Footscray Milking Station is an engaging cafe located in the burbs in Footscray. Once upon a time it used to be a milking station. Unlike many other cafes it is actually right in a neighbourhood not a cafe or shopping strip. It's as local as local gets. Come here of a weekday morning and you'll be lining up for coffee - usually it's a packed house. Grab a table and be prepared for friendly service and tasty treats. I'm amazed at how well the staff do under pressure, with (nearby) Council crew enjoying a coffee or breakfast before their working day starts.

Footscray Milking Station serves up first class Padre coffee in retro cups. Enjoy the timber floor, exposed brick, tasty treats in cabinets and boards with specials. Check out the old milk bottles used for water (quaint).

Industry Beans has been making a big impression since it opened recently as a quintessential Melbourne cafe with nondescript entrance (off Rose St Fitzroy), chic fit out and top grade coffee and cuisine. Set back from the street you enter a semi industrial world of creative space and transformation. High ceilings and interesting paneling combine with funky lighting and attractive tiling along the counter. This ex-warehouse now has the feel of a large studio.

Having visited once I returned 3 times in a week to sample more of the menu and the coffee. Couldn't get enough. I found Industry Beans a great cafe to relax, imbibe, and check my emails and tweets. Brothers Trevor and Steve Simmons have done wonders with this space.

Le Chien is a funky almost grungy cafe in Seddon that pleases with its sharp service and brilliant cuisine and coffee. Set back from the main strip, Le Chien is an interesting place to meet friends and is more alternative than commercial. A highlight is the sophisticated art on the wall and the tribute to Iggy Pop. The small portrait of Iggy Pop comes with the caption "I wanna be your dog." Of course Le Chien is French for "dog" - my French is brilliant I know. But I immediately recognised the reference to the song "I'm bored" by Iggy Pop, a song we used to play in my time with band The TV Dinners. Iggy pouts and exclaims he is "living like a dog...." I won't quote the rest of the song...

Le Chien serves up some of the best coffee in the precinct. Sit and imbibe the kind of 60s cool here with dark tables, retro benches and the artwork. A large board details the daily specials.

A feature of Melbourne is its gem cafes in the burbs. Miss Marmalade is such a delightful cafe that appeals on so many levels. It brings the joy of a cafe that prides itself on great service, excellent cuisine and awesome coffee. It also prides itself on connection with the community and a quirky charming fit out that is a nod to all things local.

Wanting to enjoy a lengthy breakfast at Miss Marmalade I was stunted by crazy traffic on the Eastern. I might have travelled to Canberra in the same time. The serenity and bloom of flowers at Miss Marmalade quickly made me forget the hectic nature of Melbourne traffic.

Seddon Deadly Sins is a funky cafe in Seddon with a clever name and a culinary excellence. Seddon has become a cafe haven these days and Seddon Deadly Sins is one of the finest.  The decor and menu isn't predictable (presented inside a little Golden Book). Locals love this place for its style and for its dining spaces (including the outdoor courtyard).

Seddon Deadly Sins has a cool ambience with great use of timber and glistening varnish on the tables. Interesting figures and quirky pieces adorn. I enjoyed the distressed wall, Phantom comics wallpaper, red lamps and cabinets with tasty treats. The mood is alternative and this includes the music selection.

Once A Tailor is about the simplicity of Sicilian food in upmarket Hawthorn. The World Loves Melbourne was invited by John Bertuna and Tony Verga as part of a bloggers event for a sampling of the menu. The stunning ambience was married to simple fresh cuisine that focuses on breakfast and lunch. We dined in the outdoor part of the restaurant, open and charming - a superb setting for events and functions. 

Once A Tailor is Sicilian inspired but don't think it's pasta driven. There's a great range of cuisine to please most palates and tastes. All Italian inspired restaurants need to do bread well. Once A Tailor serves up quality bread, and this Olive foccacia served with oil, is a delightful example of the Italian tradition.

Top Paddock is already one of Melbourne's standout cafes with its spacious modern fit out and extensive imaginative menu. Meeting here in a trendy part of Richmond with my salubrious brother (Melbourne businessman and food critic extraordinaire) we commented that "these people know what they're doing". And they surely do being of the stable of Three Bags Full, APTE and Two Birds One Stone - some of the best cafes in Melbourne. Chatting with one of the owners Nathan Toleman at the restaurant, the team have pulled their experience from the other cafes and have even progressed the cafe concept.

What I love is that the team have not reproduced their earlier successes but sought to give Top Paddock its own identity. In the early days of Three Bags Full it seemed there were similarities with the menu of stalwart APTE. Which is fine. But here at Top Paddock the menu options are distinctive and even exploring new ground. Kudos.

