Reuben and Horchata @ Twenty & Six Espresso

With a lunchtime flight interstate, I felt I needed to pre-game with a sandwich that was better than what Qantas was going to be offering me. So prior to taxiing out to the airport I stopped for a coffee, a Ruben and an iced Horchata at Twenty & Six in North Melbourne.

My Ruben came on a delicious rye with pickled onions, lashings of house made sourkraut, a delicious Russian dressing and a side of pickles and salad. The coffee was strong and nutty and my Horchata was just sweet and rich enough to take the edge off my morning.

Twenty & Six also has a lovely range of breakfast and lunch options (though trending more toward the 'lunch' end of the spectrum as most of North Melbourne seems to be. The pastries and the staff are also great and I'll definitely be back.

Photo of the week: Croque Monsieur @ Creperie le Triskel

So in at work over the weekend (fun!) I decided to wander down to hardware lane and treat myself to something nice for lunch.

I had been to le Triskel many years before and been satisfied with what I had had there and so decided to give it another shot.

I ordered a Croque Monsieur and a hot chocolate and was very satisfied by both.

The hot chocolate was rich and velvety with a generous infusion of an excellent bittersweet chocolate.

The sandwhich arrived quickly and was lovely. The toast was crisp, the melted Gruyere on top was melted to golden perfection and the center was a lovely combination of fresh ham and a gooey, cheesy bechemel. The salad around the outside I could take or leave, but for lunch in a rush and on a weekend at work I was very happy.

Melbourne's best Reuben sandwich @ Mason Dixon, Collins St

So it took a very long time, but the Reuben at Bowery to Williamsburg is no longer the best in town. That honour now goes to the wonderful people at Mason Dixon on Collins Street. They are a new outfit that has already generated big lunchtime crowds, and with very good reason.

I had their signature dish, the MD Reuben (grass fed corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing, on toasted rye) and a slice of their house made key lime pie.

The MD Ruben was perfect. The ratios of corned beef, to kraut, to cheese to dressing were all amazing. My big criticism of the Bowery Reuben over time has been the sheer volume of filling (often compensating for the quality of the inputs) as well as the fattiness of the meat. At Mason Dixon, the ratios are right, and the flavours and textures from each element just sing through. Nothing overwhelms anything else and the burst of flavour from each bite was truly excellent. The corned beef was also amazing, perfectly lean and flavoursome. It also came with a great pickle, mini pretzels on the side. They also (thoughtfully) included a mint for post lunch breath freshening. I've *never* had that before!

I am not generally the biggest sandwich fan, but the MD ones are well worth eating. I really enjoyed the key lime pie too, it was tart and the pastry was super short. However, great as it was, all I really wanted to do after finishing the MD Reuben was eat another MD Reuben. 

Toasted cheese and smoked cola @ Boombap, Melbourne

Boombap has become one of my new favourites for a sandwich on the run. Though it takes some finding, the hunt is well worth the reward.

I ordered a Grilled Cheese Sandwich (American Cheddar Cheese, Dijon Mustard and Jalapeños on the most amazing sourdough toast) and a bottle of StrangeLove Smoked Cola.

The sandwich was fantastic, perfectly toasted and crunchy on the outside with a wonderfully gooey (and spicy) cheese filling. A toasted cheese is one of those things that either hits the spot or fails painfully, and Boombap was right on target. Not to mention that it came with amazing sliced pickle on the side and a generous serving of crinkle cut chips. Amazingly satisfying.

Also satisfyingly delicious was the StrangeLove Smoked Cola. I hadn’t heard of the brand before, but Boombap is proud to be one of the first places carrying the product. I am sure glad they do, and will be back for bottles of the stuff in future. Imagine a wonderfully citrusy and herby cola (almost a cinnoto) that in an of itself is the perfect balance of sour and sweet. Then infuse that with a rich hickory smoke. It was a revelation, and you really need to try it.

Boombap, your food is great, your staff are lovely, your little shop is super funky. You have a new convert, and I will be back. 

Gelateria Primavera , Spring St Grocer, Melbourne

Medium gelato: $7.20 for three flavours

I'll start this post with a caveat: I'm not a fan of gelato. I can totally understand why others dig it but for me it just doesn't measure up to proper ice cream. The reason is the very nature of gelato itself—the milk fat content necessitates a higher amount of sugar to avoid gelato crystalising—usually rendering it a watery, sickly sweet, albeit very smooth, mess to my palette. While I appreciate that this often brings out the flavour of the ingredients, it just doesn't do it for me personally. I prefer my ice cream super creamy, and not very sweet. I think gelato definitely suits being made in the traditional Italian way, where the flavours are mostly fruity and 'sorbet' like. For example, the strawberry gelato I had in Florence was delicious. 

Anyway, there is nothing really wrong with the gelato at Gelateria Primavera (admittedly a clever and catchy name) at Spring St Grocer. From most accounts, they do a fine gelato. I had been here before and had the gelato but couldn't remember whether I liked it. This probably pointed to a 'no' being the likely answer as I so seldom find a gelato I like that  I remember it when I do. But alas, since we stopped here I wanted to give it another go. We got a medium with three flavours: fior di latte, pistachio and salted caramel. I had one taste of the salted caramel and left the rest to M. The fior di latte and pistachio, however, were really well flavoured. I particularly enjoyed the honey undertones to the pistachio. However, after the first spoonful the sickly sugariness hit me and I remembered why gelato and I are a terrible couple.

 Cuban sandwich $11

Our friend wanted something a bit more substantial so opted for the Cuban sandwich upon M's (who works nearby) recommendation.

The Cuban Sandwich from the Spring Street Grocer is M's pick for one of Melbourne's Best (and best value) Sandwiches. Swiss Cheese, pickled peppers, generous helpings of moist pulled pork, slathered in good mustard and doused in spicy hot sauce. The flavours are perfectly balanced and the quality of the ingredients is exceptional (as would be expected from the Grocer). Rich and indulgent, the Cuban is the perfect lunch on the run when you're in this end of town.