A long over due catch up with the girls was needed and Baby Pizza for some Italian food was in order. From the people that brought you Chin Chin's, the Lucas Group brings to you Baby Pizza. Open for several months now, just after the busy end of Church Street, Richmond, near Top Paddock. Baby Cafe & Pizzeria offers artisan pizzas made with flour imported from Naples and specialty pizzas with lighter base texture. 

I opted for a pasta for the evening, a handmade tagliatelle duck ragu. Suggested by our waiter for the evening, the tagliatelle was cooked al dente with soft richly flavoured braised duck ragu. Lightly tossed in the delicious ragu sauce, it has my thumbs up.

Miss N ordered the Piselli e Prosciutto - a delicious combination of buffalo mozzarella, san daniele prosciutto, pea, mint and shaved parmesan on top. Along with the Insalata Mista - a mixed green leaf and fennel salad. The texture of the mozzarella was smooth with a lovely bite, if I could bring this home and eat it on some fresh bread, it would be heaven. 

To top off the night we shared the specialty pizza - Pizza Dolce. Topped with salted caramel, poached pear, lemon thyme crumble and nougat gelato on top it was hard to say no, and very hard to stop at one bite!

The lemon thyme crumble was delicious on top of the salted caramel, giving the pizza a lovely crunch with the slightest hint of thyme. The nougat gelato on top was ahhh-mazing, with chunks of soft nougat throughout it's a very over the top, decadent pizza that is a must try. 

All in all, the pizza base texture here is a tad on the thin side, but still delicious and chewy. I rate the duck ragu tagliatelle as a must try if you do ever visit. Most of the dishes are designed to be shared with the group, and having little bites of all the delicious flavours is probably the best way to try Baby Pizza. 

Baby Cafe & Pizza

631-633 Church St

Richmond, VIC 3121

Mr Curious had the Rangers Valley Wagyu steak sandwich with beetroot relish, tempura vegetables, fresh horseradish and wasabi leaves. The steak was tender and done well, with the tempura light and crispy, giving a lovely balance in textures. The beetroot relish was another twist in flavours, that paired well with everything.

This post is more food porn that anything, Top Paddock delivers on quality and consistency each time we dine here, so just drool over the food pics and make your way down there early!

On another cold Melbourne weekend, Mr Curious wanted to catch up with a friend for brunch, and I just tagged along for the food. After driving past Top Paddock and deciding that the line was just a tad too long to wait, Pillar of Salt was next on the hit list. We must have just arrived after a yoga class had finished as it seemed very popular with the ladies for brunch. If they look that good and eat at Pillar of Salt, then I'm on board! 

From the outside, Pillar of Salt seems like your usual cafe in suburbia, however, tucked at the back is a outdoor courtyard with plenty of seats, and booth-benches for larger groups to sit at. The wait was about 15 mins, and the staff were very friendly and organised.

Mr Curious ordered Jimmy's Indonesian Iced Coffee, and it definitely had a big caffeine  hit needed from being out late the night before! A layer of condensed milk with espresso sitting on top, very strong in flavour, but not too sweet. If you've had a Vietnamese iced coffee, this is quite similar, if not stronger!

I am a fresh juice lover, blend up a few fruits and vegies and I am content for the rest of the day. This brings me to TANKA, they create organic cold pressed juice and blended drinks right here in Melbourne. The Back to your Roots juice contains a blend of carrot, beetroot, cucumber and ginger, one sip and you'll feel like you're starting your day off to a good start. The flavours of their juice are well balanced, and is best served chilled. With plenty of vitamins and antioxidants inside, give it a go even if you don't vegetables like Mr Curious, he kept asking for another sip.

TANKA is currently stocked at Pillar of Salt, and several other cafes around Melbourne, and are just starting out in the juice market. I wish them much success, so I can have their juices everywhere (hehehe). They also have several other juice blends that are equally just as good, so give them a go next time!

Pillar of Salt only has one menu on weekends, and so we tried the Vegetarian Tacos with added chorizo. Two small tortillas filled with black beans, salted ricotta, smoky corn, avocado, coriander and quinoa salsa, with homemade hot sauce and a tropical salsa on the side. Top it off with chorizo for a healthy breakfast taco.  The hot sauce definitely has a punch to it, and should be treated with care. 

The flavours were fresh and lively, and had great texture in my mouth. The only downside have been the quinoa salsa which made the taco a tad soggy. 

Mr Curious's friend had the special for the day - Jambalaya with a slow cooked pork belly and corn bread. I managed to try a piece of that pork belly, and it was soft, flavoursome, and just melted in your mouth.