Who has been to Melissa ?
116 Comments
Goodmorning DArgy!!!
Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year. I have been wondering how that place will go myself. It was soooo busy yesterday as I drove past. I think ill give it a go in the coming weeks, and report back. I hope it does well though, i love Anderson St/Charles St area.
Merry Christmas AJ !!!!
Check it out you'll love it ! Doing well is an understatement, its doing amazing business. I know there's quite a few cafes and restaurants in the area but nothing compares to Melissa. Its probably the Greek in me that is so biased about it, it really reminds me of the cafes in Greece, they can even make a proper Greek frape ( iced coffee ) . The soft background music, they even have a grand white piano, and yes a smoking area ( no Greek place would be without it : ) I love it ! The best part is I'm only a 5 minute drive away.
Hey DArgy,
Back to the grinder today, hope you break was fantastic!
I drove past Melissa this morn after getting my regular coffee from Degani's. I didn't get a chance to taste test Melissa's over the break. I did try to give it a go on New Years Day, but just like everything else, it was closed :(
Since you mentioned the Greek Frappe, I'm even more excited. I went to Greece for two weeks a while back, and fell in love, especially with the food. I always thought the Greek food was so oily, and not really my cup of tea. After visiting Greece, I realised that Australian Greek food is nothing like the food in Greece. I had the most amazing fresh feasts in Athens and in Santorini. I hope Melissa is the same!
AJ.
Hi AJ,
Greek food is cooked with extra virgin olive oil and is very good for you even if some dishes are a little oily. Aussie cuisine ( which isn't even a cuisine : ) can never compare to Greek food . I doubt you will ever find an equivalent to the food you ate in Greece but some restaurants come close.
I haven't eaten at Melissas yet , I've only had desert and coffee, but from what I've seen its simple Greek food at a very reasonable price. Their spanakopites and tiropites ( spinach and cheese pies ) are pretty good and the souvlakia. The atmosphere is great , but I'm pretty biased because I'm definitely a Greek at heart....
It's been open a month now, and I do have a couple of little criticisms but I'll let you see for yourself. Tell me what you think.....
Hi Would anyone have the phone number of Melissa in Templestowe? I went past recently but is was fully booked. Now i would like to make a booking but didn't get the number but it is proving hard to track down as telstra don't have it listed as yet. I even rang the local hairdresser who is also a Melissa and she has had a lot of queries but still couldn't help! Thank you so much if anyone can give it to me. Bye
Its 98504882
Glad I could help : )
Hey Lil, be sure to post your experiences here, I want to know if it as nice as DArgy has told us!
I hope it is, the more restaurants around the Templestowe the better.
AJ
yeah glad i found this site i have been looking for the phone number...looking at going with a group of friends soon.........twice in the last week on thursday night and sat night it was still FULL and kicking at past 11:30pm it seems awesome with great atmosphere.....cant wait to try the food
Hi DArgy, AJ and jaderd,
Well I went to Melissa's Sat night and I thought it was pretty good. The place was fresh and clean and the waiter we had was friendly and helpful. I thought the menu was fairly extensive and quite cheap, but we chose to have a few mezes that were all delicious especially the saganaki and octopus. We had coffee and cake too but I thought what I chose was only ok but the tart my friend had was delicious. The place was full and I was lucky to get an early sitting. The piano player added to the atmosphere. I hope it does well as it livens up that area. Nice to have an upmarket Greek place in the suburbs. Have you tried Helenic Republic in Brunswick? - that is also only recently opened and the food is great there as well. Bye
That's a great report Lil. I really hope they do well as well. I often go to Carlucci's but I think it has gone downhill just a little (or maybe I have been there so many times, I'm a bit sick of it!!)
Regardless, I've been meaning to have dinner at Melissa's for a while now, am when I finally get round to it, ill be sure to share my experiences with everyone.
Thanks again Lil!
AJ
Any more comments on Melissa ? I've got a few interesting ones since my first, but I'll wait to see what you guys write first......
What did you thing jaderd ?
