It's really rare for (a control freak like) me to not have concrete plans for the weekend, and in fact, this weekend I really had nothing penciled in the diary at all. So it was a perfect setting to go for a lazy brunch by myself and check out a new specialty coffee venue recommended by fellow blogger Jason - Proud Mary's (172 Oxford Street, Collingwood), a new specialty coffee venue that's been getting rad reviews all over town.
Before I launch into my comments I must note as a big plus that there's lots of free parking around the area (since ticketed parking is until 12:30pm on Saturdays, and does not apply on Sundays - I arrived after 1pm on Saturday 20 November).
Venue: open, laid back; (at this point, i gotta say I hate drawing comparisons because every coffee venue is unique and is its own - i.e. just like every person is unique and is their own person - but, for illustrative purposes only (haha)) PM's does not have the European/funky/trendy vibe of, say, St Ali, or the quirkiness of a venue like the Outpost; BUT what i like about PM's is that it is more accessible - by that I mean it would appeal to a larger, more diverse crowd. Wide spaces, communal big tables as well as smaller ones, and some bench/counter with stools spots where you can observe the superb coffee making OR sit by the window and people watch/daydream (i chose the latter on this slightly mucky weathered Saturday afternoon).
I glanced up and (unexpectedly) saw an old friend from uni who pointed out the mega coffee machine (custom-made six group Synesso) - admittedly I know zilch about coffee machines, I was just there for the coffee. But yes, this custom-made mega machine is a huge deal - go check it out!
Coffee is very good. Appearance of my soy latte was pretty much perfect (by my books). Whilst places like St Ali/Outpost serve a more creamy soy latte (which i refer to as dreamy coffee heaven), PM's is stronger, and, (hear me on this) with greater depth. It really does have this richness and depth about it. They use Five Senses, which I have not been a huge fan of in the past - but here, they do Five Senses very well. I ended up having a second soy latte (I think it's a good idea to have more than one coffee when reviewing, in order to check consistency). Second soy latte was equally strong and satisfying. Tick for consistency (for now anyway)!
Food-wise I had a "Scrambled Mary" - grilled haloumi cheese, chorizo, spiced red pepper salsa with scrambled eggs on thick seeded toast. It was soooooooo yummy!!!
Scrambled eggs were slightly watery/mushy, but the haloumi and chorizo was very tasty!
Great coffee + great food is, of course, a winning combination for success. The staff seem to be still learning to handle the busyness and constant stream of people coming in. So for that, I gotta say there's room for improvement (although the guys & girls are friendly enough). Give them a bit more time, and PM's is bound to be one of the coffee faves in town.
Verdict: 8.5/10 - it doesn't take me to dreamy coffee heaven, but it does take me to this other place of equal satisfaction ( i just don't have a description for it yet)
On leaving PM's, I saw that parked next to my little Nissan Micra was an Alfa Romeo on one side, and a Chrysler on the other. There were people there for the auctions about the place. Lots of warehouse converted into apartments in the area for sale - apparently the one across the road from PM's sold for 980k. Hmm, wouldn't it be nice to own one some day - I think warehouse converted studio apartments are funky and have character. :)
For the rest of my Saturday, I :
- drove to the city;
- went to the gym for a quick workout;
- stumbled upon a small textiles design exhibition @ QV which showcases the work of rmit students in the relevant course;
- watched a bit of breakdancing on show outside State Library, then went inside to the foyer to check out what Alain De Botton books Readings bookstore stocks;
- went to Borders but couldn't find any of the books I wanted so I ended up browsing through the Lonely Planet Asia book and browsed through the countries I may visit on my Silk Road trip next year;
- bought Euphoria eau de parfum (I fell in love with the guy's one first - by the way, Euphoria men and the new Zegna men's fragrance are officially my faves);
- caught up with my best friend Ru at a Japanese izakaya which is famous for yakitori (hmm.. not that impressed);
- Ru and I watched Twilight New Moon @ 9:30pm Hoyts on Xtreme screen (which left me heartbroken for Jacob although I have always liked Edward more (poor jacob!) - no I am not a Twilight book fan - I refuse to read the books to avoid getting addicted to them like everyone else).
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