I did, however, have my first documentable out-door breakfast – a sensory smorgasbord. I experienced the feeling of the wind caressing my still-damp hair and kissing my rosy cheeks, still warm from the exertion of the ride up the Errol street hill; the sight of Miss Chic Pea illuminated in the untempered sunlight; the smell of fresh morning rain and finally, the ungodly screeching of the 57 tram as it turns along Victoria Street. My ears are still ringing (but that could be pathological).

After ordering a coffee I turned my attention to the menu, which had a variety of oaty offerings (from memory at least two) which was pretty ground-breaking but also exposed how painfully indecisive I can be at 7:30 in the morning. I managed to choose:

Homemade bircher muesli with yoghurt and strawberry coulis

This was in equal parts to me knowing what bircher muesli is, and not knowing what “coulis” could possibly be but hoping to find out. It so happens that it is a fancy way of saying “sauce”. For your viewing pleasure:

This is a clearly striking muesli. There is nothing like a bit of visual contrast to excite the tastebuds, and those guys were not disappointed. Contrary to the bold strawberry statement, citrus was the flavour of the day coming across through the orange rind scattered throughout the dish. It was a refreshing difference to the creamy muesli I have endured of late. The Hot Poppy muesli is a dense one, and I would have appreciated a bit of milk to loosen things up. It would have gone nicely with the hazelnuts that, to my delight, made an appearance as the nut of choice in this cereal. Another interesting feature of this muesli was the use of large chunks of dried apple rings, seemingly in place of the standard bircher grated apple. I loved it, not just because the leathery texture is a great thing, but also because I am of the opinion “why have a sliver when you can have a chunk?”. It’s how I live my life.

So I was happily munching my way through breakfast, nattering away safe in the knowledge that I was back on the positive review bandwagon when I was suddenly arrested mid-chew. I had crunched down on something hard. I can only equate it to the feeling you get when you have dropped something tasty and hence precious on the ground, made the decision to ignore what just happened and continue eating, only to then be reminded of your transgression over hygiene by the sensation of chewing on floor-grit. I was initially scared that I was eating my own tooth. I wasn’t. Could it have been a bit of glass? Was it a stone flicked over from the wailing number 57 tram? Was it someone else’s tooth? I will never know because I swallowed it. And as what occurs with guilty floor-food, I continued to eat this muesli because it was delicious.

Final Word: By all means order the muesli at Hot Poppy if you are cereal minded and can ignore my last paragraph. Sit indoors for the sake of your eardrums.

Good Muesli, Melbourne!

MM

It might still be the cricket season but North Melbourne and Richmond proved that not all have football teams are weighed down by preseason rust. Majak Daw’s don’t-argue and galloping goal, Jack Riewoldt’s slick no-look handball to Shane Edwards in heavy traffic and even old man Boomer Harvey’s never-fading wheels showed that both finals-aspiring teams are ready to burst from the blocks come round one.

League’s future in good hands

One of the highlights of the preseason competition is the opportunity it provides clubs to showcase the future headline acts. Gold Coast’s Jaegar O’Meara, Richmond’s Nick Vlastuin, Melbourne’s trio of Jack Viney, Jesse Hogan and Jimmy Toumpas, and the Giants’ rich flock of juniors, all stood out this weekend, showing the future of the AFL has plenty of toughness and class.

Melbourne might not be able to hit the side of a barn at the moment but they sure look to have hit the right draft picks this time – finally! Predictions at this time of year are always fraught with danger but Jack Viney looks a good early shout for the 2013 Rising Star Award. His almost reckless pursuit for the ball at just 18 years of age suggests he will be the face of the Melbourne footy club in years to come.

Goal kicking blunders still hurt

A footballer’s summer consists of running, weights and learning structures, but how about goal-kicking practice? Football fans now seem resigned to the bleak realization that goal kicking will never be what it used to, but over the weekend kicking for goal was simply atrocious. Collectively, teams converted 43.3% of shots at goal. In a season where up to 13 teams have genuine finals aspirations, accurate and opportunistic goal kicking might just be the difference between a team sneaking into the eight and missing by a whiff.

Never refuse to reuse

Recycling in the AFL often used to be unfairly linked to short-sighted top-up jobs like Michael Voss’ Lions and Danny Frawley’s Tigers but it seems this negative connotation is no longer the case. Sydney won last year’s premiership with a string of important recycled players and now other clubs are following suit.

Former Demon Brent Moloney impressed at Metricon Stadium, adding some grunt to an impressive looking Brisbane midfield. Another former Demon Ricky Petterd also looks refreshed in a new environment, playing across halfback for the Tigers. Add other recycled contributors over the weekend like Giant Stephen Gilham, Hawk Brian Lake and Melbourne’s quartet of Chris Dawes, Shannon Byrnes, Cam Pederson and David Rodan, this pre-season so far has highlighted the changing landscape in player recruiting.

Wait, What?

We open the weekend’s Herald Sun to notice that on one page miniature cricket figurines have replaced standard moment-capturing photography to depict the enthralling Australia and India test match in Chennai. On another page it reads Hawthorn lost back-to-back games to Gold Coast and Brisbane! Oh and a bloke with the last name of Wanganeen was in Hawthorn’s “best players”. Are we living in some strange alternate universe? Hopefully the month of March brings us back to footy as we know it and perhaps even with a few genuine professional photographs to capture the drama.