I actually have some very disappointing news about Melissa . I started this thread with great enthusiasm and end it with great disappointment. The first month of opening the place was fantastic. The service, great coffee, cakes and atmosphere. However I have done a 180 degree turn and have now found the service to be slack and unprofessional, the coffee horrible and the food very average. The spanakopites they were once famous for are now smothered in margarine instead of olive oil, the last couple of times the coffee was lukewarm and tasted bitter and the froth on the cappuccino was not as its meant to be. The famous Greek frape ( iced coffee ) was anything but cold. It was made with tap water and there were no ice cubes in it. As for the service, most of the staff walk around looking confused and I had to wait at least half an hour for a simple coffee to be served !
The soft piano music that I boasted about is now accompanied with annoying loud bouzouki music at dinner time.I don't mind bouzouki music at a party but not when I'm trying to eat or have a relaxing coffee.
To their credit, Melissa is still a very busy place therefore I must come to the conclusion that patrons are still happy .I doubt however that they would be regulars as I have spoken to at least ten people who have had similar experiences. It's still difficult to get a table for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but I'm starting to wonder for how long?.......................................
.....i had complete opposite, awesome experience, we spoke with the owners wife at length about the business etc, its one of four which they have in altona, collingwood and somewhere else. She admitted that it has been crazy since opening and they havent had the chance to get all staff under control and set things out exactly as they would like, basically its been manic for them since opening. I went to book a table for two last night and couldnt even get one, this was at 3pm already booked out with 170ppl.
On the night we went we were promptly seated in a casual manner, drink orders and then orders for entrees and mains etc. staff were fluttering around a bit and fairly busy although no hiccups occured. On the night we ordered the following
3 Entrees (calamari etc)
7 Mains (rib eye, risotto's, calamari etc)
7 alcoholic drinks (spirits, beers n wines)
10 desserts (various items from cannolli to tarts and a massive piece of cheesecake etc)
7 coffees
Grand total $208
We were very surprised, coffees were about 3 $, all little desserts were around $1.1.0 to 2.00 and the massive cheesecake piece where you would expect 8-11 dollars was only $4.50 !!!
Risottos flat rate of about $12.00 and rib eye was $19-21 i think....very reasonable
all in all we were quite happy with melissa (named after the honey bee) it will be great when it settles down a little and isn't so manic. great casual atmosphere too
I'm glad you liked it jaderd . I guess I'm upset because I've had a couple of bad experiences , the last couple of times I went, I mean I was the one who was initially bragging about it . Manic is definitely the right word for it at the moment......
Don't tell me you still haven't been AJ ?
Good to hear : ) I think the manic stage is over and the service has improved .
Hello,
I have also returned to Melissa and was disappointed. The food was sort of ok but the service was all over the place. Food came out and after waiting for awhile, we had to ask for cutlery. The front of house person didn't seem to know what was going on and I admit it was busy but everyone was running around and there didn'nt seem to be a system. I
I was near the open windows and they obliged by changing our table to where it wasn't so windy, so that was a plus.
I still think it is a bonus to have in the area and would probably go back again, especially for dropping in for coffee
Bye
Lil
Its definitely great for the area and fantastic for a coffee, but as a restaurant it has a LOT of work to do . I've heard rave reviews on Hellenic Republic, can't wait to try it .
I've heard Hellenic Republic is fabulous !
Such a great thread guys! If I were the owners of Melissa, I would be listening to these comments.
I still have not been DArgy, it's been a pretty hectic couple of weeks for me, up and back from Sydney quite a lot unfortunately, but looks like things are settling back down.
I must say I am SHOCKED at how busy it is at times. I pulled into the car park two night ago just because I was amazed at how busy it was. I'm very happy for the owners, as I always thought that location was a bit of a doomed one.
HOPEFULLY, Ill get there this weekend, at the very least I going to take some happy snaps :)
AJ
OH and I just realised that I am the only one with an image avatar in this thread?
Cmon guys, I want to see whom I'm chatting with :) You can upload in your profile.
On the contrary AJ the location is perfect ! That's why its been so popular.
So I finally went to Melissa's in Templestowe (or rather Templestowe Lower), and had breakfast yesterday. It was a long time coming, but I finally managed to get up there early on Sunday. My impressions are as follows:
Fantastic atmosphere. I was quite surprised. It actually felt like a cafe I went to in Athens a few years back. It was busy (which is a good thing for atmosphere), was very laid back and I loved the outdoor lounge style. Very nice touch.