Top Paddock has a light and airy feel with plenty of space (and is accessible with nearby parking) and great use of timber paneling and modern fittings. Some serious coin has gone into the layout and to great effect. Top Paddock has a superb ambience for romantic escapades or catching up with friends. Check out the tiling along the wall, dark timber floor, semi industrial ceiling, cool world music (at the time) and the cute display cabinets with treats. The spacious outdoor area is also alluring on a fresh Melbourne morning.

8 Days Cafe is pleasing many a coffee lover and brunch devotee in classy Armadale. Surrounded by galleries and antique shops on the High Street 8 Days Cafe is a shining light in a precinct crying out for a serious cafe and coffee haven. 

I ventured there to meet up with my business extraordinaire friend. When you are into big business you need to take clients to an impressive cafe or restaurant. 8 Days Cafe delivers on ambience with a modern fit out and plenty of space. They make good use of their tables on the pavement although I had to be careful not to lean back into the flower garden...

As we discussed matters of importance the wait staff came and warmly engaged us, as they did throughout, starting with my favourite line "Would you like to start with a coffee?" 

Enter Louie, an all-day eatery, bar and coffee house, open seven days a week serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as coffee and snacks. 

Set on Domain Road in South Yarra, Louie takes in views of the Royal Botanical Gardens, which has had a strong influence on the restaurant’s food and beverage offering and vibe. 

The Gardens are inviting and unpretentious, used by all manner of people in a myriad of ways. Louie was born of the desire to create a place for the local community, which draws on the lack of pretension the gardens elicit, a place to lounge over the paper, laugh with friends, enjoy dinner with the family, have a business lunch or grab something on the run. 

The food is interesting, inventive and approachable. The menu delivers simple, beautiful dishes built on the quality of the ingredients that are sourced in season and from Victoria wherever possible. Each dish is characterised by uncluttered, clean flavours. 

"I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!" said the White Rabbit. De Mad Hatter is a ever popular cafe in Docklands precinct that pleases with its cafe style cuisine, excellent coffee and cheery service. The fit out is modern and relaxed with large windows onto Collins St and a spacious feel. A concrete floor, Rabbit's timepiece large clock face, low ceilings and large communal table greet patrons. Not to mention the obligatory exposed brick at the counter.

Amusing is the Alice in Wonderland theme. As a corporate entering the cafe its unusual to see items on a menu such as Alice's Brunch and the Wonderland Big Breakfast. Then again many corporates can identify with a fantasy world where things aren't quite as they seem...

Maybe this cafe speaks of corporate restructures... "Off with their heads!" said the Queen of Hearts.

Spring St Grocery is an exciting new development in one of Melbourne's most iconic precincts with Italian influences on Spring St. The excitement is in the quality gelati, the coffee and simple menu items, as well as in the staged expansion of the grocery concept including florist and gift shop. The ultimate will be in the cheese room (being developed at the back in a basement).

Spring St Grocery is a place to come for your fresh juices and gelati... You can take away or dine in (limited seating at this stage). Friendly staff engage and there is a great culture from related businesses such as The European and City Wine Shop.

The fit out is all class with extravagant flooring and decor in the European style. These guys don't do anything by half measures!

Green Refectory is one of the most ambient, reasonably priced, hipster cafes in Melbourne and thrills with its home made creations. The large blackboard teems with interesting cuisine from the famous Breakfast stack (remarkable $10) to wraps, burritos and chunky home made pies. The line up here at 4.30pm on a weekday was akin to Gate 3 at the MCG during a final. These guys are superpopular and for good reason...

Enter and grab yourself a bottle of water from the fridge then sit down at one of the chunky old timber tables and admire the Amor artwork, the exposed brick walls, floral arrangements, the staff rushing around, the chandelier and other quirky pieces and art. Even the table/order marker is a quirky small piece of square canvas. Here we have quirk and mismatch that works in a shabby chic kind of way...

Rustica Sourdough is a sublime artisan breadmaker and bakery recently opened on Brunswick Street that is surely a standout in Melbourne. Come here for a superb cafe/restaurant experience as well as some of the best bread in Melbourne, as baked by Brenton Lang (ex Phillipa's) and his team. Rustica Sourdough serves up a cracker breakfast or lunch with a menu brimming with foodie options. I was invited here to sample some of the wares.

The breads at Rustica Sourdough are top class. I think I'll grab a Rustica loaf anytime I can get to Brunswick Street. I've savoured every bite of the Seedy Wholewheat Sourdough loaf I took home after my visit and absolutely loved it. I'm not easily impressed by breads - in fact I rarely like a bread from a supermarket and most bakers don't impress me. The bread was so good with excellent density, a sweetness of honey to balance the wholewheat flavour, an intensity and variety of seeds including sesame, linseed, sunflower and pumpkin - that I didn't need anything on it to enjoy it. Needless to say however I also added some Salmon steaks on top of the bread and it was a sublime combination.

