Drink time, not a coffee [60 years old Espresso Bar, Melbourne]

For 60 years more in the same place

I got a new habit while living in Melbourne, Australia.
'Drink coffee in a strange cafe.'
Before leaving, I was worried about which city to go to, but when I heard that Melbourne was a city of coffee, I decided to stay in Melbourne without hesitation. The city of coffee, Melbourne, was a perfect place for us, because we've been dreaming of having a cafe for some time.

Waiting for him as usual, I searched the internet to find out which cafe to go to today, I read an article about there is more than 60 years old espresso bar, right next to the old bookstore. (named 'The Paperback Books')

For 60 years more in the same place?
'Today is here.'

_{Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD}

It was located in the town center of Brooke Street, where we used to go frequently. Just one more block away from the street we often go to, there are restaurants and cafes along with vintage brick buildings.

How close it is!

As I got off the tram, I could see the Parliament House standing in the front, the vintage bookstore I saw in the magazine, and the espresso bar I really ​​wanted to go to, on the street lined with the Parliament House. The bar is located on the corner, which is seemed like more than 100 years old at a glance.

_{66 Bourke Street, CBD, Melbourne, VIC}

There are old neon signs hanging on the bar window, and we could see through the window the 60-year-old wooden door, the table, and the people who looked like regular customers. Even without explaining it, I felt the vintage vibe and the old history of this place.

Inside, the tables and chairs are attached to each other in a narrow room. A dark vintage wooden tables and chairs, floor with checkerboards, and old picture frames on the walls caught my eye.

Unique vibe created by many years

It was quite different from the 'cafe' we often talk about. I thought it would be full of coffee fragrance, but because of the Italian food menu, it smelled like cheese. Looking at the aunt, uncle and an old man with white hair looking like a family, I felt like I was at my friend's house rather than a cafe.

Look around to find a menu plate, a lady who looks like a big mother at this place, pointed to an old menu board on the wall. The menu is also made of wood. Very old. I could feel the years. Only with the name of the menu, it was difficult to figure out what the food was. I ordered a menu that seemed like a seafood spaghetti and a cup of latte.

_{Vintage style interior of Pellegrini's Bar}

I‘ve been eaten breakfast here for 30 years

While waiting for coffee, many Asian tourists are noticed. The bar has a coffee machine and freshly baked pies and cakes. It opens at 8:00 am and runs until 11:30 pm. I was reminded of a review of a middle-aged man who ate breakfast here for 30 years. Someone has been here and building memories for 30 years. The time of 30 years in life is never short. To him, this is probably more than a cafe.

When I was thinking about it, the latte I ordered came out.
At Melbourne, when you order a cup of coffee, colorful latte art is a bonus. But there was no such thing as a common latte. They never cared about such fancy decorations. It is not the cafe that shows off the decorations but the friendliness like the neighborhood local cafe which is always in front of our house.

_{caffe Latte by Pellegrini's Bar}

Not a coffee, but a time

I did not just feel like drinking coffee, it was a feeling of savoring the long history and time. It looks too old, so it's old-fashioned. However, this space has a unique charm that cafes in the center of Melbourne, often called Hot Place, can not easily follow. It was first opened, when the Italian immigrants settled in the 1950s. In addition to coffee, authentic Italian foods such as pasta and lasagna are also popular.

The pasta came out. I definitely ordered one, but the portions are two. The two of us ordered one pasta only, so she seemed to give us more pasta. The big plate was filled with rich seafood. It was a different amount of pasta than the one where the dish was empty even if you eat a little. The visuals were different. It was just simple.

_{The seafood spaghetti by Pellegrini's Bar}

However, unlike simple visuals, the taste was excellent. Soak plenty of sauce in the pasta noodles, fill it with seafood, and chew it. It is certainly different from the pasta in the restaurant these days, but it was just a pasta that fit well with this attractive vintage cafe. We do not know why, but we were fascinated.

I don't know if it's because of the aunt who gave us a lot of pasta, or because of the smell of something special spreading throughout this place. But anyway, for those of us who like the simple and natural atmosphere rather than the sophisticated and splendid, it was enough to be a memorable place. Regardless of the taste of coffee and pasta, the fact that the store was kept for 60 years in the same place was enough to make it a great place of Melbourne.

_{The old pictures filled with the wall}

Everything is too 'Fast'

In just a year after leaving Korea, our neighborhood was crowded with new shops and cafes. I always feel, In my country Korea, Everyting is

too 'fast.'

Melbourne is actually a city always loved by millions of people around the world. I think that's because they try to respect the city's own history and the power of the years. The house I lived in Melbourne was over 100 years old. If it was a house in Seoul, it would have been gone for redevelopment, but in Melbourne, it gets more expensive as the building gets older.

I grabbed a wooden handle and opened the door. It feels like I went back 100 years ago on a time machine and came back to the present.

A few days later,
A house mate, Josh, printed a photo in a cup for his wife and gave it to her. In the picture, they are wearing wedding dresses and laughing at each other inside the Pellegrini's Espresso Bar. Although there are so many wonderful places to take pictures, they took wedding photos here.

But,
we know why.

Korean Ver. Click Here

Pellegrini's Espresso Bar

66 Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000
+61 3 9662 1885
www.facebook.com/pages/Pellegrinis-Espresso-Bar/