Last night while out on a ‘photo walk’ of Melbourne city with some photography buddies (highly cool, promise…!) I had the great pleasure of meeting the owner of Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar in Melbourne, Nino. Pellegrini’s is a Melbourne institution, having been around since 1954 it is said that Pellegrini’s was the first place (!) in Melbourne to have an Espresso Machine – opening the gates to a city obsession. Nino has owned the joint since 1974. He seemed to know most of the people who passed by, greeting them by name with a wave and a cheeky grin. Nino is quite the charmer… he kissed my hand upon meeting, easily chatting away to me – I felt like I’d known him forever! When Nino discovered I was from New Zealand, the conversation immediately turned to rugby. Turns out Nino is a sponsor of the latest team to join Super Rugby, the Melbourne Rebels – he was rather passionate about the game, one of the few in Melbourne! Loved meeting you Nino, I will definitely make a point of visiting your highly acclaimed restaurant soon x