Wayne Carey and Gary Ablett Sr; Geelong and St. Kilda; Buddy Franklin and Richard Tambling…

Yet we sometimes forget the men who steer the ship – the coaches.

Richmond’s Damien Hardwick and North Melbourne’s Brad Scott both entered senior coaching at the same time, at similar battling clubs.

They are “players coaches”. That is, Hardwick and Scott believe that the league is first and foremost a players’ league. Both will aggressively defend their troops and deflect any premature or deserved personal praise directly to their players.

Examples of this affinity between coach and player are common. In 2012, Scott stoically defended midfielder Jack Ziebell’s head-high collision against Carlton’s Aaron Joseph by calling his youngster’s four-game suspension an indictment on the game. Dimma recently slammed social media rumourmongers as “Un-Australian” for claiming Dustin Martin was on the verge of being sacked by the Tigers.

In return, Scott and Hardwick’s players are willing to sacrifice their bodies on the field, knowing their coaches are willing to cop fire and ash for them off it.

But that’s about the only similarity in coaching style Scott and Hardwick share.

Scott is the typical modern coach who swears by sport science. Boomer Harvey and company might look rather curious when they walk in clusters during the quarter-time breaks while the opposition stands still in huddles but there is clearly a method to Scott’s perceived madness.

On the other hand, Hardwick does not have a sport science background, and while a strong communicator, he has an obvious no-nonsense. old school edge, which for Richmond sufferers, is refreshing.

Yet, how do we measure coaching success? How can the public or even club insiders judge who the superior coach may be? North Melbourne once considered Hardwick for the senior coaching position, and Richmond rated Scott highly as well for its coaching vacancy at the end of 2009.

By pure win / loss ratio, Scott (52.2 winning percentage) has enjoyed more success than Hardwick (36.4), plus Scott led North back to the finals last season for the first time since 2008. Although, as all coaches reiterate, you can only coach as well as the talent you possess.

Who’s to say that Dimma’s ability to rejuvenate warhorse Shane Tuck, transform Jake King from a club footballer into a crucial cog in the Tiger machine and create roles for rejects in Bachar Houli and Shaun Grigg, isn’t more worthy of acclaim than a Scott-led North Melbourne finals team?

If we look back to each coach’s beginnings with their respective sides, Scott inherited a mediocre list studded with quality veterans like Boomer Harvey, Drew Petrie and Michael Firrito. Scott also had to rebuild quickly while uncertainty lingered about the club’s geographical location.

Hardwick inherited the ultimate basket case. Richmond’s finances and facilities were below pro-sport standard and on the field the club was devoid of leadership after retirements and “quiet nudges out the door” of veteran players. Richmond’s list was stale on every level. Underperforming talent like Jay Schulz, and players who simply weren’t up to the grade like Jordan McMahon, were allowed to linger too long.

Both lists underwent noticeable reconfiguration at the end of 2009. However, the Tigers arguably experienced a more extreme list makeover than the Kangaroos. Dimma culled aggressively and by the end of 2011, 55 percent of 2009′s squad had been given the heave-ho.

Even before Hardwick’s first match as senior coach, the Tigers lost 1078 games experience as five veterans pulled stumps on their careers. By comparison, North Melbourne during the same period lost a modest 461 games experience from the departure of two key veterans, Shannon Watt and Adam Simpson.

Ultimately, performance to expectation is how a coach’s tenure and legacy will be judged.

After three years of foundation work both Richmond and North Melbourne will feel they now have the quality core and sufficient depth in their lists to rise to the top.

In season 2013, Hardwick and Scott will face a new, sterner test of their coaching pedigrees: keeping pace with their clubs’ surging expectations.

The real comparisons between the two fourth-year coaches can start now.

This Round 1 clash sees three Victorian clubs looking to make their mark in 2013. All have something to prove, making tomorrow night’s round robin at Etihad Stadium to be an exciting night of football.

QUICK CAP:

North Melbourne will look to once again make finals and perhaps even go further, in an effort to back up an excellent season that saw the club participate in its first finals campaign since 2008.

Richmond are set to demonstrate their ability this year, hoping to lift the curse that sees them finish just shy of finals year after year.

Rounding out the three, Melbourne- after having a tumultuous week in front of the AFL board and the press, will seek to prove to the footballing world that they do not deserve the brand of ‘tankers’, and will instead envisage a successful 2013.

NORTH MELBOURNE:

Having re-signed coach Brad Scott and star midfielder Daniel Wells as recently as yesterday, the Kangaroos are looking to go one step further in 2013- as last year’s finals appearance was their first in four years.

Of concern for North, is the absence of midfielder Leigh Adams who will not be playing due to two shoulder operations endured during the off-season.

Look out for new recruits Ben Jacobs (Port Adelaide), Daniel Currie (Sydney, SANFL) and Jordan Gysberts (Melbourne) who have all been named in the squad.

