Rude awakening

For many it really was a rude awakening on Bay Street this morning, as twenty MFB units battled the blaze at the former Port Melbourne Theatre, closing off a slew of neighbouring streets in the process. Fortunately no-one seems to have been seriously hurt.

I'd already drafted a post about Brew'd Awakenings, the punny Manhattan themed replacement of the Simple Affair café and alternative therapy centre. It had maintained the same cavernous open-brick interior, although with the counter moved to an island in the centre, bizarrely concealing the best tables behind it.

It would be unseemly now to mention how I rated their coffee and food. The one ominous observation that does linger though is how much chunky timber, much of it with their blackened logo burnt on to it, there was. I just hope that the distinctive structure of this heritage building can be saved.

Fresh fish

There is something deeply endearing about there still being a fisherman selling his catch just off Bay Street, in the shadow of the old sugar work's chimney. It's perhaps all too easy for the great influx of apartment dwellers to forget that the port in Port Melbourne is only recently centred around cruise ships. Former mayor and local resident Janet Bolitho recently contributed to an poignant piece in The Age all about the decline of "old Port".

So it was interesting reading the 3AW review of the Palace Hotel, and the reviewer's classification of pubs as old Port and new Port. Even though the Palace is technically a South Melbourne pub, I wonder whether Dow Street's Doug Beazley would agree that it manages to embrace both old and new. I hope so, because it would be a shame for these long term residents to feel uncomfortable in their own, ever changing, town.

The joker

In a suburb practically devoid of mature street art, it's nice to at least see some private graphic expression, such as this garage door on Lalor Street.

It coincides with the final demise of Shagy's internal mural, as the Rouse Street eatery commences its metamorphosis into Smokey's All American BBQ.

Station traders

It may have no real laneway gems, but Port Melbourne does have a growing number of places away from the Bay Street bustle to reward the sleepy side street explorer. In addition to the quirkiness of their location, places like Little Rose, The Graham, Decanters, Priscilla Jones and the Cricketers Arms each have to try that bit harder to get people through their door.

Despite being home to many of the town's finest houses Station Street, looking out over Australia's first railway (now the 109 track), qualifies as one such sleepy side street. So it's fascinating to see the rebirth of this corner shop opposite the Railway Club as the Station Street Trading Company (it was listed for sale as a confectionary shop back in 1918). It may be a long way off Bay Street but, as in its earlier incarnations, it does have one ace up its sleeve as it's right by the North Port tram stop and apparently plans to offer tempting takeaway options for passing commuters.

Secret shakes

Believe it or not, Port Melbourne now has its very own secret, back street, warehouse-style, cafe. It's brought to us by the same crew that have kindly provided a welcome alternative to the virtually ubiquitous Carlton United Brewery pub beverage offerings (and is in fact the rear entrance to their Rose Diner).

Little Rose is tucked away on the one-way stretch of Heath Street, just round the corner from My Sister Says. However officially it's not just a cafe, it's a Jaffle Bar. Aside from the jaffles (which should guarantee an entry in next year's Cheap Eats), they offer some interesting breakfast items, freshly squeezed juices, wacky shakes and the obligatory posh coffee (which, is not yet up to the standard of the sister round the corner).

I really hope that this turns out to be more than just making a few dollars from the ordinarily wasted pub garage, and that other businesses take note to give us Port people a few more surprises away from the obvious offerings of Bay Street.

Graphical guide

Avid readers of the Port Philip Weekly free paper may have noticed a familiar story recently about the near useless 'Civic Guides' that dot the suburb. In fairness there is actually a much more useful guide map provided by the council at the tram terminus. Unfortunately for a casual visitor, it covers an excessively large area, was produced before the advent of the bike share scheme, and has a walking time to South Melbourne of 35 minutes from there ... which must've been tested by the resident speed walker.

It would be great if maps like these appeared at the Civic Guide sites. Although I suspect that for most lost souls on Bay Street all they really want to know is a) which side streets have shops and cafes on them, and b) which way is it to the nearest tram stop? So here, in an attempt to answer these questions, is Spencer's very own unofficial graphical guide to Port Melbourne...

India on Rouse

Finally, after months of vigorous campaigning (well, the odd grumble here and there), Port Melbourne is set to get its very own Indian restaurant.  

Contrary to the implication from its name, the India on Bay is on Rouse Street, the short section of which either side of Bay Street must surely have the highest density of eateries in town. The owners already run a couple of restaurants in Richmond, so I am hopeful that it will be not just authentic but high quality too.

