two stars

Northcote is one of those places that blissfully avoids the gross generalisations that come with the hefty responsibility of being a suburb in Melbourne. It's not known for anything outlandish. There are no offensive buildings, no party bus tours, no infamous boy bands got their beginnings at the local town hall. It's just a nice place that people know about, but don't know about. Kind of like Penny Farthing Espresso.

I have often wondered what it would be like to live in a photo collage. Luckily, with one wall being home to a cluster of retro photography and another with gilded millers, I had the opportunity to do so when I dined at Animal Orchestra recently, whilst getting a good look at the reflection of the back of my head.

Sometimes, I like to eat my breakfast in a garden. My own garden is a mess of broken toys, broken dog bowls, broken pot plants and broken promises, so I tend to head out and eat in other people's gardens. Oaks Cafe at Acorn Nursery boasts the feel of the Mornington Peninsula with the convenience of Surrey Hills (if you happen to live in Surrey Hills). And food from your childhood, in the sense that it tastes like a child made it.

There are lots of reasons to love Canberra. I mean the War Museum, Parliament House, all that bitumen they have to offer everyone that drives. What’s not to like about bitumen? Unfortunately, what I’m not convinced of is that they’re able to serve up food that isn’t totally yawnworthy. What’s even worse is that I didn’t expect this when I chose Mooreish in the CBD for my French Toast.

Busy and important professional city-working people need to eat breakfast too, that’s why I dropped in on Caboose Canteen in the CBD to check out if it ticks all the boxes – good food, speedy service, and an air of pretension to help make me feel superior, even if just for a moment.