–

Squad: 1. Daniel Currie, 2. Brad McKenzie, 3. Ryan Bastinac, 4. Liam Anthony, 5. Ben Jacobs, 6. Lachlan Hansen, 7. Jack Ziebell, 8. Daniel Wells, 9. Andrew Swallow, 10. Ben Cunnington, 11. Michael Firrito, 12. Lindsay Thomas, 14. Jordan Gysberts, 15. Luke Delaney, 16. Scott Thompson, 17. Nathan Grima, 18. Shaun Atley, 19. Sam Wright, 20. Drew Petrie, 22. Todd Goldstein, 23. Kieran Harper, 24. Levi Greenwood, 25. Robbie Tarrant, 28. Will Sierakowski, 29. Brent Harvey, 30. Tom Curran, 31. Cameron Delaney, 34. Jamie Macmillan, 35. Aaron Black, 38. Majak Daw, 41. Aaron Mullett, 42. Scott McMahon, 43. Sam Gibson, 46. Ben Speight

RICHMOND:

Major focal point for the Tigers will be the appearance of former North Melbourne player Aaron Edwards, who will look to perform against his old side..

Former demon Ricky Petterd will also be playing his first match against his former club in Melbourne.

Be on the lookout for other new recruits including Chris Knights (Adelaide) and Orren Stephenson (Geelong), who will be playing their first match for Richmond in 2013.

Richmond will field a near-full strength squad, with only injuries to defender Dylan Grimes (hamstring), midfielder Nathan Foley (Achilles) and former Bomber Sam Lonergan (ankle) decreasing their fire power.

However, new captain Trent Cotchin and star players Brett Dleedio, Jack Riewoldt, Ivan Maric, Ty Vickery and Alex Rance will feature heavily in this fixture.

–

Squad: 1. Chris Newman, 3. Brett Deledio, 4. Dustin Martin, 5. Brandon Ellis, 6. Shaun Grigg, 7. Matt Dea, 8. Jack Riewoldt, 9. Trent Cotchin, 10. Shane Edwards, 11. Jake Batchelor, 12. David Astbury, 13. Ricky Petterd, 14. Bachar Houli, 15. Chris Knights, 16. Luke McGuane, 18. Alex Rance, 20. Ivan Maric, 21. Shane Tuck, 23. Daniel Jackson, 24. Ben Griffiths, 26. Robin Nahas, 27. Aaron Edwards, 29. Ty Vickery, 30. Reece Conca, 31. Nick Vlastuin, 35. Matt White, 36. Matt McDonough, 37. Orren Stephenson, 38. Steven Morris, 39. Tom Derickx, 43. Todd Elton, 44. Matthew Arnot, 45. Brett O’Hanlon, 49. Steven Verrier

MELBOURNE:

After being labeled a ‘tanking’ side coach Mark Neeld and his Demons will look to reinvent themselves in 2013 in order to bounce back from the heavy sanctions handed down to them by the AFL.

Watch out for new recruit and former Magpie Chris Dawes, as we see just what sort of impact he will have in the Demon’s forward line.

Melbourne also has ten other new recuits, including Shannon Byrnes, Tom Gillies, Jesse Hogan, Matt Jones, Dean Kent, Cameron Pedersen, David Rodan, Dean Terlich, Jimmy Toumpas and Jack Viney, lining up in the red and blue for the first time.

They will be missing Mitch Clark and Jack Trengove- both are in doubt for Round 1 because of foot injuries.

Ruckman Max Gawn and midfielder Rohan Bail will also be missing due to injury concerns.

–

Squad: 1. Jesse Hogan, 2. Nathan Jones, 4. Jack Watts, 5. Jimmy Toumpas, 6. Chris Dawes, 7. Jack Viney, 8. James Frawley, 10. Shannon Byrnes, 12. Colin Sylvia, 13. Jordie McKenzie, 14. Lynden Dunn, 15. David Rodan, 17. Sam Blease, 19. James Strauss, 20. Colin Garland, 21. Cameron Pedersen, 22. James Magner, 25. Tom McDonald, 26. Daniel Nicholson, 27. Tom Gillies, 28. Joel Macdonald, 30. James Sellar, 31. Jack Grimes, 32. Michael Evans, 34. Dean Kent, 36 Aaron Davey, 38. Jeremy Howe, 39. Neville Jetta, 40. Mark Jamar, 42. Jake Spencer, 45. Matt Jones, 46. Dean Terlich, 47. Tom Couch, 48. Jack Fitzpatrick

First siren sounds @ 6.45pm tomorrow night at Etihad Stadium, between Melbourne and North Melbourne. Followed by Melbourne vs. Richmond @ 7.50pm and North Melbourne vs. Richmond @ 8.55pm.

Pike, Daniel Bradshaw and Leigh Matthews celebrate a premiership with a crownie

He is a man after my own heart. He has played for 4 clubs, in 6 grand finals and finished with 4 flags. More importantly, he was a man that was true to himself, in his own words. He was a simple man, with simple philosophies, and a simple desire to have many beers with his team-mates after a game. He came from Adelaide, further enforcing his simple nature. His interview with Mike Sheahan on Open Mike was fantastic, and worth a watch if you have a spare 28 minutes. It’s on Youtube. Here’s some of his quotes, and why they make me long for the days of Martin Pike once again:

“I wasn’t a great Sunday morning trainer” 

Don’t know anyone that is. I’m tipping Martin missed a few recovery sessions in his time. Wouldn’t Sunday sessions be better spent recovering in bed after a big night bonding with your team?

