Now the dust has settled from the hype machine, Station Street Trading Co has quietly become a cool…read morelittle coffee and brunch hangout during the week for locals, dog walkers and peeps who work in the area. Part of a cluster of laid back venues away from the Port Vegas end of the burb, it feels like something of an oasis - being set across the road from the Pepper tree lined park at the 109 North Port tram stop. The building has a certain historic cham, once a corner store, possibly a grocer - the buildings in this area are some of Melbourne's oldest, dating back to the mid 1800's. Station Street's old iron verandah arches over the pavement tables and hanging baskets swing cheerfully above them. Across the road in Raglan Street, a local institution, the Railway Hotel, serves up beer, red wine, steak and horse racing to a ruddy cheeked blokey clientele. But at Station Street Trading Co. the menu is small and yet more interesting. I've seen wardrobes bigger than their kitchen, so you'll understand the direction they've taken with the food. Brunch tempters, sandwiches, salads, grills and homemade baked items rule. The little touches like bacon rippled along skewers and grilled tomatoes still on their truss make the food easy on the eye. It's tasty and uncomplicated. The staff are friendly and chatty. So it's easy to while away the time here staring across at the park, especially when the sun's out. A heads up that it doesn't seat that many people indoors, so if you're there on a Wintry weekend and can't get a seat, just use your Yelp Monocle and wander down to Little Rose, New Lots, Pure Pie or My Sister Says. All very fine establishments close by with a certain North Port synergy.

I've only had their OJ here but it's good enough for me to return and savour other items in their…read moremenu. It's nice to travel outside of the city for a brunch place. It definitely gives off a more suburban setting - peaceful, less noise, and more greeneries. The cafe is a tiny but quaint place with relatively interesting decors. It's quite simplistic and very Earthy with a lot of wooden furnitures propped around. The staff are all very friendly. It's just a nice place to go to if you want a bit of a change from the city cafes. Will put up another review when I pop back there the next time.

I called into Kofi Beans to grab a takeaway large flat white coffee, the décor is really…read moreinteresting, the service was very friendly and the coffee was really nice. They have a really nice selection of food on their menu including vegan options and I have enjoyed coming here occasionally to eat in over the last few years.

Fast and friendly service; wish they stayed open later on Sundays.read more

Popped in for two take away coffees on Christmas Eve, it was relatively busy and our coffees were…read moregreat! I'm definitely keen to come back and try something from the breakfast menu, love the space amd decor!

Mayday mayday mayday! Food is needed! The newest offering from the team behind Axil in Hawthorn…read morewill solve your hunger and thirst. With its prime location on busy Bridge Road, Mayday Coffee and Food brings another option to the growing list of specialty cafes opening along the strip. The street-corner cafe is a large open space that wraps around one edge of the counter and kitchen area. A sleek mixture of black and stained timber furnishings, white painted brick walls, a scattering of hanging baskets and potted plants and an array of downlights provide an inviting and modern vibe. Seating is a mixture of small tables and communal benches. There is also a row of small tables outside around the street front. Axil is known for their creative twists on classic cafe dishes and Mayday is no exception. Designed as an all day dining menu, highlights include the Croque Madame with smoked ham hock, S'more chocolate waffles with cookie parfait, Patatas bravas with chorizo and fried eggs and the Smoked slow roasted beef brisket with with a sweetcorn and cheddar johnnycake and chimichurri sauce. On this visit the Herb crumbed chicken breast with cabbage, apple, peas, bacon bits, chilli and tarragon mustard. The cabbage and apple were shredded and presented as a form of semi-dry slaw perched on top of the juicy yet crunchy chicken breast. The chilli slices provided a welcomed spice hit. A range of pastries, tarts and slices are displayed in a glass cabinet on the counter for that mid-afternoon sweet snack. Cronuts are also available, but on Sundays only. Coffee on offer is a blend and a single origin with espresso and filter options, including cold drip. A range of teas, juices and thickshakes are available. Unlike it's sister cafes, there is also a small selection of beer, cider and wine. Mayday Coffee and Food brings yet another quality addition, backed by a powerhouse name, to what is quickly becoming the Bridge Road destination cafe precinct.

Because Amsterdam Street Café is tucked away from the main Church Street foot traffic, its pretty…read moreeasy to just go by and not notice this gem of a find. Being surrounded by furniture stores, advertising companies and creative agencies however keeps this great little café on its toes all week. But unlike other more well known cafes in the vicinity, Amsterdam Café tends to keep a more down key (read: affordable) character which is appreciated completely. One of my favourite places for breakfast when I used to work on Church Street, Amsterdam café keeps its meals interesting and low priced - which is far form what other places in this mixed use area can claim. Try the Mushroom, goats cheese an thyme omelette - it's a delicious rendition for the senses. Or if you have a sweet tooth (like I do) you must have the French toast - generous portions of thick cut bread which are deceivingly light and satisfying. Maple syrup comes on the side so you can choose how sweet you want your breakfast to be.

Amsterdam St is one of my go-to cafes in Melbourne. I've yet to have a bad meal or a bad coffee in…read moredozens of visits. They are also one of the cafes that regularly stock Sugadeaux Cupcakes. (Definitely try the Red Velvet cupcake). You can't go wrong with their poached eggs. I also regularly have the the BLAT... But, as I said, I've never had a bad meal here, so it's definitely a menu you can explore.