Good food! Although I only had a breakfast, which isn't the hardest thing to cook up, what I had was nice. I did have a look around at some of the other meals people were eating, and they all looked very tasty.
Service was was pretty good, although my coffee did come out a bit late. Nothing major though.
Overall, it's a great addition to the area. I would like to have a proper dinner there however, and test the waters with a proper service session. I do think it will do well however as it appears to cater to the Greek community quite well, without being "too" Greek as to alienate people who think Greek food is too greasy. Well done guys!!
I also took a bunch of photos of my experience:
http://www.streetadvisor.com.au/victoria/templestowe_lower/parker_street/photos
PS - DArgy, Nice pic :)
Glad you liked it : ) It is great for the area , and as time goes by the service is definitely improving...
How come my pic doesn't show on my posts. That's my puppy by the way : )
Hi Dargy,
Yes I am very excited to see their progress, I'm wishing them all the best!
I can see your profile pic just fine on all your posts? You can't?
AJ
No I can't
now I can : )
Hi DArgy,
Yes we fixed a few small bugs on Friday night, so it all should ok now.
SO, I've been Melissa Crazy lately and went for dinner last night, and I must admit I was a little disappointed unfortunately. I had the bruschetta for entree, and that was really nice, but the mains were a little off. I had a Chicken Risotto, and it was just slop, so I didn't really finish it. We also has the fired Calamari, which was ok, the chips were a bit soggy.
The service on the other hand was fantastic! Our meals came out very fast, and felt right at home with out waiter. I'm not giving up yet though, I do really like the atmosphere, and I still haven't really tried the deserts. There's more to try there, so I'm going to have another go. I just hope they ditch the chicken risotto, because it really was the worst I have ever had.
AJ
Not too bad AJ , but its probably as good as it gets....
It certainly has its positives and yes at times the service is great, especially with all the complaints they've been getting, and I know that they have been getting many....
But the food is very average, I doubt they have a qualified chef at the back preparing the meals. They are almost fast food type meals. As for their risottos I haven't tasted it yet but I've had friends that have and have said exactly what you said, tasteless slop. I am quite an expert at Chicken risotto and the only way to make a tasty risotto is with good stock and it takes time , they probably take shortcuts like putting it in the oven or pre boiling the rice.
Soggy chips, hmmmmm, that's disappointing.
Yes its got great atmosphere and as a cafe is fantastic. The cakes are only good if they are fresh and unfortunately they aren't always....... I hate to say it but the cakes at Laurent are better.....
Time will tell I guess! Everyone likes a new restaurant, so it's popular now, but in the future? Who knows! Definitely something to look into again in the coming months. Are there any other new restaurants in the area we can review ? :)
AJ
Trela at Macedon Square has been under new management since the end of last year. I wasn't impressed with the previous owners so didn't go back. But it would be worth checking out now, it seems reasonably busy and they have renovated.....
I've been a couple of times for coffee and cake and am going for lunch today with the family.
Great atmosphere and authentic Greek food on the menu. Best of all I'm only a couple of minutes away.
I'll let you know what I think about the food.
I was a little disappointed when my 14 year old friend's daughter went with her friend for a hot chocolate last night around 9pm and the waitress rudely said to them, " you're not holding up a table for only 2 hot chocolates are you? " . Firstly it was well past dinner time, Melissa is also advertised as a cafe, and I think they are very fortunate to still be so busy, so here's a tip to management, please train your staff in manners even if they are serving 14 year olds....
They ended up staying and enjoyed their hot chocolate.......
I'm so glad that it turned out well for the 14 year old and her friend. Some restaurants and cafes forget that the young teenagers will be grown up soon enough and will be wanting to frequent the places that they have had a good experience with.
Lunch yesterday was very good. I had the veggie breakfast of poached eggs served with mushrooms, spinach, avocado and grilled tomato on sour dough bread. Hubby had grilled octopus and spanakopita with a glass of red and our son had the grilled chicken salad with tsatziki and pita. All of this came to $60 which included my coffee and an OJ. Pretty good I think.
I rang and asked if I needed to book for 1pm and they said no, there were tables free. When we turned up there was this rush of people so we were lucky to find a spot. Next time I'll book to be on the safe side.