I'm used to many a wine tasting but it was new for me to sit down to a bread tasting. The traditional Organic White sourdough was surprisingly light and airy, with a delicate sourdough flavour. I have to admit my love for butter and enjoyed this superb sourdough with loads of butter. This bread is versatile and great for sandwiches.

New York Tomato is another Melbourne treasure and Richmond icon with eclectic setting, excellent cuisine and engaging service. Typically Melbourne, this place sits back from the main road and is hidden in the heart of the suburb. Roller doors open up a wondrous courtyard which is also the main dining precinct. A smattering of potted plants and retro chairs and tables gives New York Tomato a great feel. One could be mistaken for thinking this place is an American diner with its name, but it's enjoying Mexican influences under its new owners.

New York Tomato boasts some excellent dishes including Corn and chick pea pancakes, NYT Spring eggs with smashed peas and Greek fetta, Baked eggs, Free range eggs on toast with a host of sides, and toasted pides.

But the star of the show is the Quesadilla as pictured above with refried beans, cheese, topped with jalapenos, salsa and sour cream and killer guacamole. I rate this as one of Melbourne's most satisfying breakfast dishes. Often with a Quesadilla you just get a thin offering with a few ingredients inside. New York Tomato gives you thick filling with the refried beans and cheese - and then serves up generous salsa and guacamole on the side. So it becomes a hearty breakfast and at a good price. 

Rowena Parade Corner Store has that authentic feel of a "local" and is a part of the iconic history of Richmond. I love how the milk bars of yesteryear are enhanced to cater for modern needs. This Greek influenced cafe is another Richmond classic. You don't have to be Einstein to see that the early morning crowd is made up of regulars who just love this place.

Rowena Parade Corner Store is a cafe and a store. There are food products on shelves along the walls to make for a colourful and appealing atmosphere. The staff are more engaging than most and regularly smile - yes smile! What's with that? Rowena Parade Corner Store is definitely a convivial happy place. And I love it.

Bendigo Street Milk Bar is a great local cafe in the Richmond/Burnley precinct tucked just off Swan Street. It hums with excellent food, personal service and brilliant spaces - including a funky outdoor area out the back where locals can enter through a side laneway. Owners Di and Mario Stefano have brought the love to this community icon in recent times. Milk bar, food store and cafe. It's one of the areas' treasures and locals love it. I enjoyed breakfast as a guest of Bendigo Street Milk Bar.

As a child I grew up with the humble milk bar of my Adelaide Hills community. It was full of charm and simplicity. Bendigo Street Milk Bar captures that charm but adds a layer of sophistication. It has a cool ambience with a touch of retro, and a lounge room feel.  Natural light steams through the large windows of this spacious cafe, with a pleasant leafy street outside. Generous cushions invite one to recline. Quirky pieces and a cool carpet add to the ambience. An upstairs area is perfect for a business meeting or catch up with a group of friends. And hey, kids can draw.

Iconic Hellas Cakes is celebrating 50 years of serving Melbourne with its sensational cakes and sweets. This is another treasure of Melbourne, with traditions and values of yesteryear brought into the modern context. If ever a place oozed charm it's here. A recent renovation has opened up the most wonderful space that is simple, attractive and unpretentious.

In 1962 a post-war Greek immigrant Hraklis Kenos opened up a cake shop at the Swan Streets end of Lennox Street. Hraklis was a practising pastry chef who wanted to treat the Greek community to fine cakes and pastries. The business was sold to the Laliotis and Kantaris families and third generation pastry chefs are being groomed in the business today.

Loads of fresh quality Greek cakes are for sale at value prices. When I asked the staff about the great prices they told me some of the older Greek women would revolt if the prices went up too high.

Madame Mango is an conic cafe in Camberwell on Burke Road, pleasing with its ambience as much as its cuisine. I found my experience here refreshing due to the homely yet chic atmosphere and the engaging service from the waitress and the manager.

I walked in and noticed a "cafe with a restaurant tone" with expensive looking wallpaper and lamp shades and the advent of a chandelier in the second room. There's no lack of space here with two rooms and a courtyard, as well as an area on Burke Street. The manager tells me they will open up the courtyard soon in Spring for a couple of nights a week. Yes Madame Mango is about to do evening work.

I enjoyed the leather bench and mango looking orange cushions, old clock on the wall, classic display cabinet and that wallpaper.