Sparrows Nest
95 Queen Street
Melbourne CBD
Recently I caught up with one of my housemates over lunch. This may sound silly – after all we live together! – but we had gone through a period of several weeks like ships passing in the night. Saying how tired we were every evening/morning and heading to bed/work is not considered friendship-building.
Both of us had a particularly hellish week last week, mine due to excessive amounts of work to do for angry clients and hers the confluence of work and post grad mid-semester exams, so a reward lunch (ie. not eating sad-lunch at desk) at Sparrows Nest sounded good.
The cafe is little but cute, pushing twee but not quite. The space is light and bright and staff are friendly. Water jugs are used as vases (and actually as water jugs too, never you fear!).
Keep calm, it's just another Keep Calm saying on a homewares item.
Housemate F rates the soups here highly, so she ordered soup-of-the-day which was pumpkin and leek; and I considered it too but then went for grilled vegetables and goats cheese foccacia, which I’m pretty sure is exactly what I got last time I came too. I can’t go past the combo of goats cheese with anything (although… that’s a big call; I’d have to seriously consider the benefits of pairing it with liquorice, for example).
Pumpkin soup, Sparrow's Nest
F loved her soup and I liked my toasted foccacia but there was something about the veggies in mine that just tasted a little… too pickled. Too much vinegar or lemon juice on the grilled vegetables? I don’t think it was the cheese, although goats cheese is acidic. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable sandwich regardless.
Goats cheese, toasted, and a side salad.
As you can see it’s packed full of good stuff: eggplant, capsicum, sweet potato, zucchini…
If you work up that end of town (or even feel like a walk like F and I) I recommend Sparrows Nest for a light lunch in pretty surroundings.
A couple of other bloggers are on to Sparrow’s Nest too: an old review from slicing almonds and zesting lemons also enjoyed the space at breakfast time; and Poppet’s Window got creative with a rhyming review.
Fresh Bread 
Do you know I’ve never tried Goat’s cheese? Only just realised this reading this post so may possibly be going past Coles on my way home from work to buy a tub and a spoon so I can eat in traffic on the way home…
Ooh, do it! Its quite tangy/acidic. If you like feta it’s a BIT like that except way less salty and more tangy. Hmm I suppose it’s really only like it in looks then.
Goes great on pizza! 🙂
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