Glad you had a good experience : )
You are right about the treatment of teenagers, they are the ones that will be going out and they tend to go to the same places they feel comfortable. So its bad business to ignore them......
Hi guys,
MyStudio, thanks for contributing, looks like there are some good things and bad things about Melissa's. It is always busy, so yeah prol best to book ahead in future. My gut feelings about the place is that brekfast is pretty good, but dinner needs some work.
DArgy, that's pretty bad about the way they treated your daughter and friend. It's such a bad way to do business. That's how Carlucci's has become so popular, treat the teenagers good, and then a lot of teenagers hang out there. However, that perhaps is something they want to avoid? I've avoided Carlucci's on occasion because of the teenagers hanging out there on occasion.
AJ
The teenagers haven't been back, but I have ( only for a coffee ) . You are made to feel that you should be ordering a meal and as always they ran out of spanakopita ! The service has improved heaps though ........
DArgy, they sell an uncooked spanakopita that comes in a foil tray. All you have to do is pop it in the oven and it's ready in 25-30 minutes. It serves about 3 people. Great for a quick dinner or for when unexpected guests arrive.
If I wanted a tray of spanakopita I'll go to Collosus or make it myself. They charge a whopping $25 for a tiny uncooked one, I've bought one before. If they have enough trays to sell why don't they ever have enough cooked one ? All I want is one piece ........
You're right about that.
I guess if it's going to call itself a Greek restaurant it would be nice if it had spanakopita available more often.
Exactly MyStudio, I mean we wouldn't go to another restaurant and ask for a steak, lasagna or anything else for that matter raw to cook at home : I ????? If they want to sell trays of pita they should start selling to Supermarkets, WE WANT OUR SPANAKOPITA IN THE RESTAURANT. I have been many times and they NEVER have any !
That's so funny.
Maybe we should make a placard with "WE WANT OUR SPANAKOPITA IN THE RESTAURANT" and stand outside Melissa.
All this talk of spana is making me hungry!!
That's hilarious !!! I WANT ONE NOW !
We should start a spanakopita delivery service with the motto, " Can't get a spana at Melissas ? just call us " We'd make a fortune !
All this talk of spanakopita has made me start to make one for lunch, especially as I have all the ingredients in the fridge.
The old Tess Mallos "Greek Cooking" book had a very nice recipe so I will use that.
Perhaps we could set up a van outside Melissa's and sell home made spanakopita's?
Have been a couple of times to Hellenic Republic- great service- food terrific as is everything else there. But not easy to get in to especially on the weekends. They also do breakfast on weekend but I haven't tried that yey
Kali orexi for us all for lunch- especially me that I will have freshly cooked spanakopita
Bye
Lil
I'm making Mousaka today : ) Can't wait to try Hellenic I've heard great things !
KALI OREXI to Greeks and non Greeks
Yiasas
Kali orexi to you too. I have that cook book as well lil. It never disappoints.
Don't forget to include me in any of your spanakopita business ventures.
We could source all the Greek grandmothers to make them. They'd probably do it for nothing.
Yiasas.
Yes- we could surpass all the other well known spanakopita outlets in Melbourne -especially if we offer a shot of ouzo with all orders and have Greek dancing on the hour - this could become a tourist attraction- might even win an award or at least a trip to Greece!
I'm already dreaming about the profits!
Lil
Melissa just got better !!!! Yesterday our much loved superstar Greek singer Giannis Ploutarhos was there and it was a thrill to meet him again !!!
Wow, that is thrilling.
I was having lunch there yesterday and had a lovely time.
What a man ! His concert last night was all for charity !
Here's a link to an interview in 2007
ttp://www.greekcity.com.au/content.cfm?id=4499
Hi guys,
WOW, what a thread!!
First of all, what is spanakopita? The enthusiasm with which you are speaking about it is making me very hungry :)
Second, Greek superstar Giannis Ploutarhos - is he any good? What would be the equivalent in oz culture? I'm afraid I've never heard of his music before, but I probably did while traveling through Greece?
