New York Tomato

New York Tomato continues the trend of funky cafes tucked away off the main drags – and especially so in Richmond where delving off the beaten  track quickly takes you into a labyrinth of one way streets and unexpected dead ends.

New York Tomato has an extensive patio at front with tables (it’s sort of like the carport of the apartment complex itself) which is accessible (at least the very front tables are).

Unfortunately the rest of NYT is up stairs on the first floor along with the toilets. Strangely at True Local it is described as having disabled access – I guess they have a very generous idea of what constitutes access – or what constitues ‘disabled’?…

There’s street parking out the front so that part is doable – if you are coming from PT then it will involve a bit of walking over Richmond’s back streets.

Outside can be a bit breezy – there are none of those Bunnings mega heaters to protect you, so rug up if it’s winter months.

Then menu is tasty and the coffees not bad, albeit a tad on the lukewarm side. I had it recommended to me for its vegan options but – at least the day I went – there were few vegie options let alone vegan. The  menu had at bottom to ask for vegan options – not sure if that meant they adapt the existing menu or there is another secret vegan menu they will only produce on demand. There was lots of meat on the menu the day I was there.

Anyhow I had a delicious japanese influenced ‘pie’ with pumpkin and lentils that was tasty. There were also a selection of pides (where has that word suddenly crept in from everywhere?).

NYT’s waffles for breakfast have something of a following too and they do some different twists on flavours for breakfast generally. However, go during the week – avoid Sunday breakfast especially if hungry  as it becomes far too overrated on the weekend to the point that there are queues on the footpath … I guess exacerbated by the problem that if you’ve taken the trouble to get there, there is nowhere else nearby that you can go to instead – clever for the proprietors, annoying for those who came to eat and meet.

The staff just tread a fine line just this side of attitude but are responsive to requests when asked, just don’t expect Virgin-flight-attendant-shiny-smiley-happy-people.

The lowdown:

New York Tomato
2-6 New Street, Richmond

phone (03) 9429 0505

(bookings only for groups of more than 5)

Ay Oriental Tea House (South Yarra)

So the Oriental Tea House franchise (there’s one at ubiquitous Chadwa and one in the city as well) describes itself as:

… more than just a tea house. We believe that the health you seek, the tea you drink and the food you choose should marry together in perfect harmony, for this reason our South Yarra store now brings you the knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine. Our Doctor is Western- and Chinese-trained, and will diagnose your symptoms and gain ideas of your health through traditional Chinese concepts.

Unfortunately, those symptoms must be of the kind okay with navigating stairs without railings to get to the food.

Three stairs at the entrance – at least the door is open – then navigating through a busy front of shop, then a wide imposing barrier of three more steps running almost the width of the room and an effective block for anyone with balance or mobility restrictions. Not a rail in sight.

If you make it past that there are then crowded tables and numerous wait staff to obstable past.

If you’ve been carried or lifted to a seat, be sure to avoid the seats near the windows at the back. There are no shutters or blinds and the sun glares straight into the eyes of those unfortunate enough to have sat at those tables.

If you’re there on a Saturday or Sunday, it’s all yum cha all day. Be warned the din in the place with all those reflective surfaces makes conversation almost impossible without either yelling or getting up close and personal if the person is right next to you.

Parking is not too bad given the location on busy Chapel St, if you go down the side street it’s on the corner of (Cliff St). It’s a narrow street but parks often turn up.

Unfortunately, Chapel St is the last bastion of those clunky old skool trams – so if you use any chunky sort of walking aid be warned that tram-age will be out of bounds.

Toilets are upstairs as in a whole flight of stairs. Good luck.

If you’ve made it in, you got a table on less sunny side and you’re okay with the din, then you’ll enjoy the rest. The service is prompt, polite and efficient.

Dishes tend to come in waves eg a wave of pork dishes, a wave of prawn dishes, a wave of vego dishes et al.

Coffees are particularly good (often the let down at yum cha), no-one hurries to clear you out over it either, in fact they’re more likely to keep offering dishes even with the crockery already cleared.

The price, yes well the price you pay is definitely a Chapel St price rather than a yum cha price! Yum cha dishes range from $4.90 through to a wopping $8.90.

When: All days: 10am till late. serving yum cha trolley/tray service on Sat & Sun Lunch and alla carte all other times.

Where: 455 Chapel Street, South Yarra

Speak: 9826 0168
Email: chapelstore@orientalteahouse.com.au
Web: www.orientalteahouse.com.au/chapel-street

Seven Seeds (Carlton)

Seven Seeds is one of a new(ish) breed of coffeeries (my word) that have sprung up around Melbourne in the last few years (Liar Liar in Hawthorn is similar ilk although the similarities fade quickly from there).  No longer is it enough to know your de-caf’s, lattes, capps, machiatos and espressos, now also terms like ‘single estate’, ‘estate’, ‘clover’ and ‘micro’ to be oh-so-up-to-the-minute in your coffee snobbery.

Movida Next Door (CBD)

Yes, the inner city Spanish eatery has spawned a sibling (can siblings do that?) … just like it sounds: next door to Movida, on the corner of Flinders St and Hosier Lane

It comes with many of the distinctive features of its big brother:

• no bookings
• heady wines and cheery sherries
• superior but pricey tapas
• bustling and knowledgeable staff

Not that Movida the original was exactly easy to get into – due to the waiting queues AND due to the steep, cobblestoned lane it resides in.

Movida Next Door’s entrance also requires navigating the cobblestones, admittedly not as far as for Movida if you come from Flinders St.