Aussie 2013: Melbourne Auction Rooms and Twenty & Six

I love how most of the Aussie cafes have the habit of opening very early in the morning. That means we can start our day early with a good cuppa (Aussie) coffee.

Auction Rooms

I was already in the midst of my Melbourne trip, and updating my Instagram regularly, when my girlfriend (who had studied in Melbourne) left a note on my Instagram recommending Auction Rooms. Well, she's an avid coffee lover, so a fool I would be to ignore her recommendation. We had some time after rearranging our schedule, so we decided to drop by for breakfast.

I remember their house coffee blend had a really cute name - Candyman. And it really was a very good cuppa. So much so that I actually bought some beans back for my coffee-lover Sis to try too.

I must say once again, I was constantly surprised at the menu offerings at the various cafes. I mean, could you imagine eating pork belly before 9am? Probably not. Well, I did. Ha. The food was average, nothing to shout about, the espresso mascarpone with the banana bread didn't taste as good as I had expected it to be.

Well, at least I had a good cuppa coffee. Melbournites must agree too, for the place was crowded (both when we walked in, and when we were leaving). A nice big space with tons of natural light at one side of the cafe (the side featured below), and yellow bulb lighting on the other side (where we sat, thus the bad lighting for the food shots).

Auction Rooms
Address: 103-107 Errol St, North Melbourne, VIC 3051
Directions: Take Tram 57, stop at Stop 13 Curzon St/Queensberry Street, it's a short walk (about 5 minutes) from there. Or a 20 minutes walk from the North Melbourne station.
Phone: (03) 9326 7749
Opening Hours: Weekdays 7am – 5pm, Weekends 730am - 5pm
Website: http://www.auctionroomscafe.com.au/

Twenty & Six

Just around the corner, a short walk from Auction Rooms, was another cafe. The coffee here was very acidic, too much for my liking. Perhaps the most acidic cuppa I've had in Aussie thus far, so I didn't enjoy this cuppa. But it was a lovely place nevertheless. I notice that Aussie cafes have more communal tables compared to local cafes, perhaps to encourage interaction among fellow coffee lovers?

Twenty & Six
Address: 594 Queensberry Street,North Melbourne, 3051
Directions: A short walk (about 5 minutes) round the corner of Auction Rooms.
Phone: +61 (03) 9329 0298
Opening Hours: Weekdays 730am – 330pm, Weekends 8am - 330pm
Website: http://www.twentyandsix.com.au/