August » 2010 » Eating Melbourne

Melbourne tipping etiquette

This post is prompted by a conversation I had with my brunch companion this morning, at Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder (where, by the way, you should definitely get the baked beans with ham hock, taleggio cheese, and a poached egg. And a Bloody Mary).

We came to settle the bill; I automatically went to include extra for a tip, she argued that surely tipping is not mandatory or expected in Australia, and especially not at breakfast.

Obviously in countries like the USA, any guide book will tell you that tipping is expected, and depended on by hospitality staff to supplement their meagre minimum wage; but what about here? Is tipping still optional, or is it expected?

When do you tip, and how much? When do you not tip?

Do you decide whether or not to tip (or how much to tip), based on the service you receive?

Gratuitous photo of the baked beans I had for breakfast:

Parisian Patisserie, North Essendon

In which I eat the best almond croissant ever, when I eventually find somewhere to sit.

Parisian Patisserie, 19 Keilor Road, North Essendon. (03) 9379 3815

On a frosty Saturday morning, J and I took his mum out for breakfast. She lives in Strathmore, so we decided to visit the new(ish) patisserie on Keilor Rd that my friend Andrea had been telling us about recently.

Parisian Patisserie is owned by Le Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chef Neil McKenzie and his wife Majella, who spent some time living in Paris; they previously owned a couple of other Melbourne patisseries, St Germain in Essendon and French Quarter in North Melbourne.

Apparently the McKenzies’ plan was to “create a portal to Paris in the suburbs” – and sure enough, it does look très Francais. It’s all white decor with black chairs, a counter laden with pretty pastries, lots of petit round tables pour deux lined up along the wall with a banquette on one side.

Looks gorgeous – but you’ll find it hard to get a seat for a party of more than two. The tables are small and close together, so not much space for moving chairs around. There’s a bit more seating out the back down the hallway, but it’s not exactly atmospheric.

Anyway, the food. I had an almond croissant, which I think may well be the best one I’ve ever had. Sooo rich though! Struggled to get through it!

J had a toasted ham and cheese croissant, and his mum had an escargot. Both were very nice, but not quite in the same rock-your-world league as the almond croissant.

Coffee was average. Drinkable, but not great. My latte came in a cup instead of a glass. I’m pretty sure that makes it a flat white, but whatever.