Unfortunately, third time wasn't the charm for me and the Hairy Canary. I've visited this busy little eatery three times now and can only praise the food and service on my second visit. If only I had not returned tonight, I might just be writing about their perfect gnocchi and cheerful service, but alas - I did eat there tonight and had to suffer through a increasingly tipsy waitress who didn't do a very good job of looking after us - or more to the point: me. Apparently, as I have now learned, hearing "There is a _mess_ at the _bar_" is waiting staff talk for "Free shots, hurry up" and that's just what was going on for the staff at Hairy Canary this chilly night in Melbourne. Now I am not one to blame people for drinking at work - Lord only knows there have been times in my life when I would have given a kidney to get a drink to make it through my day - but I can't remember seeing such drinking behaviour so visible to customers and at the expense of service. When a customer (me) has to work as hard as I did to get my waitress's attention to order a glass of wine to only end up having to ask another waitress if that was my wine I spotted sitting on the bar waiting to be served because it was taking so long to get to me; when our table was not even offered let alone presented with drinking water; when we got to watch our waitress bent over the adjacent table (butt facing us) with a customer's hand on her hip, I start to get miffy. I expect a certain level of attentiveness in a restaurant, I don't expect to be spoon fed, but it is nice when your waitress remembers your order (we almost took bets she'd cock it up but she came back to double-check so all bets were off) keeps an eye out for empty wine glasses and leaves a menu long enough to actually view the dessert list - I do not expect to have to get up from my table to ask someone at the bar for sugar for my coffee to be teased by two of the bar staff "No! you may not have sugar!" (I was grumpy by this stage) But what about the food Michelle? I ordered the gnocchi - having had this dish a few weeks earlier and declaring the Hairy Canary's gnocchi to be the best in all the land, I was rather disappointed in this week's effort. Although it was still good, it lacked the subtle brilliance of the meal of a few weeks ago. It was heavy with tomato and olive and some of the gnocchi seemed over-cooked. The espresso I had to finish my meal had nice smooth corners though, and I enjoyed it very much. I am less than pleased with the Hairy Canary this evening, and would recommend it to people only if they understand that the quality of the meals is inconsistent, the service is borders on mediocre at best and was poor this evening even before the waitress got wobbly from all the shots at the bar. On the plus side, The Hairy Canary is often open when a lot of other places are shut, and considering that they have always managed to find us a table, that's pretty good going.

It started raining as I got out of my taxi on Sydney Road. Saturday was cold and it felt like snow in the air. Tom Phat's bright pink sign was a welcome sight. The place looked busy and full, and as usual, I didn't have a booking. This is a really bad idea in any city for a meal on Saturday night, but the gracious hostess suggested that if I didn't mind waiting, she would find a table as soon as she could. I settled into the window seat, against the soft cushions and sipped red wine and watched the rain fall on the street outside. It was very relaxing and warm and I felt extremely comfortable. I was waiting for Eroica and her friend Frances, and not long after they arrived, our hostess was able to seat us which was wonderful. All the dishes sounded wonderful but we were all taken by the thought of silken tofu with beans and chilli. The meal was perfectly flavoured, with enough to warm the mouth but not so much my eyes knew about it. Silken tofu is really the bees knees and if you get a chance to order it, do so - it really is a lovely texture. Our waiter was friendly and helpful and like Eroica and Frances, from Christchurch, New Zealand. How he picked up on our subtle accents I'll never know but we had a bit of a kiwi bonding session between our main and dessert dishes. I don't usually order dessert, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity of tapioca - it's been so many years since I tried it and this version had been made with coconut milk and served cold. I liked it very much. I'm quite happy to take the trek from Collingwood over to Sydney Road to eat at Tom Phat's anytime. It's cosy, friendly and the food is great.

Cavallero on Smith Street in Collingwood for breakfast on a Saturday (mid/late) morning is a good idea if you like organic oats with stewed fruit, and some of the best freshly squeezed orange-juice in town, but not if you're in a hurry, or if you need a cosy, comfortable, quiet start to your day. The service is unpredictable (20mins for toast and no apology for the delay (I think they actually *forgot* to place the order with the kitchen)) and the staff a bit too important to engage eye contact while taking your money. It can get a bit pricey too - at $6 for two slices of toast, it's just as well it's bloody nice jam! The space is nicely arranged though, with several different areas depending on if you're in the mood for a booth, the bar, or a shared large table. A fair-enough start to your weekend, but Cavallero won't end up being your favourite breaky spot.