Just open: Second Empire Cafe

A short history lesson: Second Empire is a grand, monumental architectural style popular during the Second French Republic, between 1852 and 1870. It's also the name of the latest cafe on Hawthorn's buzzy Burwood Road strip. A $17.9 million redevelopment has transformed Hawthorn's heritage-listed town hall into the Hawthorn Arts Centre, with Second Empire Cafe, operated by Epicure caterers, on the ground floor. French-born chef Christophe Serre heads the kitchen, serving breakfast and lunch dishes such as eggs benedict with Istra ham, fruit salad with Tasmanian lavender honey and vanilla yoghurt, and a wicked Thai sticky pork belly salad (pictured). Coffee is Genovese Fair Trade. Open Monday to Friday, 7.30am-6pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 7.30am-4pm.

Details: Second Empire Cafe, ground floor, Hawthorn Arts Centre, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn, 9290 9400.