House of Bren: Finding Espresso in Sydney, Australia

Mariella and me with some espresso

Love that sis caught me making a call back home!

Sis and me at Fed Square

It’s been a slow minute since I’ve posted but that’s only because I’m traveling through Australia and Fiji. I can’t tell you how incredibly amazing this part of the world is! I was in Melbourne for some foodie media work with the gourmet Food & Wine Festival and got to see a bit of the lovely city during the 8 days I was there. It has an artsy vibe with no distinguishable culture, at least I couldn’t figure one out. But it was definitely a sexy place to visit if you don’t mind the super long flight.

The best features I enjoyed were the coffee culture which I’m completely obsessed and impressed with. I’m working on a special feature for my food blog, Flanboyant Eats. There are cafés everywhere and I’ve only seen one Starbucks. Cool, right?! The architecture is stunning and a great combination of Victorian aesthetic juxtaposed with art deco design.

I had a few hours to spare on one of our slower days and sped off to see saw some amazing sights…But I started that particular morning with a lovely cappuccino at Brunetti‘s, a staple Italian-owned coffee shop in Carlton, a cute part of town. My new friend Mariella who lives there, invited sis and me out for an early breakfast. Best part of having international friends is how seamlessly you can navigate a city with their help. I wouldn’t have known about it otherwise. After our sips, I came across Brunetti’s café in the downtown area which is much cuter than the original space in Little Italy.

My sis and I also had a great time hanging in the massive crowds at Federation Square. The train station at Finders Street is pretty spectacular and a great place for an afternoon tryst. Most fun was an all day wine tour we did in Yarra Valley, but I’ll share that later. For now, here we are on a super hot day, reaching about 95F. And somehow I was looking for espresso the rest of the day!Oh, and about the hat. I’ve been getting a lot of questions and comments about how perfect it is for being in Australia. Kind of is, but I didn’t buy it for this trip nor did I bring it because I was going there. I’ve had it for almost 12 years and barely wear it. I pulled it out for this trip because it’s a great neutral color and truthfully am tired of traveling with the same hats over and over again, which you’ll see in the next few posts! 🙂

Wearing: Old Navy skirt; Top c/o F21; Banana Republic suede hat; Aldo flats; Cerrutti bag; Oscar De La Renta shades; Vintage Indian cuff.