Melbourne Food and Wildlife: Magic Coffee, Hot Jam Doughnuts, and Kangaroos

Hotel and breakfast buffet

Get: The breakfast buffet, including vegetarian bun bo hue

This was a splurge and one of Lisa's dream hotel stays. The breakfast buffet was the part we kept talking about: Asian dishes, fresh juices, and a Vietnamese chef who made a vegetarian bun bo hue that became one of the most memorable hotel breakfasts we have had.

Market crawl

Get: A magic coffee from Market Espresso, a hot jam doughnut from American Doughnut Kitchen, a lamb and caramelized onion pie, and a lamb and vegetable borek

The market was our best one-stop introduction to Melbourne food. The magic coffee was strong but smooth, the hot raspberry-jam doughnut was soft and fresh, and the savory side was just as good. The lamb pie had a flaky, buttery crust and plenty of gravy, while the borek brought onions, spices, and a chewy crust. Go hungry and split everything.

Matcha drinks and dessert

Get: The Momo matcha latte with white-peach jam and the matcha cube

After a few disappointing matchas earlier in the trip, this was the recovery stop. The latte paired Uji matcha with homemade white-peach jam and milk, with a subtle fruit flavor that made it unusually refreshing. The matcha cube was chewy outside with a dense matcha cream and coconut flavor.

Sichuan hot pot

Get: A split pot with mild spicy broth and chicken and pork-stomach broth, plus fish, meat, vegetables, fried rice, and the sauce bar

We chose Panda Hot Pot for the dramatic room and stayed for an excellent meal. Even the mild spicy broth was seriously hot, so keep a drink close and cook vegetables on the non-spicy side unless you want them to absorb all that chile oil. The fish was especially soft and bouncy, and the whole meal came to A$153.89 during our visit.

Seaside landmark

Get: A walk past the colorful historic bathing boxes

We started our wildlife tour at Melbourne's famous row of small, colorful bathing boxes. It was about 46 degrees Fahrenheit and windy during our visit, so bring a layer even if the city itself feels comfortable.

Australian wildlife sanctuary

Get: Wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, a Tasmanian devil, and a quokka

This was the part of the trip that justified the day tour. We fed wallabies and kangaroos, smelled eucalyptus while meeting a koala, and saw several Australian animals for the first time. Follow the sanctuary's instructions when feeding the animals, especially around larger kangaroos with sharp claws.

Japanese hot-stone steak

Get: The lunch combo with steak, rice, salad, soup, and a drink

The steak arrives sizzling so you can finish cooking it yourself. Ours was inexpensive and fast at about A$20 during the trip, but it was only okay and needed the table sauces. It works as a quick lunch, though it was not one of the food highlights.

Bubble tea crawl

Get: Browse Tea White, Machi Machi, CoCo, HEYTEA, ChaPanda, Top Tea, LeTAO, and ChaTraMue before choosing

We found a stretch of the CBD with an almost absurd number of tea shops packed into a short walk. We tried ChaPanda because it was new to us, but the roughly A$9 drink was just okay. The better move is to walk the strip first and pick the shop and menu that look best that day.