Two Lost Boys

WHERE AND WHAT

At the bottom of what must be Windsor's smallest street is a small, perfectly formed cafe with a small, near-perfectly formed menu. Two Lost Boys was opened a few months back by Justin Kony and Michael Almagor, both veterans of Melbourne's cafe scene (recently Hobba and Dukes Coffee Roasters), and the emphasis here is on the increasing trend for all-day brunch.

WHERE TO SIT

Light and airy, the cafe's fitout has worked cleverly around an awkwardly shaped space, with high, recycled wooden benches at the wall of windows overlooking Windsor train station, and bench seats and tables elsewhere.

The cafe's centrepiece is a central bar in front of the kitchen, bookended by recycled parts of vintage stained-glass doors.

There are a couple of outside tables too and, while the people-watching isn't great at the bottom of this dead-end street, it's a pleasant spot for a coffee away from the madness of nearby Chapel Street.

DRINK

Two Lost Boys takes its coffee seriously, with filter and espresso from East St Kilda boutique roaster Monk Bodhi Dharma, and milk from Schulz Organic Farms in Timboon, south-west Victoria. There's also a range of tea, juice and mineral waters.

EAT

The breakfast menu (till 3.30pm) has a couple of standout dishes among the conventional Bircher muesli (apple and almond, topped with pomegranate seeds, $9) and baked eggs (with French-style white beans and goat's cheese, $14) - the knafeh, a Mediterranean-style pastry filled with ricotta and halva, and topped with rosewater syrup, crushed pistachio and Egyptian fairy floss ($10), perhaps reflecting the Israeli heritage of head chef Moshe Ittah, and the sweet potato and beetroot fritters. These blood-red beauties look particularly artful on the plate, and come with house-cured salmon carpaccio, a couple of perfectly poached eggs, spinach and a dash of rich horseradish and walnut cream ($16). It might sound like too many flavours fighting it out in one dish, but the bitter beetroot and the sweet potato form a very happy marriage.

Lunches (from 11.30am) are somewhat simpler (a brioche burger $16 with wedges; house-cured salmon salad, $16.50), although the duck salad ($17) - confit duck in tempura batter on a bed of watercress, radicchio and orange, dressed with melted duck fat - and the fattoush salad - sumac-spiced pita with tomato, Spanish onion, cucumber and parsley ($14; $18 with lamb strip loin) - are anything but.

The cakes and tarts are also made in house. The pecan tart ($5.50), all buttery pastry and chewy toffee, is a highlight.

WHO'S THERE

Weekday commuters grabbing takeaway coffee, south-side hipsters at weekends.

WHY BOTHER

Interesting twists on traditional brunch fare; superb coffee.