“I didn’t go home, I went straight to the zoo”

Unfortunately the context behind this quote isn’t nearly as hilarious as it should be. North Melbourne had a family day at the Melbourne Zoo the morning after North Melbourne won a Pre Season Cup. As Martin says, he did not go home after the celebrations. He would’ve felt like an animal that morning I reckon. Also wouldn’t rule out any stories of him not going home and going to the zoo when there was no club functions on. Marty’s a pretty wild prick.

“I threw it into the blackjack dealer and 4 hours later I came out with 20 grand”

Vinatge Pike. After losing the 97 Prelim, the North boys went to the cas. Pike took $300 with him; $100 soon went, another $100 spent on drinks. So he goes to the blackjack table and gets up 20k. If you can, good luck to you.

“I don’t think a suit should really matter”

What he said after Mike told him about Leigh Matthews been impressed that he wore a suit to their first meeting to discuss his move to Brisbane. Pike reckons you should judge on person, not look. We are taught that, yet feel favourably towards the well dressed. In some contexts this is necessary but ultimately it shouldn’t be a guide to personality. What a wise man Martin is.

“I’m a person that don’t know when it’s time to go home”

Apart from a speech mishap that shows his Adelaide heritage, this probably explains why he got booted from Melbourne and North Melbourne. Party Animal.

Mike: ‘Did you headbutt him?’ Pike: “I might’ve lent on him”

In reference to an incident after the 04 Grand Final loss where Pike allegedly head butted Lions CEO Michael Bowers. Players head butting CEO’s and playing on next season. Just wouldn’t happen now.

“We looked like we were about to go out and lose, people were dawdling back to Vossy so I gave them a few swear words and they ran in harder”

This is Pike’s take on helping the Lions get up and about to beat Sydney in the 03 Prelim. He also kicked 2 last quarter goals. The boy can play. These days players get questioned by the media about giving team-mates a spray as ‘looking bad’. What a precious society we live in.

“They both sleep with the light on and in bunk beds and for them to have a crack at Alastair Lynch. Everyone in football knows they are weak pricks and if they want to have cheap shots at Lynchy, come here.”

Pike challenging the Wakelin twins after Shane criticised Lynch for swinging at Daryl in the granny. Again, imagine if someone said that now. The banter is losing, but players like Taylor Walker are bringing it back. Let’s hope it doesn’t die, because club’s are so concerned about their image that they pump out robots and it’s boring.

“It was halfway through Mad Monday.”

That was when Pike made the above comments about the twins. He rang a journalist from the Sun and gave it to them from a pub. Classic.

“If that upsets them then they might sleep with the light on”

Dry sense of humour, after being asked if he’d cleared the air with the twins. He said he had, then followed it with that.

“It was a lot of fun doing it, seeing a bloke get thrown off by a few words.”

Pike on sledging on the field. He was a gun at it. Thankfully, this has yet to be outlawed. Their probably thinking of a way to ban it though. Bloody politically correct AFL.

“I think so. He could have a beer. And that’s what made brought us so close at North Melbourne. You can achieve a fair bit over a beer”

On whether he could match Wayne Carey when having a drink. Like I said earlier, bonding over a beer with your team-mates. You can be honest with them about what they did well, what they can improve on, and how good winning is. Don’t know if it’d be quite the same while pinging in the clubs now. Denis Pagan knew it happened, and was happy because come week training and game day they delivered. This is how footy should be done. I worry what will happen when my favourite big Jonathan Brown retires. EJ and Jack Dyer would be turning in their graves.

“I played it hard on and off the field”

How Pike wants to be remembered. That he will. Uncompromising in his attack on the ball, or man with the ball, and one of the last social footballers who lived by the mantra ‘Play Footy, Catch up with mates, Drink Beer’.

This nostalgia inducing reflection on Martin Pike has ended up making me sad that footy has only a few of these old school attitude players left. They enjoy themselves, are refreshing and entertain. Replace the post game litres of Powerade with a longneck. End the Sunday recovery. Relish the wins with celebrations, and the losses with honest discussion over a quiet few. Train hard during the week and leave it all on the park. I guess we will all have to use a quote that my year 12 co-ordinator said in her final address to us: “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.” RIP Martin Pike style footballers of yesteryear.

With the NAB cup less then a week away, we look at who the most successful clubs in the pre-season competitions are (played in various forms since 1956).

Hawthorn – 9

Essendon – 6

Footscray/Western Bulldogs – 5

North Melbourne – 5

South Melbourne/Sydney – 4

St.Kilda – 4

Carlton – 4

Geelong – 3

Melbourne – 3

Adelaide – 2

Collingwood -2

Fitzroy – 2

Richmond – 1

After my mum got hooked by Livingsocial’s Belgian Beer Cafe 5 course beer tasting dinner deal around a year ago, she’s been getting vouchers on a regular bases from these type of sites. I have a love-hate relationship with these vouchers. I love the surprise of going to somewhere I’ve never been before. I hate it when the restaurant is subpar and we are stuck with a less than satisfactory dining experience. Now I have a new plan of attack with them. Whenever mum plans to buy a voucher, I go on Urbanspoon to check ratings first. How smart am I? Not really, should really have thought up this sooner. Anyway, Yeonga had an 89% rating on Urbanspoon so I gave mum the green light to book us into a $45 seven course dinner for two.

