More of North Melbourne: Brunch at Twenty & Six Espresso, then cake at Beatrix

Twenty & Six Espresso

We visited this cafe in North Melbourne on Tuesday around lunch time. It seemed quiet because we had the front seating area all to ourselves, but this was because most of the customers had chosen to sit at the back. Twenty & Six’s menu is updated seasonally, and we were presented with the new Spring menu.

Smoothie special with banana, passionfruit and more ($7)

Ani: This was a fresh tasting smoothie; it was not overly sweet and had a smooth texture

Roule Galette crêperie – sweet and savoury

Route Galette’s menu include’s a selection of savoury buckwheat crêpes called ‘galettes’, as well as sweet crêpes. We were eager to try the food here because of the positive reviews on urbanspoon, combined with the fact that the prices are reasonable for a sit down crêperie (in the $7-15 range). The crêpes we ordered turned out to be quite large, but we felt like they needed a bit more filling in them to give them a better crêpe to filling ratio.

. ‘Complète’ galette – egg, ham and Emmental cheese ($10)

Wendy ~ When the crêpe arrived, my first initial impression of it wasn’t good at all because it looked pretty ordinary. The taste of it pretty much matched the description: egg, ham and cheese. It was a ‘galette’ which meant that it was made from buckwheat, so it didn’t quite have the same texture as crêpes made from white flour. Overall it wasn’t a bad taste experience, just ordinary.

‘Normande’ crêpe – braised apple and cream ($10)

Ani ~ The Normande crêpe was aesthetically much more pleasing

Auction Rooms Cafe in North Melbourne

Auction Rooms is a quick tram ride from the city, and is located near a few other brunch places. We arrived around 1 p.m. so it was very busy, and we were greeted by a very friendly waitress who found us a table. We decided to order the salmon fishcakes and the amaranth porridge, with a pot of breakfast tea and a pot of freshly brewed chai.

Salmon & herb fishcakes with crispy marinated tofu, lime aioli and green papaya salad ($17)

Wendy ~ The salmon and herb fishcakes and salad were beautifully presented on a big plate, with a very nice combination of colours.

Tacos and Nachos at Paco’s Tacos

Enticed by the promise of $6 tacos, we found ourselves having lunch at Paco’s Tacos on Bourke Street, a restaurant created by the MoVida group. This little Mexican eatery has six different tacos on the menu, as well as a handful of other options. The garden-style outdoor sitting area has brightly coloured decor, and a net of leaves overhead shields patrons from the view of skyscrapers, leading to a relaxed vibe.

Initially the three of us ordered five different tacos to share, but this turned out not to be enough food for us, so we ended up sharing a regular bowl of nachos as well.