Upon arrival in Melbourne and after clearing immigration, we went to pick up our rental car. Since our first night accommodation is not in Melbourne but in Grampians National Park which is about 3 hours drive away, we decided to head out of town in the direction of the Grampians.

We stopped by in the town of Ballarat for lunch. Ballarat is renowned for its Victorian architectural heritage. In 2003 Ballarat was the first of two Australian cities to be registered as a member of the International League of Historical Cities and in 2006 hosted the 10th World League of Historical Cities Congress.

Name of cafe: Hydrant Food Hall

Address: 3 McKenzie St, Ballarat Central VIC 3350, Australia

I had the Proscuitto Toast which comes with a piece of sourdough toast, ricotta and chives spread, spicy gold raisin puree, proscuitto, sliced pear and crispy proscuitto. It was interesting to have two different types of proscuitto, one the normal type and the other a crispy one. This dish was very healthy and the spicy gold raisin puree was interesting in the sense that it had a tinge of sweet and spicy.

The drinks were freshly made and amazing, from the hot chocolate to the mocha. It was brewed with love and had a nice foam art.

For those with a sweet tooth, you can order the Hotcake, which comes with sprinkles and maple syrup. The pancake was served in a small pan and it was thick and fluffy.

Another signature dish is the Eggs Benedict. It comes with homemade hash brown, two poached eggs, maple bacon, house hollandaise sauce and pickled red cabbage. The egg yolk oozed out in delight when it was cut. The hashbrown was fried and not too oily. This was an enjoyable brunch item that tasted slightly different from the ones we have in Singapore, probably due to the fresher ingredients used.

It was our first meal in Australia and we didn’t expect to pay around $25 per person. Nevertheless, we had our tummies filled and were ready to drive onwards to the Grampians, not before stocking up on some groceries at the nearby supermarket.