AJ
This is spanakopita - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanakopita
WHAT is spanakopita ? AJ you can't live in Templestowe among all us Greeks and not know what spanakopita is, go to Melissa right now and indulge your taste buds : ) Thank you BrianWard for the link.
WHO is Giannis Ploutarhos ? Only the most gorgeous, talented, sweetest guy who ever walked the planet ! Of course you would have heard his music in Greece, he is VERY popular ! I can't think of anyone that would even come close to him in Oz culture ......
Take a look !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAlBRUtIM5E&feature=related
The heaters they have installed outside are very powerful ! BEWARE if you sit under them for longer than 10 minutes you could become the souvlaki !
DArgy that is so funny!
Hey DArgy,
Doesn't sound very tasty - a human souva :)
AJ
OH! I forgot to mention guys, the other night I was up at Westfield Doncaster Shoppingtown and there's a new Greek restaurant called Kouzina Modern Greek and Meze Bar. It's up the top next to Groove Train and the Cinemas.
Has anyone tried it? Perhaps an alternative to Melissa's?
I also found their website:
http://www.kouzina.com.au/index.html
AJ
You're welcome lil! Always glad to share. It's obvious that people are very passionate about their Greek food, so the more options around Melbourne the better. Now let's wait and reserve judgment until someone eats the food.
AJ
Breakfast was good besides the Hair in my egg and the response from Melissa’s staff was not professional and showed their lack of training.
I Decided to give Melissa’s one more go taking my parents there for dinner and the meals ordered were the lamb salad, stuffed chicken breast and the Mediterranean chicken parmigiana.
Lamb Salad : 6 out of 10 (Greasy and with very little meat)
Chicken Breast : 6 out of 10 Huge , something you would get for desert at a Macedonian wedding.
Chicken Parmigana : Disgusting, Disgusting, Disgusting , would expect that kind of frozen crap served up in the back streets of the industrial western suburbs precinct This was indeed the most dissapointing meal I have had this year. C’mon it is not that hard to crumb and fry a breast but the owner has chosen to supply frozen crap so I think this is good indicator of the quality you will be served. 2 out of 10 . (The 2 is for having the balls to serve such vile food).
WOW Fudge, very harsh review ! I do have a soft spot for Melissa ( I did start this thread after all ) BUT I have to agree on some points.
I have found the service has improved somewhat but the food has a long way to go. I was there Mother's Day and was a little disappointed . It was in two hour sessions to make room for more customers. I know alot of places do this but I'm definitely not a fan of it, I like to enjoy my meal, drink and then have my coffee and dessert and if I'm enjoying the company could be there for hours. Starters was dips and pita bread, main was your choice, I had lamb salad which I agree doesn't have a lot of meat, I think you will find more pieces in a souvlaki from souvlaki hut . A friend of mine had the chicken parma which was very average ,and should be one of the easiest meals to prepare. I could make you all a Chicken Parma to die for ! Dessert was a choice of a biscuit and coffee, which I thought was pretty cheap, I mean Melissa is famous for their Greek cakes and that is what they should be promoting. Set menus is an opportunity to get as many people to try their cakes , and maybe they will come back for more if they are good enough. I wouldn't go so far as call it vile food but they need a proper chef if they want to succeed as a restaurant.
WHAT??!?! Really? Where did you hear that zoi50? I wonder if that is a good thing or not? Surely such a new establishment that is appearing to be doing very well would not sell...unless there are problems?
AJ
The coffee at Melissa's got a good review here: http://www.melbournecoffeereview.com/2009/03/melissas-cafebar-parker-st-lower-templestowe.html
I think one of the partners is selling his share, I think there are personal issues . Greeks !
Where is the listing ? Yes that makes sense half of the building and business for $1.5 to 2 mil . I have inside information .................
Surely the listing could be somewhere - Ill have a hunt around on realestate.com.au
There is no listing because there is no sale. Its POSSIBLE that one of the partners is selling and that won't be listed. Anyway lets just kill this rumour right now because there's really no merit to it. And anyway who cares.........
Great as a cafe but service is lacking I feel.
is that a good thing? new owners == better service, possibly?
New partner, the original Melissa owners are still there. I don't understand why anyone would want to sell anyway, it's been one of the busiest places in the area
I love this thread, it's massive!!
@coolstreet Yeah I agree, that seems to be the general consensus.
