Banff, St Kilda

It's all happening in Melbourne right now. The Commonwealth's best athletes are in town for some world class lawn bowls, ping pong and synchronised swimming. Moomba's on. The Queen's coming. Words can't describe how exciting it is. So before they shut down every useful road in the inner city area, I decided to sneak in a visit to St Kilda for breakfast at Banff, 145 Fitzroy Street, Tel +61 3 9525 3899.



Although I had no complaints with my plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and avocado (all very good), the Banff menu seems strongest on the snacky stuff. Housebaked muffins. Bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Ham, cheese and tomato melt. BLT on Turkish. And a bacon and egg sandwich with chutney and rocket. All sounding very tasty, and all under $7.50.

Service is friendly (if a little slow at times), and the venue has a worn but cosy feel.

If you happen to be a military historian, you'll be interested to know that US soldiers commandeered the place during the World War II. Beats Baghdad, I s'pose.

14/20 "established 1942"