Mum's Visit - Claremont Cafe, Hopetoun Tearooms, Fatto Bar & Cantina

Back in July, my mother came to stay with me for a week.  It was a bit of a disastrous week because my apartment was flooded and we spent the whole week with carpet blowers and dehumidifiers running, which was rather unpleasant.  However, to escape the noisy, damp and smelly atmosphere of my apartment, we went out as often as we could.  This post showcases some of the places where we had meals.

First on the list is breakfast at the Claremont Café, in Claremont Avenue, Malvern.  I have been here a few times before, and the food is good, with an ever changing menu.

At the top of the post is my brekky, corn and haloumi fritters with avocado, poached egg, coriander and tomato relish ($17).  It looks good, and it tasted good.

Mum has gastrointestinal issues so has to make plainer choices, but her poached eggs with bacon and toast looks pretty good too:

During a trip to the Melbourne CBD, we stopped at the Hopetoun Tearooms for afternoon tea.  The Hopetoun Tearooms can be a frustrating experience if you are not patient enough to wait in the ever present queue.  However, I managed to talk Mum into waiting for 20 minutes so that she could try these old worldy tea rooms for herself.

From the extravagant cake showcase at the front of Hopetoun, Mum chose the pecan pie (~$10):

while I chose the pear tart:

The cakes at Hopetoun are always tasty and beautifully presented, and the interior of the tearooms is from another time, so if you are prepared to wait, it is never a disappointment.


Finally, before a visit to an art show, we treated ourselves to the pre-theatre menu at Fatto Bar & Cantina at South Bank:

Their pre-theatre menu buys you two courses and a drink for $45.  From the set menu, I ordered the crab spaghetti:

For dessert, Mum chose the crème caramel:

while I went for the selection of three gelati (salted caramel, nutella and vanilla) with biscotti:

It was fast and efficient service, and the food was good - perfect for the pre-theatre crowd (or in our case, the pre-art show crowd ;)).

It is a shame that Mum's trip happened to coincide with a minor disaster in my life, but I enjoyed her visit, and we did some fun things.

Claremont Café
 5 Claremont Avenue
Malvern VIC 3144
Ph: (03) 9500 1504

Hopetoun Tearooms
The Block Arcade, 1-2/282 Collins St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: (03) 9650 2777

Fatto Bar & Cantina
100 St Kilda Rd
Melbourne VIC 3004
Ph: (03) 8698 8800