Animal Orchestra is known for its wall decor – it’s pretty much plastered with clippings from magazines. My friend and I decided to pay it a visit since we only had an one hour break and didn’t want to be too far from uni.

Pineapple Juice – $5.00

It was quite a warm day, so I ordered a pineapple juice hoping that it would be a thirst quencher. I’ve only had processed pineapple juice before, and this was a lot more tart than I’m used to. It tasted a bit diluted but bitter at the same time, if that makes sense.

Chorizo, Tomato, Black Pudding and Cheese Baked Eggs – $13.00

Baked eggs is Animal Orchestra’s specialty, and it’s also one of my all-time favourite thing to eat for brunch. The chorizo, tomato and cheese combination was pretty standard, but the black pudding added a hint of richness and acidity to the dish. I was hoping the egg would be a bit more gooey for me to dip my bread with, but the rich tomato sauce was still promising.

Turmeric Risotto w/ Cherry Tomato, Mushroom and Spinach – $12.50

My friend ordered the risotto special. It was a mild and creamy dish, although both us couldn’t really detect the turmeric.

Though the portions at Animal Orchestra is definitely on the smaller side of things, the price was also a few dollars less than what you would normally expect to pay, which I guess balances it out? Nonetheless, the place is still popular among students, with its hipster wall decorations and proximity.

How to get there:
Animal Orchestra is located on Grattan Street, opposite Gate 7 of University of Melbourne