But then again, too few to mention

I did what I had to do

And saw it through without exemption

You know when you've ordered the wrong thing off the menu?

It can make or break your morning!

Sometimes you're tossing up between two or three dishes and the waitstaff catch you out midway through Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe.

"Miny, Moe," you say, "Ahem! I mean the charred broccoli with chilli labna and poached egg but no fried haloumi."

Then your sister-in-law orders the same dish but with the fried haloumi and you know you've messed it up, mightily.

What were you thinking?!

Then you remember you haven't had a flat white yet.

Your 12-year-old daughter is tossing up between fried chicken and waffles with whipped chipotle butter and canadian (sic) maple and ricotta hotcakes with lemon curd. (You're deliberating over why they wouldn't cap Canadian but were happy to cap Monterrey Jack (sic) and add an extra R!)

Now your daughter is at an ordering impasse while you're proof-reading the entire breakfast, lunch and brunch menu.

"The lemon hotcakes are your perfect dish," you say, finally.

When your niece's order for fried chicken and waffles turns up, you catch a sideways glance of your daughter's face and remind yourself to never-ever again weigh in.

Your daughter likes her hotcakes but vows to come back to Archie's All Day on Gertrude Street for the fried chicken and waffles ASAP. My sister-in-law once had to wait a whole year to make a wrong-dessert-order right at Chin Chin. She'd ordered on the waiter's recommendation while four of us stuck with the signature ice cream dish. Her heartache lasted 12 months!

Every year, on the first weekend of May, the girls and women on my husband's side of the family go to Melbourne.

On the seventh annual trip last weekend two high school newbies joined us for the first time. We eat, shop and leave, together, with our cups metaphorically filled up and only a few measly food ordering regrets to chew over.

MORE MATERIAL GIRL:

Friday, brunch, Hardware Societe

Three sisters-in-law with a daughter apiece order eggs and hot chocolate or combinations thereof. A text declares the secondary school-aged girls have been marked absent. Please explain: Medical, holiday or natural disaster. None of the above!

Noon, Melbourne Emporium

Within 15 minutes my daughter buys the key things on her shopping list: a Uniqlo puffer jacket and Peter Alexander PJs. "Done!" I say, "Now we can just eat and go to shows." Suddenly, there is a revised list!

3pm, Sugar Republic, Myer, Level 6

I take the two tweens to 12 sugar-inspired theme rooms at the top of Myer. My niece is thrilled to find "free lollies" in each room, though I feel we've paid for them, and some. The ball pit, with stunning views of the city skyline, is surprisingly serene.

5pm, Quest on Bourke

My daughter leans back on the sofa to discover a pink plastic ball from the ball pit has stowed away in her hoodie.

6pm, Longrain, 40 Little Bourke Street

Highlights are salt and pepper silken tofu, dry rendang curry of wild clover lamb rump and the Gin Sin. A dessert tasting platter means we can share everything. No regrets!

Saturday, 9am, Archie's All Day

Epic. Especially the fried chicken!

Saturday, 6.30pm, Taxi Kitchen, Federation Square

Amazing views of Melbourne and a menu that never disappoints. The crispy turnip cakes with nori vinegar dipping sauce hit the spot as do wagyu and ginger dumplings. Every city restaurant now seems to offer their own branded gin. Taxi Kitchen gin, souvenir shopping, tick.

Sunday, noon, Easey's, Collingwood

We dine in a vintage train carriage in the sky on enough carbs to see us through until Tuesday week. My daughter orders the fried chicken sandwich with bacon slaw and cheese. I do the same. To do otherwise, would be risking major food regrets. I've had a few!