@zoi50 any more than that? Any facts behind it?
@PureKrome and @Dargy I agree, why would anyone sell? Perhaps some financial difficulties due to GFC? I know a lot of people were heavily geared on shares when the market fell, so perhaps the old partner had to sell? More than likely we will never know.
I was at Melissas on the weekend and thought I'd ask one of the staff about the rumor that was going around.
The staff member said that it is a family business run by 5 brothers and sisters. The parents own the original Melissas in Collingwood.
The building portion (which the family does not own) was up for sale recently. It was sold to someone else who is now the new landlord. The business is running as usual.
So they are connected! The spanakopita at Melissa's on Smith St in Collingwood is wonderful.
Personally I think that everyone posting things in regards to Melissa should get their information and facts correct before posting such nonsence and rubbish.
Number 1 the business is owned by 2 EQUAL Partnerships not 5 brothers and sisters.
I have been many times and found their staff and service great and friendly.
I am so glad that their is a cafe/casual dining resturant this good in the area.
Congratualations the owners for opening such a successful business and to the staff for doing a wonderful job.
If this is such a bad place why is it always still so busy?????
Hi GETITRIGHT,
Thanks for joining the discussion. I do think you should have read the thread a little closer, as there are a lot of positive comments about Melissa's. I thought the overall opinions have been rather good, with a few small niggles here and there.
Also don't forget people's opinions are people's opinions. I have been Melissa's many times, and I really do like it. But remember, that is my opinion...it is neither right, nor wrong.
Finally, most people are in these forums are here to get answers about such things, and I for one feel incredibly well informed about our local greek cafe and restaurant Melissa's.
I wholeheartedly agree that Melissa's have done a great job. I think the degree to which the community has discussed this restaurant shows their passion for it as well.
Looking forward to more positive comments from everyone!!
AJ
Since I started the thread I should reply to your post . GETITRIGHT no one has been very negative about Melissa.
You obviously haven't read everyones posts especially the first one about me raving about Melissa and how fortunate we are to have such a great cafe restaurant in the area to go to .
However, like most places there is always room for improvement and management at Melissas is very fortunate that we have shown so much interest . They could learn alot from our posts and it would be to their advantage to take note.
Personally I don't care how many brothers,sisters or partners there are. I'm just happy there is a little piece of Greece in the heart of Templestowe.
So GETITRIGHT if you are going to use a username like that you REALLY need TO GET IT RIGHT !
ok...time for an update on my Greek restaurant adventures!!
I went to the newish Greek Restaurant up at Westfield Doncaster Shoppingtown (near the Village Cinemas) called Kouzina. Overall Impressions? BEAUTIFUL!!!
First up we started with the house dips and a glass of red, and they were probably the highlight of the meal. I then had Lemon Lamb Cutlets for the main and it was sensational. For desert we had a recommendation from one of the staff who was so nice. I wouldn't be surprised if she was the owner. Regardless, she was really welcoming and friendly. I can't remember what the name of the desert was that she recommended, but it was basically Vanilla Custard wrapped in filo pastry, and then baked, with drizzled honey on top. It was delicious.
The only down side to the evening was the entertainment that was going on inside the restaurant (we were sitting outside the main section, almost near the entrance). For the most part, the atmosphere was great, very cruisy, very greek. But then they had a very loud and annoying man go up on stage, and do a comedy act. I really really didn't like it. I hope the management see this review, because it's something that detracted from the evening, and can easily be fixed.
BUT that's such a minor thing. Everything else was stunning, and I can't recommend it highly enough. If your looking for a great meal on a weekend, Kouzina should be on your list of yum places to eat.
AJ
Was it comedy legend George Kapiniaris from Wogs out of Work?
http://kouzinagreekrestaurants.blogspot.com/2009/07/comedy-at-kouzina-george-kapiniaris.html
arrrgghhhh...yes that was him...and he was sooooooooo annoying!!!
A few people have recommended Kouzina to me so I'll be sure to check it out. Watch out Melissa !
@AJ the custard desert you had was yalaktoboureko and the loud annoying Greek bald man is definitely George Kapiniaris who some call comedy legend and I call "Wog with issues trying to be funny" : )
Has anyone tried the new restaurant on the corner of Anderson Street and James Street called Vibrante? I had dinner there the other night. Bugs for entree and risotto for mains. Not bad.
