Manchester Press

8 Rankins Lane
Melbourne, VIC 3000

Rankins Lane

Believe it or not, the laneway pictured above does not (to the extent of my knowledge) lead to an establishment with XXX in its name. If you know what to look for, you’ll notice the small sign with the letters M and P on it, standing for Manchester Press, a printing press turned hipster cafe. Ah Melbourne.

Manchester Press Interior

 

Step through the sliding glass doors, and you’ll find yourself in a big eclectic warehouse space. Huge line-drawings cover the walls, and big white lamps shed light into an already airy space. Grungy mismatched furniture is to be expected. K and I were given a comfortable little corner, though it did make flagging down a waiter rather difficult. We couldn’t decide whether to be amused or annoyed when the same waiter flirted with the two pretty girls at the next table, looked at us, then walked away. Three times. Once we did manage to snag ourselves a waiter however, he was both efficient and laid back, and our orders from the bagel-heavy menu arrived no more than 5 minutes after.

Mmm Knives

Knives, knives, serrated knives! I don’t know about you, but for me there’s always a gleeful pleasure in eating with dangerous-looking utensils.

Soft Egg with Smoked Salmon on Sesame Bagel ($12)

Lured to Manchester Press with my promise of salmon, K ordered the Soft Egg with Smoked Salmon on Sesame Bagel ($12). Two halves of a golden toasted bagel came with generous folds of salmon, a medium-boiled egg, and a small serve of salad. The salmon wasn’t jumping with freshness, but it’s not bad. K found his dish to be unremarkable, but he did agree with me that it made for a balanced and tasty meal. He also commented favourably on the bagel, which is saying something, considering he only recently came back from NY.

Chorizo, Cheese, Capsicum, Tomato and Tomato Chutney on Wholemeal Bagel ($12)

I love chorizo anything, especially for brunch. So it was without a doubt that I went for the Chorizo, Cheese, Capsicum, Tomato and Tomato Chutney on Wholemeal Bagel ($12). Much more substantial than K’s offer, my bagel halves came piled high with goodies. Slices of toothsome and spicy chorizo were slathered with a sweet and tangy chutney and topped with strips of slithery capsicum. The bright bold flavours were smoothed out by the creamy cheese and mellow tomato at the bottom. I just managed to finish it all, but by then I was the kind of full where I was afraid to stand up. 

Like every other person before me has noted, the portions here are more sharing-sized than single serves. So grab someone sexy and spread the love! That way you might even be able to fit in some dessert and an extra coffee that way!

Rating: 13/20 – bagels bagels everywhere, so let’s all have a drink