A slight remark about the restaurants who advertise on these type of sites. I’ve seen multiple complaints from diners about being treated differently when they go into the restaurants with these vouchers. I really don’t get this. Yes, I know the restaurant makes very little, if any money from customers who come with vouchers. However, isn’t advertising the sole purpose? If you give your customers an uncomfortable experience, you not only failed to advertise, you have also earned yourself a bad reputation.

Anyway, back to Yeonga. Yeonga is located just near Victoria Market. The day mum and I visited, Melbourne was pouring with rain and we were quite lucky to find a parking spot just opposite the restaurant. The waiting staff at the restaurant spoke English with a fairly heavy Korean accent. This can make communication a little bit difficult, but if you listen carefully and speak slowly, everything should be fine.

I love how the whole place is divided up into little compartments by bamboo curtains. It just adds some privacy and that little bit more intimacy with your dining companions, which I really enjoy. Also, there is a big, red button on each table for calling the waiting staff. It’s very smart and very convenient, since I always seem to have trouble flagging down waiting staff at restaurants.

Course 1:Appetizer platter to share – Mashed potato with eggs and herb;Kimchi ;Sweet sour daikon

I was a little uncomfortable at describing this course as an appetizer platter. Because these are just banchan (side-dishes), which are an integral part of Korean cuisine, to be eaten accompanying your meal, not solely just at the start. It’s probably also due to the fact that my boyfriend has drilled into me that these should be free. The mashed potato was light and smooth, lightly flavoured with a herb dust on top. The pickled daikon was tangy, sweet and crispy, perfect for breaking up rich grilled meat during the meal. I feel a little uneasy commenting on the quality of Kimchi. There are a few reasons. One is that Korean people take their Kimchi very seriously. Two, I’m not very good at telling what good Kimchi is, because every time I think Kimchi tastes okay, my boyfriend always says they are bad or mediocre. I trust his opinion, since he has eaten more Kimchi than I ever have. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there to dine with us, so I can’t tell you how good these are. All I can say is, they tasted refreshing and went nicely with my steamed rice.

Course 2: Shared Entrée – Cajun chicken salad

This salad was very ordinary. Probably something I’d whip at home for a light dinner. Mixed salad with capsicum and cucumber all tossed through some mayo; topped with what appears to be small silvers of chicken schnitzel, you can find in the frozen aisle of your supermarket. This salad came in handy when I was overwhelmed with too much protein, but I think it would have been a much better refresher if it were simply dressed with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Next, course 3-6 came all at once.

Beef soybean stew

This soup was very punchy and salty with Korean miso, which is quite a bit stronger than the Japanese version. I liked ladling the soup a tablespoon at a time and mixing it with my rice. It was very warm and comforting on such a rainy night.

Course 4-6: one portion each of short rib fillet, marinated beef mix and pork belly

The heavyweight of Korean barbecue came next – the meat. We were instructed to grill the beef first, as a different grill plate must be used for the pork belly to prevent spluttering and reduce fire risk. I am very happy to report Yeonga uses coal for their barbecue. A lot of restaurants use gas or even electricity nowadays. I’m a big fan of using coal, because it adds an extra smokey flavour to the meat. The short rib fillet was lovely and tender; the marinade for the beef mix was nicely balanced, not overly sweet like a lot of Korean restaurants. For once in my life, I managed to not overcook the beef. Victory! We cooked the pork belly until the meat formed a flavoursome, crispy crust on the outside, while ribbons of fat made the meat extra moist and moreish.

Condiments of salt & pepper and ssamjang was ready to infuse themselves into the hot, sizzling meat straight from the grill. Ssamjang is basically a red, spicy mix of gochujang, doenjang, sesame oil, garlic, spring onions and other ingredients. A waitress came around and offered to squirt in your salt & pepper plate a little of what she claimed to be sesame oil. She didn’t lie, it certainly contained sesame oil, but it was also very sweet which stopped me from further dipping my meat into.

The last course was dessert. We were allowed to choose any item from the dessert menu, however that night the cheesecake wasn’t available. Since mum likes chocolate mousse, we chose the chocolate mud cup.

Course 7: dessert – chocolate mud cup

Actually we just assumed it was going to be chocolate mousse, but unfortunately for mum, it wasn’t. The consistency was closer to a chocolate cheesecake or chocolate ganache. The thick mud cup was rich and chocolatey, but had a strange taste of milo to it, which reminded me of Yogo. It has lead me to believe that either cocoa powder/poor quality chocolate was used instead of a good quality chocolate, which was a shame.

For $45, mum and I were very well fed and extremely full. We also enjoyed the general atmosphere of the restaurant and had a very comfortable dining experience.  Would I return to Yeonga without a voucher? Hmm honestly, I’m not too sure, because I don’t actually go to Korean barbecue on my own volition. I think I will have a little further investigation of menu prices and if one day, out of the blue, I want to go out and eat Korean barbecue, I shall return.

Truly one of my favourite cafes in Melbourne – delicious ciabattas (with daily specials),  delectable baked goods, and good smooth coffee. You really can feel and taste the love that’s been poured into the cooking and baking.

I visited a couple of weekends ago (the same weekend as Cindy and Michael, coincidentally).  One of the special ciabattas that weekend was a beetroot one (I had no idea that yellow beetroot existed!). Although I’ve never been a fan of beetroot, I figured that if anyone was going to make beetroot yummy, it would have to be Beatrix.

