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137 Flinders Ln
Melbourne CBD
(off Olivier Lane, behind Flinders Lane Gallery)

The front door of this much lauded Japanese restaurant looks like the entrance to a drug den or a 1970s squat. But give the heavily graffitied door a jolly good shove and it gives way to an elegant and sophisticated basement restaurant that feels a little ‘other-worldly’.

Feel smug as you swan down the sleek staircase to a stylish and minimalist dining room in the knowledge that the masses will never find their way here. GPS or no GPS. Yu-u is a classic example of what Melbourne does best – reward for persevering with slightly obscure addresses.

The greeting at the bottom of the stairs is warm and welcoming and worlds away from a drug den-cum-squat. The ‘set menu only’ lunchtime box may feel a bit restrictive, but at $18 with the choice of 6 mains it’s a steal. A bento box with an ensemble of rice, soup, side, pickled vegetables and the main of your choice, it’s  delicious, generous and well balanced. Dinner is a la carte and steps up a notch in sophistication and execution.

The secret streets of Melbourne are explored on your behalf by
Melbourne Apartment Alkira, one of the best boutique apartments in the central city area.

Ok, we usually reserve the blog for our tips and tricks to get the most out of Melbourne.  Today, however, we ask you to indulge us as we do a bit of bragging.  We were so chuffed with this feedback from a recent guest that we just had to share.

“The overall experience at Alkira was outstanding. specifically enjoyed the authenticity of the apartment. So much nicer than the usual mass produced apartments and hotels we stay in, even the nice ones. Got the feeling that someone really enjoyed decorating and creating the feel of the space and that good feeling came across. Loved the opening windows, and being able to let in fresh air and hear the sounds of the city. Loved that when it got chilly the heater was very effective.”

Dawn,
Adelaide
August 2010

This little skite was brought to you by
Melbourne Short Stay Apartment Alkira.

If you’re visiting Melbourne and anxious that you won’t be able to track down your favorite magazines, then put your stress ball down.

From the obscure “Government News”, “The Gentlewoman”, or “XLR8R” to the groovy “Wallpaper” or “Monocle”, the magazine emporium, Mag Nation, caters for all fetishes.  The CBD’s Elizabeth Street store is just around the corner from your Melbourne Short Stay Apartment Alkira and has over 4,000 titles.

Comfy chairs, quality real leaf teas, decent coffee and an all together chilled out vibe make this the sort of place you’ll spend more time in than you ever intended.  And doesn’t that lovely red daybed at Apartment Alkira look like the perfect place to recline with a glass of something gorgeous and your pristine purchase poised to dog ear.

Encouragement to spend a deliciously slothful afternoon with your favorite  magazine, brought to you by Melbourne’s favorite Short Stay CBD Apartment, Apartment Alkira

525 Little Lonsdale St
Melbourne
Victoria, Australia

This fancy new “Boutique Beer Bar” is a few notches up from your average “Belgian beer garden”. Showcasing the latest in ‘beer technology’ (yes, there is such a thing)  the very slick ‘beervaults’ house every hue in the amber liquid spectrum. Their job is to prevent the air from entering the receptacle thereby cleverly enabling a less popular beer to sit for several days untouched and still be effervescent when someone decides to give it a go. A gorgeous, elegant space, Biero seems sure to have etched its spot in Melbourne’s buzzy bar scene.

Credits: This gorgeous pic stolen from the Biero website by
Apartment Alkira, one of Melbourne’s Best Short Stay Apartments in the city centre – a stone’s throw from boutique beer paradise.

391 Brunswick St
Fitzroy
Tram 112 from Melbourne CBD

Poor old St Jude – patron saint of all things ‘lost causey’ – has a lot on his plate.  Failed romances, thwarted get-rich-quick schemes, lost teddy bears – it all seems to come his way.  Lucky he has somewhere nice to hang out when in Melbourne.

St Jude’s Cellars in Brunswick St, Fitzroy, is the perfect blend of elegance and buzz. Part bar, part restaurant, it straddles the two worlds nicely.  An extensive alcohol list and equally impressive menu means it’s easy to pop in for a late afternoon vino or a fully fledged ‘piggy’ meal.

We thought the service was particularly terrific on a recent visit when our wines by the glass were exchanged for others – not because they were bad – merely because we didn’t warm to the style.  Very nice.

Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Sunday, and breaky over the weekend, our pick is a long leisurely weekend lunch.  Particularly good when it’s raining and you can smugly watch the Brunswick Street pedestrians dodge the raindrops, while musing over  your personal list of lost causes. You never know, if you tip well enough St Jude may lend a hand.

Apartment Alkira – Melbourne’s best short stay
apartment accommodation – believes St Jude would want you to enjoy good food and great accommodation when visiting Melbourne.

