Brightbird Espresso

ON WARRNAMBOOL'S main drag, a defunct Chinese restaurant, long past its 1980s prime, shows the truth: the 'Bool has moved on and its eating scene is increasingly more sophisticated.

Year-old Brightbird Espresso, a decidedly metro cafe run by Henry Bird and Mark Brightwell (''Brightbird'': geddit?) is such an example. It would fit just as easily on Collins Street as it does on Liebig Street. It makes sense: Bird was an original owner of Pepper, a well-loved cafe that gave Flemington back-street cred, and Brightwell did a stint at Rumi at Brunswick, among other places.

Here, the counter-top doubles as a kitchen. The fitout is schmick - blond ply tables, polished concrete floor, yellow banquettes and low-hanging globes looped on the ceiling.

Coffee is a focus, the full-bodied Gravity blend consistently made, not too hot and with a rounded, chocolatey finish. There's a range of organic soft drinks, too.

So far, so urban. Yet if any cafe belongs in Warrnambool, this does. Bird and his wife Katherine are born-and-bred locals, as is Brightwell's wife Katrina, so it's not so much a sea change but a return to the 'hood. Both couples having young children clinched the decision. The food is influenced by the city and country - the bacon comes from Istra in Daylesford, the Turkish bread from Alaysa in Brunswick and the beef in the gutsy sausage rolls is from Quinlan's butcher in Koroit.

Breakfast could be eggs baked with Casa Iberica chorizo and a slow-cooked tomato sauce with smoked paprika and cinnamon. Or Middle Eastern spiced beans, or good muesli with pear, pecan and macadamia.

Lunches are simple and fast. I wasn't a huge fan of the caesar wrap. It tasted too pre-made, too cold from the fridge. The ingredients were good but the bread was blah. Better was the sausage roll with yummo relish spiced with cinnamon and mustard seeds. The BLT was also good, with a generous amount of bacon, juicy slow-roasted tomato and avocado.

Hugely addictive is the lime tea slice (made by Christopher Grace), the spongy cake flecked with lime zest, syrupy and zingy with each bite. Another hit is the toffee almond slice.

Move over honey chicken, Warrnambool's dining scene just gets better and better.

Where 157 Liebig Street, Warrnambool, 5562 5749
Prices Breakfasts, $7-$13.90; lunches, $8.50-$15.90; cakes and slices, $3-$4.20
Cards MC V EftposUnlicensed
Open Mon-Fri, 7.30am-4pm; Sat, 8.30am-2pm
Website brightbird.com.au
Cuisine Cafe

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nrousseau@theage.com.au