155 Fitzroy St, St Kilda VIC 3182
Open until 9:00pm
No, not the London neighbourhood. The cafe/restaurant on Fitzroy Road, St Kilda, overlooking the south-western corner of Albert Park. A sunlit and welcoming sort of place, that was not too busy on our recent visit, without looking desperate for custom.
Fitzrovia mantra, well tagline, is “Fine Food Sustainability”. They’re big on provenance - take a look at the long list of suppliers on their menu, and they seem to take seasonality seriously. Well, if the wooden crates of fruits, destined for juicing, are anything to go by. Not a fruit out of place for a Melbourne winter on our visit.
Coffee is sound. The food was copious and quite delicious. I went an ocean trout special. Bagel, trout, orange salad, pickled beetroot, and a prosecco hollandaise. Light but satisfying. The bacon+smoked mozzarella+onion jam door stop sandwich looked sublime if heart attack-inducing. It’s licenced with a healthy looking range of wines and small-brewer beers. Heck, my hollandaise even had a nip of booze in it.
But what would it be like as a cafe to take your laptop to, or for the freelancer to work for a few hours?
WiFi. Oops, I didn’t ask whether they give out the password to patrons but I did see an access point called “Fitzrovia” pop up on the list of nearby connections. Power points - I spotted at least three, so I don’t think you’ll have any issues with juicing up your laptop. If brunch-time on a Saturday is anything to go by, I’m sure they won’t mind at all if you spend an hour or so tapping away over a couple of coffees or something to eat. Great little place near St Kilda proper, Windsor, and the inner south of Melbourne.