Living on the border of two of Melbourne’s uber chic, inner city, south-east suburbs, it really depends on what day of the week it is as to whether I say I live in Prahran or Windsor. I feel like I have two passports. Australia Post can’t even decide where they want to send my mail.
I recently shared all the things I love doing in Windsor but given my dual citizenship I thought it only fair to share the things I equally love about Prahran (especially given I can now pronounce it properly – ‘Per-ran’, not ‘Prarn’, even though I still think the latter sounds better!).
Here are some of my favourite things to do in Prahran:
1. Throw caution to the wind and wander down a poorly-lit laneway on a mission to eat a plate of 3181’s best dumplings. My favourite little parcels of deliciousness come courtesy of David’s.
2. Pay a visit to Aesop’s Greville Street store for the only purpose of breathing in the sweet smelling air, drinking the complimentary tea and lathering my hands with cedarwood-scented hand balm.
3. Drive through the Greville Street/St Edmonds Road cross intersection, dodging the four pedestrian crossings, just for shits and giggles. Wait, I never do that. I avoid it like it’s a Scientology-preaching Tom Cruise…
4. However, the intersection is perfectly pleasant if I’m hanging out the al fresco window at Oscar Cooper, with cappuccino in one hand and crab taco in the other, watching the Tarago tango on the four-way traffic horror movie.
5. Trundle along to Prahran Market with the excuse of picking up the week’s cheeses, cold meats and flowers, when really I just want to eat a twice cooked chicken roll dripping in runny slaw from Wasshoi Yakitori Bar. All while trying to play a game of people watching keno and tick off the 8 types of people you’re likely to bump into at Prahran Market.
6. Step up the people watching at The Emerson Hotel, where I feel compelled to dress in designer, drink Vueve like it’s San Pellegrino and behave like I’ve just come from filming an episode of the Rich Kids of Toorak. If I can’t navigate the always present line, I head a block over to Greville Street for the same experience at Boutique Nightclub.
7. Erase the night before’s excess by sweating out the sauvignon at hot yoga. My pick? Humming Puppy, which somehow makes an upward-facing dog feel like an enjoyable experience.
8. Detour off the main drag of Chapel Street and scour the speciality shops of Greville Street – Artboy Gallery, Greville Records and Mag Nation are my favourites for art, vinyl and mags.
9. Who would have thought that the suburb’s best Thai food could be found in the same home place as the suburb’s dirtiest nightclub? But here I am scaling the stairs of Revolver for some stir fried beef at Colonel Tan’s, just not some step drop next door.
10. Watch on in horror as the husband devours a hot dog, shake and fries artery-clogging combo from Massive Weiners, which takes as long to arrive as a grass-fed Grampians steak from Entrecote.
11. Go into Handworks on Chapel Street with the intention of just browsing and coming out with a bag full of candles, mini succulents and birthday cards, unsure of who has an upcoming birthday but they’re ‘just in case’ I need some happy birthday wishes on-hand.
12. Then wander up the road to Milk and Sugar and add another bag of Scandinavian pastel homewares to the arm.
13. Fall down the rabbit hole and find myself inside the Alice in Wonderland epicurean feast that is L’Hotel Gitan. Don’t be fooled by the Carlton Draught sign – it might look like a pub on the outside, but there’s not a parma in sight at this fine dining restaurant.
14. Get a coffee to go from Piccolo Espresso – one of my favourite caffeine options in Prahran – that’s when I can catch their opening hours, which completely baffle me. Who doesn’t open on the weekends?
Remind me what I’ve missed. Comment below.
