This little cafe is opposite Windsor train station next to pedestrian crossing and is quite unassuming with its dark exterior. Inside however is a little slice of eclectic Parisian luxury that is becoming more and more common place along the Windsor strip. Just in the front door you are greeted by the barista standing behind a big chrome espresso machine mounted on a beautiful green marble bench. The cafe is quite narrow with seating arranged into a series of alcoves giving plenty of options for various groups. Most importantly however is that this place serves great coffee. If your getting takeaway try a double shot as for some unknown reason (no, the cups are not bigger) the coffee tastes a bit weak in the paper cup.
Great value on the takeaways as well, only $2.50.

We had lunch to celebrate a birthday with a group of 17. The back room was a little small for one long table but the waiting staff were more than happy to oblige with an unusual table arrangement to accommodate us all, even though our directions led to the least inefficient seating layout possible; and then they would have been perfectly happy, if not somewhat amused, to change it all back again had we insisted. All this on a full house Saturday - full compliments. I liked the way they listed scrambled eggs with three eggs at a slightly increased cost (a single whole dollar more than 2 fried eggs); this is much more preferable than getting two eggs smeared across the toast at about the same thickness you would apply jam. Another thing I liked was the steady supply of water bottles being delivered to the table, a few of our party had indulged the night before and this simple service was greatly appreciated. Further to this, the kitchen managed to get all the meals out before the first person finished theirs. Most significantly though, I had two cappuccinos, 1 great coffee always leads to another.

Approximate cost: $15

JJ's is fantastic – it's a stepford wives meets quentin tarantino experience that just can't be replicated. As you try and snag a seat in the retro dining area the size of grandma's kitchen the sashimi chef, who commands full view of the room, goes right at it with razor sharp blades moving at blistering speed, purposeful in a way only the Japanese can be, while the light sweat on his brow seeps slowly into his rising sun headband.

Approximate cost: $18

I love a restaurant with good service, definitely in top 10 territory here. The waiter was one of those special kind who could, while facing the other way on the other side of a mood lit room, tell precisely which piece of cutlery you dropped by the pitch of the tune it made as it bounced off the floor and would appear silently by your table with the correct replacement well before you even considered summoning him for precisely this reason. The menu and wine list was fairly basic for the caliber of reputation this joint carries, not that many people want a good Chianti to go with their seafood paella but just the same, a few exciting items wouldn't go astray. They have combo meal deal to offset the price during the week, so pony up and get the oysters for entree and the morton bay bugs for main, both quite good dishes. The beach is great for a romantic walk after; it'll help sober you to face your kids at 6 the next morning.

Approximate cost: $35

I take my family here because they have a great view of the train station, are well equipped for children, offer up a decent serve of scrambled eggs on toast and have made a decent go of the interior design to achieve a too cool for school look without feeling that way. Unfortunately, 2007 was the year when good coffee went bad with consistently inconsistent weak coffee being the usual suspect proffered up for your drinking displeasure. Our tolerance terminated on 22 February 08 when we received a latte instead of a flat white; (that's a bit harsh you might be thinking), but we received the replacement fw in about 3 nanoseconds and realised the barista had resorted to the old 'they'll never notice' routine by pouring the latte into a cup. Voila! Upon seeking an explanation we were given a fairly lame "dunno".

Approximate cost: $12.00