So colourful, right? It required some deconstructing and tackling to eat, but it was very good and just tasted so darn fresh!

Now for the best part: dessert (I would’ve beelined straight for dessert, but I kinda felt bad doing so at 10:30am in the morning). Seriously, Beatrix has the best baked goods on offer in Melbourne. Oldies but goodies with an inventive twist. And they rotate on a constant basis.

Amongst the 5 of us, we had the raspberry tiramisu tart, chocolate angel food cake, and lime curd and coconut shagg. Rather than bore you with details about how awesome the cakes tasted, I will leave you with this photo and one word: divine!

Stupidly, I neglected to grab some of the salted caramel and chocolate walnut slice to go. Never again will I make the same mistake!

688 Queensberry St, North Melbourne 3051

Sunday morning, we ventured to The Auction Rooms in North Melbourne. Despite having heard many good things about this cafe, I had never been there. I tend to keep my breakfasting around the Brunswick/Bruns East area for some reason. 

P was a touch reluctant, as he thought it was expensive, however upon arrival, it was no more or less expensive than our usual haunts. The menu is concise, which bothered me a little, although it didn’t take me long to choose the smashed avo and vegemite on toast with a side of bacon. P had poached eggs with sides of feta and bacon. His feta was magnificent and I would love to know what it was. Loved it. Mine was quite nice – exactly what one would expect: two slices of toast, pots of vegemite and butter and of course, the avo. 

My one gripe with The Auction Rooms is their bacon. At $4.50 a serve, I would like more than 3-4 pieces of stone cold, over cooked streaky bacon. There is essentially no bacon to enjoy once one has removed all the fat. And also, if I order a side of bacon, I would like it to be on my plate, not a dish that is placed in the middle of the table. Even more annoying, considering P’s side of bacon was in its’ rightful place – on his plate!

The total bill came to $40 ($44 with P’s takeaway coffee, which he recommends), which I thought was one of the more reasonable breakfasts we’ve eaten out. I’d happily return to The Auction Rooms, however would stay away from the bacon.  

Beans by the Bay

First up another quick plug for il Fornaio (reviewed here). Excellent for the first caffeine hit of the day when in St Kilda, user of my favourite panela sugar (still hunting for where to buy it in the soup tin) and just a nice atmosphere without feeling like you have to be a total hipster to belong.

Combi coffee was my other favourite coffee haunt when living in St Kilda. I stumbled upon its Albert Park location when house-hunting. Being August in Melbourne it wasnt exactly shorts and t-shirt weather, and having just moved I was rugged up like the Michelin man and suffering. So I wandered in and pulled up a chair at the communal table, thinking that’s all there was and copping a ‘cant feel the extremities’ blast of air every time the door opened…until the fabulous waiter said ‘um dont you want to be by the fire in the next room while you have your coffee?’…does a bear do a full-flush in the woods?? Lead on. Good coffee, friendly people. Cool outdoor area with actual combi van when it’s warmer. And they hand-stamp their logo on all their coffee cups. (and for my hippy friends it’s all fair trade stuff etc).

Another joint in St Kilda to check out is Dr Jeckyll. Popular amongst the post-WOD crossfit junkies, it’s worth the wait to get a table. Wear lycra / Lorna Jane and you’ll fit right in.

Eastern suburbs daaahhling

I must admit I haven’t spent much time in my old stomping ground of the eastern suburbs since my return to Melbourne, very poor form, I soon mightn’t ever be allowed back over that side

However there’s plenty of cafes and funky little places to visit, especially the south-eastern / Richmond areas so here’s a couple to check out:

Dukes – one of the breakfast hot spots in Melbourne at the moment so don’t ever expect to get seated straight away if you turn up for this town’s official breakfast time of 10am. And as it says on the tin, it’s a coffee hot-spot too. Thankfully you’re on Chapel St (Windsor end) so plenty of shop windows to look in while you wait for the elusive table. Put it on the ‘go-to list’.

Mazzitelli’s – which if you are in the inner sanctum is known as Mazerati’s – is a relative newcomer to the Richmond scene and, as far as this girl is concerned, a desperately needed addition to the somewhat fading Bridge Road. With minimal signage it’s very easy to miss when you walk past, but inside has both seating and takeaway area. The Tanner Manor girls (Prue and Jules) and Libs rate it, and I’d agree.

Central Bean District (CBD and surrounds)

In my previous pre-Melb life, I was known as a ‘booth bitch’ because of the amount of time I spent at conferences, and one of my last was in Melbourne (and may have been where I found out about my now current role!) I stayed at the Royce Hotel on St Kilda Rd (yes I do occasionally miss the days of flitting from swanky hotel to swanky hotel). This meant that for myself and my partner in conference crime, Clare, Cafe Vue 401 was our destination for first coffee of the day. Out of the Vue de Monde stable, it’s a bit of a stand out and clever location choice on a road not known for eating establishments. And seriously, how cool is the ‘dirt’ sugar? (PS if you cant figure out where it is on St Kilda Rd, you don’t deserve to go).

Villanova is my ‘work coffee’ place. Situated in the 150m between Nth Melbourne station and my office in West Melbourne, it’s convenient, good, and they know what I have without me saying anything. I have, however, made the new year’s resolution to only have 1 sugar in my coffee instead of 2 – and this caused major confusion for a couple of days when my colleague does the coffee run and I’d forgot to inform her. Thankfully we averted an international crisis and moved on to other 1st world problems.