Need somewhere to stay in Melbourne, but not quite sure what you’ll get with Melbourne Short Stay Apartment Alkira? Well take a quick peek..

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There is nothing quite like that virutous, self satisfied feeling you get when you’ve got a good looking basket hanging off your arm.  Chockers with all things wholesome, dripping with vitamin A, swarming with antioxidants and overwhelmed by micronutients, your health invariably improves by mere proximity.  And the monthly Melbourne Farmers’ Market ensures you can still get your fix even when on holidays in the City of Melbourne. 

Produce comes direct  from regional Victorian farmers to the centre of Melbourne each Saturday. Four venues play host, on a rotational basis, each one independently worth a visit as part of Melbourne’s history and heritage.   But with the opportunity to feast on such great produce, Saturdays are definitely the day to pop in.  The Abbotsford Convent, the Collingwood Children’s Farm, Port Melbourne’s Gasworks Park and St Kilda’s Peanut Farm all play host to the Melbourne Farmers’ Market as part of the monthly curcuit.

All venues are within a short tram ride from Melbourne Short Stay Apartment Alkira.  Check out the Melbourne Farmers’ Market website for more details.

Melbourne Farmers’ Market website  

56 Nicholson Street
Abbotsford

We are caffeine fiends at Apartment Alkira.  No news there.  What I can’t believe is how long it’s taken us to discover yet another hidden Melbourne caffeine dealer.  Tucked away just past the faux grunge of Fitzroy in a wee Abbotsford side street lies Three Bags Full – and full they are.  All day.

These guys have been open since early this year, having converted an old factory warehouse (Denton Mills Hat Factory) into a lovely urban space with heart and soul and just a smidge of attitude.  It’s hard to get a spot on a Sunday – but do be persistent.

Some very cute aesthetic touches – the old street signs turned into the tops of bar stools, the antique scales that hold business cards, the lovely warm wood which softens the industrial look.

If you’re traveling from Apartment Alkira – Melbourne Short Stay Apartments – in the CBD, you’ll need to jump on a Tram 109 and get off at Victoria Street – it’s only about 15 mins.

This info to support your caffeine habit was brought to you by Apartment Alkira – Melbourne CBD Apartment Accommodation specialists.

300 Smith Street
Collingwood

Now we at Apartment Alkira don’t approve of dead animal heads (or other body parts) nailed to walls, but we do rather like the rest of the aesthetic at this cool Collingwood cafe/bar.  Cavallero is a large warehouse-space designed cleverly to feel buzzy and happening rather than cold and cavernous – an effect which might have been brought about under less experienced hands.

The lunch and dinner menus offer some lovely interesting bits and pieces but brekky can be a bit dull.  This doesn’t, however, stop a long line of hungry ‘would-be’ diners from snaking up Smith Street on weekend mornings.

For a bit of comfort lunchtime eating we love the chicken schnitzel sandwich with a fabulous coleslaw on gorgeous Baker D Chirico bread.  Yum.  A minor bug-bear is their lack of sweet treats whenever we go, but they might just hide them when they see our ample girths waddling through the front doors. If you’re heading to Cavallero from Melbourne’s shortstay apartment Alkira in the CBD, you’ll need to jump on tram 86 from Bourke Street and get off at the corner of Johnson and Smith Sts – about a 10 min trip.

More encouragement to over-feed yourself in Melbourne by Apartment Alkira, Melbourne’s grooviest shortstay CBD Apartment.

Melbourne has gone loco for a newish little cantina down Collins Street way.  Goodness knows what those who thought they were buying into the “Paris end of Collins St” think about it all.

Geography aside, Mamasita is causing quite a stir.  Located where the once groovy “Recorded Music Salon” kicked back (see 2009 review), the folk at Mamasita have certainly hit upon a Mexican recipe to thrill the hipsters of this fair town.   And the place truly sizzles with hot young things and ‘mutton dressed up as mutton’ (as a dear friend would say).

Does it warrant such ‘Oylays‘?  Well it is a terrifically vibey place.  It’s usually only about a 10-15 minute wait on the stairs (while smug diners throw you pitying glances from afar), before you’re seated and doing the same to your replacements.  This helps the sense of occasion enormously.  The staff are wonderful and the maitre de seemingly completely unflappable even when those on the stairs become impatient.  Mexican’s a nice change from other flavours of the month, and Mamasita do it well.  It’s not gastronomic orgasms, but for a group of friends who want a few sangrias and some tortilla it’s a fun night out.

Mamasita Website

This geography lesson brought to you by Apartment Alkira Melbourne Short Stay Apartment Specialists.  The Queen Street end of Melbourne’s CBD.