I was quite surprised, and think it's a welcome addition to the area.
Anyone else been there?
AJ
"Bugs for entree " YUK !
It's been almost a year and Melissa is still buzzing and I have to say the service and food has improved enormously !
C'mon DArgy, Bugs are delish!!
You are correct about Melissa's, it's still very busy at all times.
Has anyone tried out Vibrante yet?!? I love it there, and it's taken over as my new local restaurant of choice (unless I want Pizza, then I go to Pizza Espresso in Macedon Square...I'm drooling just thinking about it)
Hey guys,
Went to Vibrante last night again, was PACKED! Food was pretty good as well. Had the Dips for entree which were very very tasty, and then ordered the Baby Barramundi for the main. Unfortunately for me I forgot to read the menu properly and the whole fish came out...which I HATE!! But that was my fault, not the restaurant. It was pretty nice fish though, just don't like eating out of the actual carcass. Had a Chocolate Truffle Cake for desert....YUM...Go check it out people!
Anyways across the road Carlucci's was a little on the empty side (at least inside it was). Wondering how they are coping with the added competition of Vibrante and Melissa's?
AJ
Isn't that how you eat fish ? You weakling AJ , I bet it has to be filetted and deboned for you , your mum must have wrapped you in cotton wool : ) ....just joking of course !
Personally I don't care if Carlucci, Melissa or anyone else can't handle the competition, the more there is the higher the quality and more competitive they become.
hehehehe...DArgy you make me laugh!!!
I don't deny it, I HATE BONES IN FISH. Every mouthful you take you have to sorta swish it round your mouth before you can swallow it, I don't enjoy it at all.
Agreed about the competition, I wonder how many more quality restaurants we can get in the area.
And let's not forget about Bhoj either, one of the best Indian restaurants in all of Melbourne located right in the heart of Templestowe. We have it great!
AJ
AJ you really need to eat fish more often, better still, go camping, catch fish, clean, scale and cook them and maybe then you will appreciate them a little more : )
Even better take your girlfriend with you and show her that you're not afraid of any little fish bone swishing round in your mouth...she will be impressed !
Thanks for the tip on the Indian restaurant, I haven't tried it yet but I love Indian food so I'll definitely give it a go.
DArgy my girlfriend was with me when I had the fish at Vibrante...unfortunately she knows my shortcomings when it comes to eating a fish carcass. I do agree about the eating food you have caught though. When I was up in Port Douglas last we went out on the Great BArrier Reef and caught some fish and ate it...was amazing, tasted fantastic, especially the calamari!
Seriously though check out Bhoj, it is fantastic Indian food. It has won all sorts of awards for best in town etc.
AJ
AJ you're making me jealous ! Port Douglas, Barrier Reef ....fresh calamari !!! YUM ! I'm leaving tomorrow !
@DArgy DO IT!! Amazing seafood up there, best I have ever had.
Just to revive this thread again......I saw an Auction notice in front of Melissas the other day as I was driving past...
It's NOT Melissa's that is for sale. It's the premises. The real estate board clearly says long term established tenant.
yes I know....they have tried to sell before but can't get the right price... Business is still doing great
Hey DArgy, great to see you back on the forums! Thanks for the update on Melissa's.
As I'm not in Templestowe anymore, I don't really know if there's anything else going on in terms of Restaurants. I do miss Vibrante though, I really started to like it there.
Hi AJ I've missed you : ) Where are you living now ?
Hey DArgy,
I'm living in Port Melbourne, which I LOVE! I do miss Templestowe though, it's a lot more quiet, and there is a lot more room to move around, but I have the beach just a block away in Port Melbourne, so everything is a compromise I guess.
Sounds like a great life AJ enjoy it !
I would LOVE to live near the beach, at least Eastlink has now brought it a little closer , only 30 mins without hardly stopping and I'm there : )
Cheers, see you at Melissa sometime ; )
I drove past Melissa's yesterday and it is still going strong, packed with lots of cars - no doubt a favourite place for Mums to gather after dropping off the kids.
Has anybody been lately?
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