I almost don’t want to tell you about the next place…because quite frankly if I turn up for lunch and cant get a seat I’m going to be less than impressed. But you can get your coffee there – takeaway. Beatrix is a fabulous tiny little cafe tucked away in Nth Melbourne, away from Errol St and the usual haunts. I know this is meant to be a coffee post – of which they do an excellent brew, but I have to also explain the food situation. A couple (as in literally 2) staple sandwiches available and then every day is a panini with a different filling – so you have to find their blackboard on FaceBook or take a risk. Even the small is huge. And the rule is don’t even think about leaving without having one of their cakes (Georgina my work bud and I share one). Everything made onsite – out of control good.

2. Greater Western Sydney: Remember this is a preseason ranking not a prediction of the Premiers. How can you not like the job the Giants are doing right now. They add more elite young talent (first three picks in the draft) alongside the likes of Greene, Cameron and Patton. Tough and hardened veterans will continue to mould them. They are locked and loaded for the future and could be scary.

3. Hawthorn: Buddy Franklin says he is going nowhere at the end of 2013 season and they now add Brian Lake to sure up the back half. The Hawks will be one of the elite teams in the league once again.

4. Essendon: Perhaps, the biggest winners in this offseason. Stealing Darcy Daniher (father-son selection) and Brendon Goddard were real coups. Daniher makes the bombers spine look dangerous and a motivated Goddard will provide the bombers with much needed class in the middle.

5. Collingwood: Really liked what the Pies did with their trading and drafting. Gaining picks 18, 19 and 20 will provide needed depth as they looked rather thin late last season. Brodie Grundy, while young, is an instant upgrade on Cam Wood. A fit Luke Ball and the inclusion of ex-hawk Clinton Young will cover the departure of Wellingham quite easily.

6. Richmond: It’s not often you see the Tiges in the top six of many rankings, but for now, they sit appropriately at six. Richmond set out to fill obvious holes in their list and they succeeded by adding the underrated backman, Troy Chaplin, injury-plagued but talented high half-forward, Chris Knights, and veteran Aaron Edwards. The Tigers then picked up some interesting project players in the draft and a tough solid citizen in Nick Vlastuin.

7. West Coast: It’s not so much what the Eagles did but what they already have. Another strong pre-season in Nic Naitanui and Andrew Gaff, and the return of Mark LeCras make West Coast possibly scary in 2013. Having the trio of Daniel Kerr (set to miss a month of preseason following knee surgery), Dean Cox and Darren Glass doesn’t hurt either.

8. Fremantle: Now that the purple haze have earned some respect from their impressive win over Geelong in week one of the finals, they look set for another solid year. A bit like West Coast, another pre-season in young guns Nathan Fyfe and Stephen Hill will help the Dockers become a regular fixture in September. Danyle Pearce from Port Adelaide might just be one of the underrated signings in the offseason. Only because if there is one man who can demand consistency of effort out of perennial underperformers, that is Ross Lyon.

9. Geelong: The Cats have taken a little punt on acquiring Hamish McIntosh and Jared Rivers but both could prove handy in Geelong’s hope to stay relevant. Josh Caddy will thrive in a strong and well established culture down in Geelong. Yet, whenever you lose a champion and future Hall of Famer fullback, you can never expect things to stay the same.

10. North Melbourne: A nice pick up in Ben Jacobs from Port Adelaide and another first round draft pick will please supporters. North will be hoping for continued growth from their young players to make sure they play in September again. Great to see Boomer Harvey running around for another year. Yet as North’s list stands, they will only go as far as Harvey and Petrie take them.

11. Carlton: Get a proven coach and motivator? Tick. Avoid any drunken offseason scandal? Tick. Besides the issue of “Visy”, it has been relatively quite so far in Carlton of late. Drafting Troy Menzel at pick 11 could be a steal as some experts thought Menzel was a top 10 pick.

12. Brisbane: I’m not as bullish on the future of the Lions or on their midfield as Michael Voss is. Brent Moloney made a good decision for his career to leave Melbourne but question marks remain if the game has gone past him or not. If he can recapture form from 2011, he will give the Lions another chop out for champion Simon Black. Pick eight Sam Mayes will gives the Lions much needed depth in the forward half.

13. Gold Coast: Talented? Yes. But you need more than talent and often it’s balance and the right mixture of talent (something which Sydney has mastered). This preseason poses to be their most crucial period in their short history. Gary Ablett Jr. is playing at another level at the moment.

14. Port Adelaide: Resigning Travis Boak was a massive win for the Power. But it has been a tough few months with the death of John McCarthy. Koch’s arrival is a worry though.

15. St Kilda: Goddard was a great get for Essendon but clearly at St. Kilda he just wasn’t motivated anymore after realising the Saints are on an inevitable decline. The gap between the Saints’ veterans and their young players is worrying as they head into the new year.

16. Melbourne: To address the dire state of their list and more importantly their culture, Melbourne acquired veterans David Rodan and Shannon Byrnes to provided much needed leadership. These two will prove more valuable off the field than on it. Top rated draftees, Jimmy Toumpas and Jack Viney will help the commencement of the rejuvenation of the list. Melbourne fans will be pleased Cale Morton is no longer in the red and the blue.