21-12-2011 Update: The restaurant is now open for business :-)

Simple affair

Housed within the bare-brick rear of the old Port Melbourne Theatre building, Simple Affair is Liardet Street's multi-faceted healthy living centre. For a long time the majority of its ground floor space was given over to organic groceries, however recently (perhaps due to the emergence of Brewsters and Thomas Dux) this has dwindled to a couple of shelving units as the cafe has taken centre stage.

However this shift in emphasis has seen the cafe earn itself an entry in the Cheap Eats guide, and at the same time made it easier to be sure of finding a spot to enjoy some good wholesome food.

They have a pretty standard breakfast and lunch menu, but where they excel is in their specials and salads (the bean burrito is a personal favourite). Whilst enjoying their fayre you also have the option to read about the services offered by the wellness centre upstairs.

Brewsters millions

Tucked oh so cheekily into the side of the Coles building is Port Melbourne's latest grocery store Brewsters. Like Thomas Dux they are clearly aiming for the high disposable income demographic, although they have a much greater focus on the delicatessen side - boasting more counter space I'd say than Coles. I'll expect they'll do very well during the barbie season; it'll be interesting to see how they fare come winter.

I would've liked to have updated my comprehensive price comparison to take account of this development, but Brewsters don't do cat food. I can however tell you that they stay open until 8pm ... ish.

Shagy

Another hidden gem off the main Bay Street strip comes in the somewhat surprising form of Shagy's Pizza. Despite specialising in undoubtedly the least original cuisine in Port Melbourne, and being decked out a little like a college cafe, Shagy's has a secret weapon. They do a lot more than pizza, and their salads, pasta, and grilled meals are ... really rather good.

They're fully licensed too, evening offering grog delivery. Now that's what I call service. It's just a shame that they don't have any external wall space, as that mural would look great on the outside.

Wave wave WAVE

I have to confess to having a real bias toward shops and cafes tucked down side streets. Port Melbourne doesn't have that many, so it's always good to see someone having a go. The Third Wave Cafe is sandwiched between two houses on Rouse Street and the new owners are boldy laying claim to the town's best coffee (third wave being an American term related to fanaticism about all stages of coffee production).

They've only just started opening up on Sundays so I was keen to given them a go. As a reference point, my favourite coffee in Port is from the french cafe Noisette ... until now. Third Wave really have got it what it takes to take the caffeine crown with their incredibly smooth Brazil Blue blend and a new Ethiopian single origin bean too.



Of course they also offer a (fairly standard) range of paninis plus some interesting, Russian inspired, specials. All the Bay Street coffee shops had better watch out...

The Graham

What actually is the difference between a bar and a wine bar? The small drinking den tacked on the side of The Graham describes itself as the latter, yet has a by-the-glass wine list not dramatically larger than many a food-oriented pub. I suspect that it's more about who the owners are trying to attract. With the majority of the establishment taken over by a well-rated high class restaurant, it figures that they're not really interested in the beer-swilling, sport-watching hordes (although their range of bottled beers is actually very respectable).

Despite the pretensions of grandeur, this cosy bar with courtyard is actually a pleasant place to have a drink (if you can face the prices), and the tapas is of predictably high quality. It helps that it's location is tucked away, and therefore not mobbed to the same degree as your typical Bay Street bar. The bar staff provide table service when they're not busy.

Built around 1870, the Graham (Family) Hotel has not always been a spotless white-linen dining establishment. The newspaper archives show that in times gone by landlords were repeatedly suspected of flouting their license, and there was an even a case of a supposed suicide by poisoning.

Beers on tap: Peroni
Wine range: $9-13 a glass
Parma: Not that sort of place
Gastro:Yup
Tradie vs Yuppy: Screams yuppy, but is not actually too snobby

My sister says

So inconspicuously taking the place of Bowl of Soul is the curiously named My Sister Says. Were it not for the bench outside, you'd seriously struggle to know that they too are a cafe; not vegetarian, but not conventional either.

With their array of angle-poise lamps, short and sweet menu, plus specials on an x-ray viewer, they are targeting a fairly niche market of hip cafe goers. Which is a good thing because this place is small. Still places like this are exactly what Port Melbourne needs to establish an identity in keeping with its inner-city location.

Decanters

Despite being dwarfed by the new 1st Choice liquor store, and being one of five booze vendors in town, Decanters By The Bay still seems to carve itself a decent share of local custom. Which is all the more impressive given its location hidden away on Lalor Street.

Continuing my trend of meaningless price comparisons, I thought I'd see how they compare to their competitors when it comes to a six-pack of Little Creature's Pale Ale:

• $19.99 Decanters
• $20.99 Vintage Cellars
• $19.99 1st Choice
• $19.99 IGA
• $20.00 Cellarbrations

OK admittedly I was expecting a slightly broader spread of prices than that.