Cafe Love - Wee Jeanie

Ian and Clare Munroe, the delightful couple who originally brought us Le Chien in Seddon, then opened The Corner Shop in Yarraville Village have now opened the doors on their latest venture - Wee Jeanie.

(50 Anderson St, Yarraville Village)

Considering the fact that I spend every week day morning at The Corner Shop I was bound to like Wee Jeanie - a more casual version.  My problem now is which one to go to?  They are both situated in the Village which suits me just fine with Wee Jeanie a hop skip and jump from CHALK.  What a nice dilemma to have.

Drop in and say Hi - although Ian is sooo in love with his fabulous new coffee machine that it is hard to get any sense out of him at the moment!  See you there.

Shop Love - The Corner Shop

Every morning without fail you will find me breakfasting at The Corner Shop in Yarraville.

In fact you will quite likely find me there at other times of the day as well. 

My partner-in-crime (K.J.) and I meet there every day for what we term our morning meeting, of course no actual work is ever done but it does serve to set us up right for the day. 

At first we were a little embarrassed at the frequency with which we attend but now we have embraced it and have even been known to frequent the place up to 3 times in one day!

Clare and Iain who own The Corner Shop are very understanding and have even stopped rolling their eyes when we walk in.  The staff have become so used to us that they don't even pretend to serve us anymore - they just place our order in front of us almost before we have sat down - one day we are going to freak them all out and order something completely different.

 We both treat it as a pseudo office - my shop is just down the road, K.J. works at The Sun Theatre - and whenever we can swing it we meet up there before work, after work, before and after the movies - so many opportunities...

 Our favourite table

Apart from the fabulous staff (Hi Hannah and Eve!) and owners, the decor is right up my alley.  Clare's interior aesthetic is very similar to mine and we have had many absorbing discussions about furniture, fixtures etc.  Clare and Iain are about to open 2 new ventures which is fabulous and I'm sure they'll have all the style and warmth of The Corner Shop.

more stunning photos of The Corner Shop can be found here.

Look What I Found - Web Love

LITTLE EATS is a recently launched website that provides a quick and easy guide at a glance to a cafe’s kid-friendliness and the services they provide. Their focus is mainly on Melbourne cafes that specialise in weekend breakfasts, brunches and lunches.
Each review consists of a simple checklist that includes whether or not a venue provides highchairs, change tables, easy pram access, a separate kids menu, or whether the normal menu has suitable options for little ones, the kid-friendliness of the staff, whether there is a play area for kids or activities and toys provided, as well as prices and the overall atmosphere of the place.
On top of that they also share their personal experiences with you and their opinion on the overall “vibe” of the venue and how welcoming and suitable they are to the little ones in our lives.
Pop by and have a look - it's definitely worth it. Little Eats.

Famous Blue Raincoat

I get very excited these days by the simplest things! This month I've discovered my new favourite place to hang out.

When getting out of the house for an hour is mandatory and there are only so many times you can cope with freezing your arse off at the park.. where else could be better than a warm and welcoming cafe? My problem has always been the issue of 'allowed number of visits per day'. I have realised that if you go to the same cafe all the time then the staff quickly become aware that you have been 3 times in a day.... therefore you need to spread yourself around so no one knows exactly how often you drag your kids to cafes.

As far as Ian and Matt at 'Le Chien' know I am only there every other day....


Here is Matt after discovering my secret



Now that I can add The Famous Blue Raincoat to my list I am pretty much set and can roll from one to another, to another with no one (including hubby) being any the wiser! Clever aren't I!

The Famous Blue Raincoat