Maddox

Summer dining rolls along pretty happily if a side order of sea breeze comes free with your meal, but it's not always so simple in Brunswick, where the air can be so still and your best chance of catching a breeze is in the dusty wake of trucks and trams. A more pleasant option than chasing the grit kicked up by Sydney Road's traffic is Maddox, which offers summer salvation in many ways.

The cafe opened in August and is around the corner from Brunswick Pool. House-made raspberry lemonade, relaxed, smiling and efficient service, and coconut-poached chicken noodle salad are among many Maddox recipes for transforming punishing 40-degree blasts into pleasant rays of sunshine.

Enjoy them in the air-conditioned main room with its open kitchen and dangerous views of the cake cabinet.

There is a one-person window bench just begging for an angsty diary-writing session and the back parlour is the perfect zone for a birthday lunch or business meeting.

Design drawings for the interior are framed and hung in the unisex bathroom. They speak of the quiet pride and satisfaction that spring from turning a bare shell into a heartfelt success.

There is obvious pride in the food too. The menu isn't complicated but it's exuberant and full of dishes that say ''eat me''. I like the fried Arabian eggs, sprinkled with chilli flakes, spiced labna and pink pickled onions. The Frenchie banana brioche is a monument to breakfast as dessert: fat slabs of brioche are sandwiched with sliced banana, eggy-dipped and fried, and cut into triangles of golden, crunchy goodness.

Accompanying rhubarb and strawberries make a tasty gesture towards health.

Breakfast is served all day, but if you are feeling lunchy, the Manwich is a porky paean to the art of sandwiching, featuring a rich, spicy pork patty, a slab of smoky Kaiserfleisch, garlic aioli and tomato relish.

Summer daze and cake don't generally go together, but the banana cake with its high-topped frosting is compelling. The coffee is great (iced, if desired). Maddox is child-friendly, but its expansive spirit means it's more accurate to call it human-friendly, even when the weather isn't.

Rating: Three and a half stars (out of five).