17. Adelaide: Controversy. If there is one word to describe their summer, that’s it. The Crows won’t find themselves anywhere near this part of the rankings (or below Port Adelaide) once the season starts but for now its just messy in the city of churches. Losing Kurt Tippet who dominated Hawthorn in the Preliminary Final and future picks doesn’t help them on field either.

18. Western Bulldogs: News of Adam Cooney training and moving well is positive but it’s difficult to get excited about the Doggies. Luke Dahlhaus is worth watching but it’s worrying when he is pinned as the “future of the club”. The bulldogs’ forward line, which was abysmal last season, did not improve via the draft or free agency.

There are still 5-6 interesting beers on tap which would occupy any after-office crowd for several hours. I had the Seven Sheds Razzamatazz ($7.50/310mL) which is a light wheat ale infused with clover honey and raspberries. Made in Tasmania, it is quite cloudy in appearance and makes for easy drinking on summer days. The Moylan’s IPA ($8/310mL) comes from Novato, California and has a full-bodied malty structure to it, something for the early summer days.

Zucchini flowers

Roasted quail

For my starter, I ordered the zucchini flowers ($16) which were presented in a lovely manner. Lightly coated and fried, it went very well with the accompanying quinoa and grains. The roasted quail ($20) had a lovely sheen to it, but was perhaps too hidden by the fried quail egg initially. The steak fillet on the special of the day at $38, and to this, I was rather disappointed with the conservative cooking of the kitchen for my request for a rare piece of meat turned up medium-rare with half of the steak cooked through. Consistent with this, others on my table had their medium-rare steaks served leaning towards the medium spectrum. Nonetheless, it was presented nicely, was of a good size, and the seasoning was sufficient. I have to declare that the house cut frittes lacked the angular precision that I’ve come to expect. Within minutes, the darker-than-i-would’ve-liked chips had started to dry out and when this happens, they turn visually unappetising.

That’s a pretty good medium-rare steak

I attempted to rescue the meal with dessert (as one inevitably does with too great a frequency) of a banana and stout ice cream sandwich ($16). Delicious by title, enjoyable by nature. The stout ice cream was not too sweet and had that creamy texture which I fondly recall of Dublin Guinness. The banana fritte was nice but the thin slice of caramelised banana had a touch of bitter detraction and there was probably enough going on already in this dish that it could’ve been left out.

Doesn’t quite explain why the banana-stout combo though…

Overall, the Courthouse is still the best restaurant in North Melbourne food quality-wise. Its price point is well beyond the typical North Melbourne fare, and this removes a substantial proportion of patronage since cheaper food is across the street. I’m not sure how it will cope if its customer base has shrunk, and it would be a great shame if cost cutting should be invoked to balance the books. Food presentation and quality is undoubtedly there, albeit the small inconsistencies. I had previously booked a work function here a couple of years ago, but in its present state, I am absolutely certain I wouldn’t now.

AFL Football Operations Manager Adrian Anderson has announced his departure from the AFL at a press conference at AFL House today.

Former AFL Football Operations Manager Adrian Anderson. Image credit: Herald Sun.

After nine long years in the role, AFL Football Operations Manager Adrian Anderson, 40, has officially resigned, following a press conference at AFL house today.

Anderson’s resignation marks the third AFL executive departure since the conclusion of the 2012 season.

Many changes were overseen during Anderson’s near-decade term in the role, including the controversial match review panel points activation system, which has long divided spectators and players alike.

Anderson also played a major role is managing the player illicit drugs policy in 2005, as well as overseeing player gambling policies and changes to the ‘ruck rule’.

AFL Chief Commissioner Andrew Demetriou said that Anderson informed him yesterday of his resignation.

Demetriou praised Anderson’s efforts throughout his period in the ‘unpopular’ position and said that he deserved great credit for what he had achieved.

“Adrian has been at the forefront of some of the most significant changes that have happened within our game,” he said.

Anderson denied familial reasons for his resignation, rather saying that he is prepared for a new challenge in his life.

“It’s time for me to do something different,” he said.

He is now looking to ‘pursue other opportunities’, something he says he did not do whilst being with the AFL.

“I’ve devoted myself fully to what I’ve been doing and it’s been a full on period,” he said.

Anderson said that he has told Demetriou of his intentions to stay on-board until the AFL has somewhat finalized a replacement and thanked them for the time he spent there.

“It’s been an incredible privilege for me to work in the role for our great game,” he said.

There is speculation that Anderson may be moving to the North Melbourne Football Club in order to take up the position as CEO, following former Geelong CEO Brian Cook’s decision to turn down the offer.

However when asked directly, Anderson said that he hasn’t had any discussions with North Melbourne about the role.

Instead he said that he didn’t want to rush into anything, following his departure from the long-term position.

“I haven’t made any decisions at this point about what I am going to do next,” he said.

Anderson’s resignation comes during a trying time for the AFL, with AFL auditors still undergoing investigations following the Melbourne Football Club’s admissions to ‘tanking’ during 2009 in order to gain higher ranked draft picks, and the recent drama surrounding the Adelaide Football Club and former star forward Kurt Tippett’s salary cap breaches.

There are no certainties to fill the now vacant position, but Anderson leaves the AFL with their best wishes and blessing.