When someone here in the office announces they're going to Melissa's for lunch it's often met with nods of approval and/or sounds of envy. Melissa's, located in the Vic Arcade, is a great example of an old school milk bar the likes of which I subsisted on throughout my high school years. On my menu today were a pie, a small serve of chips and extra gravy. The pie comes out lovely and inviting, with a great, puffed up top, and the gravy looks smooth and rich. The chips looked a bit underseasoned and perhaps not crispy enough, but I know the gravy will make up for that. While there is some seating available, which is always nicely buzzy, I chose to take my meal back to the office.

The chips do turn out to be a bit denser than I generally prefer, but they make a good vehicle for the gravy, which is absolutely fantastic. A good blend of saltiness and flavour complement the chips very well. I've opted for the chicken pie this time. The pastry, as always, has delicious light buttery-ness to it, which surprisingly has survived the walk to my office well and still retains the perfect amount of softness without getting soggy. The chicken filling is generous and tasty, though I feel like it could have benefited from the addition of a few vegetables like a bit of carrot and celery. In this regard the steak and mushroom pie I had here the other day comes out on top.

My meal came out to $8.80 and was easily enough to satisfy my lunchtime pangs, so, even if you add a couple of bucks for a drink, it's a pretty reasonable feed.