Public Transport: Catch the No. 96 St Kilda Tram and get off at Middle Park.

A really nice little cafe on route. I was heading to St Kilda on the No. 96 to see a friend when I noticed this cafe. A location like this — built into an old train station, and now a caf’d up tram stop — is an eye catcher and I immediately needed to hang out here. Jumping off, I headed into a quiet, calm atmosphere.

The staff are lively, but there’s an air of relaxation. Nobody out the front at this stage. Walking through the single main room (about two tables taken here) I went out onto the rear balcony area. Umbrellas are up, some guys playing tennis in a court beyond and city buildings showing in the distance. There’s quite a few here on the balc, it’s a good spot to be. A girl on her own, about three couples and a young family.

Meals are cheap. I ordered the mushroom soup and a long black. The long black comes out within 4 minutes and is quite full with a good but not powerfully strong flavour. The soup comes out a bit later, it could’ve been a bit hotter, but there’s plenty of mushrooms and it’s rich in flavour. Comes with a slab of white bread.