We had originally planned to eat at Monk Bodhi Dharma but didn't realize their kitchen closes at…read more3:00pm on weekdays. What! By then, we were starving so we decided to walk down Carlisle Street and pick a random spot. I spotted a bunch of people sitting outside at Wall Two 80 so we stopped and took a look. It wasn't too busy for a Tuesday afternoon (around 3:45pm) so we were able to snag s table outside. Cute that they have a takeout window which you can also order food at. The menu is small with about two dozen brunch options. There's one daily special that's up inside on the black chalkboard. - Avocado on dark rye ($14.00 AUD) - goat cheese, pickled red onion and toasted pumpkin seeds. The avocado was good but not seasoned with anything. The rye was a big over toasted but I did like the combination of goat cheese, pumpkin seeds and pickled red onion. But to be honest, I wasn't very impressed. Very small portion. I was still hungry afterwards. - Lemongrass & tumeric chicken ($14.50 AUD) - cos lettuce, pickled carrot, cucumber, red radish, coriander, sprouts, peanuts and soy lime dressing. This was my dad's order. I had no idea that it was a salad from the description. Again, incredibly small portion for the price. - Crispy bacon ($14.00 AUD) - multigrain bread with roasted cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado, sriracha and sunny side up fried egg. Litaly stated he could make this better at home. We were all pretty underwhelmed with our meal at Wall Two 80. Perhaps it's a better spot to grab a coffee and people watch along the sidewalk. I wouldn't come back for the bland, boring brunch food.

I was disappointed with this place. Wall Two 80 is located on Carlisle street in Balaclava, an…read moreexcellent location for a cafe. The vibe is pretty cool, has an outside area to eat or dink coffee and people watch. The inside has little nooks so you can hide away and read a book, a large table to sit on stools or tables and chairs in a more open area. I came for brunch and was in need of a coffee, when it arrived I wasn't impressed at all with it. Lacked intensity and flavour. I ordered the house made baked beans with chorizo. It wasn't hot in temperature and the flavour was ordinary. It had a hint of chilli which was nice and was topped with fetta cheese that was quite lack lustre. Staff weren't falling over themselves to serve me either. When they say never judge a book by its cover, sometimes you just need to learn for yourself. Won't return.

Nestled in with the other shops in the lovely Warrandyte area was this little coffee shop/cafe…read morewhere we enjoyed a couple of nice dishes over a kind of impromptu "brunch" gathering with friends. I sampled the Bacon and Egg Burger which came with all the usual suspects but actually had TWO fried eggs on it with bacon and cheese, etc. Very tasty and very filling. Another person tried to the fruit toast - very fresh, tasty and nicely presented. Still another tried the poached eggs and enjoyed them a great deal. Service was fast and friendly and the location just can't be beat with lovely river walks only moments away. Must see place in a must see area.

What ahem of a cafe…read more If you like good coffee, this place is for you. Consistently great quality. Even the decaf is great!! Also good for a light lunch. I've had all day breakfast (poached, sour dough, usual extras), chicken salad was ok (chicken a bit dry), lamb salad much better. My fave so far is the smashed avocado with feta rocket and a poached egg on top. Yum.

Well, we went for a bit more of a wander to find some more places to have a coffee, though my mate…read moreisn't a huge coffee drinker, at least when he isn't at home. We decided to come here, and I must say that I was pretty impressed. The coffee was actually pretty good, and the service wasn't all that bad either. I ended up only having a coffee, namely because there didn't seem to be much space to sit down inside, with restrictions and all, but it was still a pretty good place to check out.

VINTAGE AND RETRO BOOKS (At home feel) SEPT 23RD 2016 1:30PM…read more I once knew a collector back in the US that had a vast majority of vintage books from a long time ago till now. All of which were printed with a very stiff cover and harboured a glosses illustrated tint to them. Some of you reading this might recall such examples like Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys or Jack London's "Call of the Wild" the first fascination to me was the menus in Batches, as they took vintage. Retro styled books and pasted the menu inside them. Curiously, one might be compelled to even start reading them. But its all together a magnificent intrigue of it own and adds character too Batches. There is a sparkling celery tonic drink in the non-alcoholic category of the menu. And as my close friend had remarked its rather refreshing and not too sweet. She would recommend it! She recommends the dish she had also as just and perfect for anytime hunger. Poached eggs over Hash. My dish was the scrambled eggs with sourdough toast And side of spicy baked beans! I have to admit I looked at the other tips and reviews of this place and they were right about getting an egg plate if your not sure cause it was soo filling. And soo perfect for the appitite I did have. One thing that took the .5 away from them was the size of my iced coffee. I'd rather not get into too much detail, but a mouse wouldn't be satisfied with that either... (Sorry no picture of it cause it was that embarrassing) Although I must admit; Prior to receiving the drink at my table I thought it great the server asked if I wanted it over ice cream or just milk. Most places I've already been to here in Melbourne assume- ice cream unless you say otherwise. If it was taller and little larger then a water glass then I would have given them full 5stars. The novelty of Batches is its "homestead" feel and a go to Grandma's home and read book feel!! Get full and come back again! Loved it!!

This place was beautiful and a wonderful experience. From presentation to taste, everything was…read moreamazing. Was able to visit with my mother and aunt and we had a lovely brunch.

The food was incredible and the desserts were amazing. HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend. I am visiting my…read morehusband's family from the US, and this restaurant is a must do if visiting Melbourne especially over the holidays. They are decked out in Christmas decorations, and the prices are reasonable. I will definitely encourage my friends and family to eat here if they are in the area