3 Double 2, Prahran

Prahran Market is one of my favourite fresh produce markets to visit. Although not that big, it has a large variety to browse and choose from, not to mention, it houses the awesome Essential Ingredient shop. I obviously can't afford to buy a lot of the things in the store (such as fresh truffles…), but just wandering through the store makes the girl in me giggle with joy. There are so many interesting ingredients that I wouldn't know where to buy otherwise.

I also love Fujimart, a Japanese grocery and house goods store right next to the market. This store is a definite visit every time Yuye and I are in the vicinity. You can pretty much purchase all the ingredients for making a great Japanese meal here as well as any plates and bowls that take your fancy, or even a bottle of sake to go with dinner!

Prahran is not only good for the market but also for the variety of restaurants and cafes in the area. Across the road is a cafe called 3 Double 2 where we enjoyed a very late lunch last week before rushing to the market. It is obviously named after the number of the store on busy Chapel St which I thought was ingenious because we would never forget where it is located. Although the decorations in the cafe were minimal, it still had comfy seats with soft velvety cushions that I could lean back on and interesting chandeliers to take my attention away from ordering my meal. I always take a long time deciding what to eat because I get distracted by my surroundings. Not a good thing this time as we were rushing to go the market before they close at 5pm.

Across from where we were seated was a DJ area with a turntable and music event posters stuck on the wall. I can just imagine this place full of livelihood and loud music at night when the crowd rushes in for after work mingling and late night drinks. Although their bar isn't the biggest around, it has all the essentials.

I started with a lemon lime and bitters ($3.50), my usual non-alcoholic drink when I can't decide what else to have. It was cold and refreshing, but perhaps needed a little more bitters to give it that extra bit of flavour.

Yuye ordered a dish off the specials board, a T-Bone steak with wedges and salad ($15). For such a cheap price, I was expecting something small and unappetising. However, I was surprised. The meat was well cooked and still rare in the middle (like how we wanted it) and there was plenty of meat and pepper sauce to keep Yuye happy. The wedges were crispy and well seasoned, however the salad was slightly oily, perhaps because of too much dressing.

I ordered lamb fillets with feta cheese, spinach, tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, grilled potatoes and topped with tzatziki sauce for $22. It was a plate full of fresh vibrant colours and made me salivate just looking at it. The flavours were wonderfully complemented by each other and I actually felt healthy eating it. I also loved the textures that the feta, salad and potatoes had which made this dish very interesting. Although the lamb was well cooked as you can see, still red in the middle, it was a little too tough for my liking. However, this was a very minor issue given how good the dish was overall. I would have loved just that tiny bit more tzatziki sauce though, without the sauce, the lamb became a little on the bland side.

We chowed down our dishes like hungry madmen who hadn't eaten for days and then quickly rushed out the door. Normally I would have also ordered a coffee and sipped it slowly while taking in the atmosphere but not that day. Maybe next time we're in the area, I will sit down and enjoy the meal properly.

3 Double 2
Phone: (03) 9510 3355
322 Chapel St Prahran 3181

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