Melbourne’s Little Italy – Lygon Street

 My posts on Singapore are done so now I will continue with posts on my trip to Melbourne last March. 

My friend Deb wanted to take me to a restaurant she really liked near Carlton St. but she couldn’t find it so we just walked along Lygon St. until we saw something that looked interesting. Let me tell you how hard that was since we walked two blocks worth of Italian restaurants on both sides. Some specialized in seafood while most served the usual pizza and pasta. It was actually  the red chairs that made me choose Café Cavellino. We used to have the same chairs in our restaurant in Manila. 

Deb chose the aglio olio with homemade spaghetti. We were both surprised to see fresh tomatoes, basil and parsely together with the garlic. I guess that’s their version of the classic oil and garlic pasta. Deb liked it the way it was served. 

 

I really wanted to order pizza since I could smell the pizza on the table next to us. Instead I ordered a really popular Aussie dish they call chicken parm short for chicken parmigiana. This was a huge order.

 

There was lots of gooey mozzarella under the really sour Napoli sauce. The chicken and cheese was quite good but I had to remove most of the sauce. 

 

After lunch we met up with Deb’s daughter at DOC Espresso for some coffee and dessert. 

 Smart idea using clear acrylic for the table’s base. 

 There were no names for the pastries so we just pointed to the ones that looked good. 

 

We did a great job choosing because they were all delicious! The fried donut with custard inside was specially sinful.

 In Australia iced coffee is made with espresso, milk, chocolate syrup and ice cream. It’s more like an unblended milkshake than the usual iced coffee.

 

I had my usual strong flat white and it was so strong that I had to ask for extra milk which they served in a cute bottle. 

 

 On our way out we saw these small plates of aperitivo for those who order wine or cocktails. 

A meal on Lygon St. is a must for anyone visiting Melbourne. I would suggest doing research on which restaurant to eat at or else you will be very confused just like us. It was still a good experience for me. 

Café Cavellino
181 Lygon Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3053
telephone: +61 3 9347 5520
website

DOC Espresso
326 Lygon Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 3053
telephone: +61 3 9347 8482
website
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