Migo’s
289 Flinders Lane, CBD (near corner of Elizabeth)
She says:
Migo’s is another one of the roughly-half-way-between-our-offices cafes that Gerard and I end up at for lunches on the rare days when he’s working in Melbourne. It’s your typical Melbourne lane-sized cafe on Flinders Lane with a small space and even smaller tables. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve tried to have lunch here but can count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually gotten a seat. I find I only manage it when I’m eating with Gerard (like a normal person I normally eat lunch around 1 while Gerard normally eats at 12 like some sort of odd oversized primary school kid, when we’re lunching together we’ll normally meet half way like the compromising types we are).
The tables are pretty cramped and the cafe gets uncomfortably busy during lunchtimes but I think the food makes up for it. As far as the menu goes the hot dishes are definitely where it’s at. I’ve tried the paninis before but to be honest I’m not a fan, no more exciting than paninis anywhere else. The hot food though is pretty good though, good enough to walk a full 3 city blocks? Probably, and I don’t take to walking lightly.
He says:
As Marg mentioned, Migo’s is hole-in-the-wall-tiny. The dimensions are probably similar to Jungle Juice, but the more traditional café-counter layout makes it feel just that little bit more cramped; however, I think the reason for noticing was that it was just so busy. The hectic takeaway crowd was always coming in and out, and the table turnover was ferociously fast. Good signs for a lunch venue.
The service was super-friendly, and the food arrived quickly. My pork and veal meatballs in sugo were pretty good, if a little spicy, and the serving size was lunch appropriate. If I was nit-picking, I’d say the bread was a little plain. If you can get a seat, Migo’s is a good quick bite.
We ate (according to Marg):
Migo’s serves a selection of paninis and a changing selection of hot dishes. We’ve been to Migo’s before and ordered a combination of the two. We’ve found that the hot dishes are a whole lot more consistent than the paninis.
I used the cold weather as an excuse to order the bigger-than-I-should-eat-for-lunch irish lamb stew on mash ($15.90). It was a hearty home style stew with creamy mash. It was pretty good. More than I would normally spend on lunch but it was tasty and also more than I would normally eat.
Gerard had the spaghetti with italian pork & veal meatballs ($14.90). Gerard is a bit of a meatball fanatic and thought that these were pretty good, and the liberal application of parmesan cheese definitely brought a smile to his face.
Wrap it up:
Good, unassuming bite to eat in the city. Make sure you hit up the hot dishes.
