My Melbourne: Zaadie Fourie

Attracted by the completely different weather, dining scene and arts and culture, Zaadie Fourie packed up her life in Brisbane and moved to Melbourne.

“When I got here, I started working with some of the specialty coffee houses and became really interested in it,” says Zaadie. “I’ve always loved St Ali, so when the opportunity came up to bring it to the Adelphi I jumped at the chance.”

Now, she splits her time between training the hotel staff — coffee is a new focus with the arrival of Little Nom, the foyer coffee cart — making coffees and pursuing her own studies at RMIT.

“It means I spend a lot of time in the city,” she says. “And the Adelphi is in such a great location. Flinders Lane is pure Melbourne — it’s a hub of culinary and creative culture.

“If guests asked me for a suggestion, I’d tell them to walk through Federation Square and towards the NGV. There’s always an amazing special exhibition on — it really is world class. They might also want to take a look at some of the lesser-known galleries along Flinders Lane, like Anna Schwartz or Arc One. That’s one of the things I really love about Melbourne — there’s both a small- and large-scale arts scene.”

When she’s not studying or working, Zaadie and her friends like to grab some fresh produce from either Queen Victoria or Prahran Market, buy a bottle of wine and enjoy one of the parks around the city. “We also like to go to Naked for Satan. Usually we start downstairs and have some of the $2 pintxos [Spanish finger food] then go upstairs to Naked in the Sky for a drink with a view.”

Zaadie's Melbourne Picks

Cafe Fitzroy is where I like to go for a bit of downtime. Plug Nickle is run by a really nice team. They’re really onto it and change the coffee blends regularly.

Bar I used to live near Horse Bazaar. It’s in the Korean hub in the city, so I’d go out for some Korean food and head there. It’s small and hidden, but it’s really cool, with projections, hip-hop and live bands.

Restaurant The concept at Smith and Daughters is crazy. I try to eat vegan, but it can be hard if your friends and family don’t. This is an interesting place with a cool vibe and nice cocktails, too.

Shop I’m not really big on buying new things, so I often go to Recycle Boutique, where it’s all about sustainability and good quality pieces. They take designer stuff, so you can swap your clothes and get something new.