880, the years of S T Gills life.  He did this picture in 1880.  The manager said they would fix it soon.

We wanted to sample all that was on offer so we started with a plate of two scones to share with jam and cream.  We also had pots of tea to pour into elegant delicate tea cups.  Sylvia had Mango Tango tea: mango, rhubarb & green tea.  I had the Ruby Sipper tea: blood orange & hibiscus flower fruit blend.  My tea wasn't very flavoursome to start with but I enjoyed the stronger tea at the end.  Sylvia loved her choice of tea.

Then we had a light lunch.  The vegetarian options were not plentiful.  It was almost like being back with the 1990s with only soup and a salad sandwich on offer.  Having said that, they were very nice.  Sylvia had the Salad sandwich: cheddar cheese, avocado, beetroot, tomato, cucumber, carrot, lettuce and tomato relish.  She is not a big fan of beetroot and so found that a bit overwhelming.  I had a quarter and loved all the beetroot and vegies.

The soup of the day was lentil so I ordered this.  It was a rather big bowlful with lots of sourdough toast.  The soup, much like the sandwiches, are the sort of thing I could make a home.  Despite this I appreciated they were simple good healthy food that I wish I could find in more cafes when I eat out.  But I had expected something fancier in the Tea Rooms. 

We were there for the cakes and scones rather than the savoury food.  I was glad we splashed out and had a slice of cake eat. As you can see above, there were many cakes to choose from if you like strawberries and cream.  (Above clockwise from top left: Red Velvet, Chocolate Strawberry Tart, Pavlova and Lamingtons.)  Sylvia had a very creamy Strawberry sponge and I had a lovely Black Forest cake with a generous chocolate mousse layer.  The desserts were the highlight!

Overall we really enjoyed being ladies who lunch at a fancy historic restaurant.  Although we didn't have a tiered plate, we felt that sandwiches, scones and cake were like a deconstructed high tea.  I felt even better about our choice when the bill was less than a high tea, and I felt we had more food but cannot confirm.  I can recommend it to anyone who wants to be in the that queue!

Once we left the tea rooms, we had a quick look at the beautiful Gewurzhaus spice shop opposite .  Like quite a few other other shops, the shop had wonderful arched plasterwork on the walls and ceilings.  It pays to look up!

This is the arcade where the tea rooms have extra tables.  I was glad to eat in the restaurant but at the same time, I would love to eat in this grand and light-filled arcade and watch the passersby.

At the other end of the arcade is a spectacular tiled mosaic.  At the time of building in the 1890s, it was reportedly the largest  area of mosaics laid in Australia.  (Of course we weren't a country called Australia until Federation in 1901.)

Look up and you can see the polygonal domed glass ceiling that is said to be inspired by the larger Galleria Vittorio in Milan.  The lacy iron arches are rather beautiful.  It is difficult to take a photo wihtout people in it because it is a busy thoroughfare and this is the place people often stop to look up and admire the architecture.

Another iconic shop by the dome is Haigh's chocolate.  They sell excellent chocolate made in Adelaide.

In the windows we could see that one of the latest special chocolates is a milk mango and macadamia bar.  We didn't go in because it is just too tempting.  (And they stopped making my favourite chocolate covered fudge bars.)

This is the part of the L shaped arcade that exits onto Elizabeth Street.  I remember going to look at upmarket bridal dresses here with a friend before her wedding.  Sylvia and I enjoyed looking at the Dr Suess shop in this section.

We then walked down the Block Place which is less beautiful architecture but the cafes here always seem quite busy and beautiful.  It took us through to Little Collins Street.

Across Little Collins Street is the Royal Arcade.  We entered by this cute Caffe e Torta Cucina.  I have not yet been in there but it always looks very cosy and popular when we pass by. 

We passed by Gog and Magog in the Royal Arcade who have been there since I was a child.  A more recent addition to the arcade is Spellbox. Sylvia very keen to visit and look at the crystals.  It is a beautiful shop.  Entering is like walking into a magical world. 

I am sure it is always busy partly because it is as much as destination as a shop.  They do tarot readings and have interactive exhibits like this Wheel of Stars which you can spin to find an oracle card for you. 

My favourite part of the shop is this tiny fairies house where I have been taking Sylvia since she was little.  It has such a sense of wonder.

Inside is a tiny workshop..  It is fascinating to look at the amazing details.

Then we were back into Royal Arcade and out into Bourke Street Mall to head home on our tram.

The Tea Rooms 1892
Shops 1 and 2, The Block Arcade
282 Collins Street, Melbourne
Open: Mon-Thus: 8am-6pm, Fri: 8am-8pm, Sat and Sun: 9am-5pm
Website: https://thetearooms1892.com.au/