From student chic to sleek: Newport cafe Leroys has a new look

Westside cafe Leroys opened in 2011 but due to some biblical-style flash flooding in January (remember that time, when most of Geelong was underwater?) owners Wally Dabab and Jason Lay decided it was time for a facelift.

"We used to have this Brunswick-style, second-hand furniture vibe," says Dabab. That was before heavy rain brought the roof down (literally). "It was a disaster."

After a five-month renovation, Leroys 2.0 is born; the student house ambience making way for sleek timber fittings, banquette seating and plenty of natural light. But for all the changes it remains a kid-proof cafe for adults, most of whom live within walking distance, judging by the activewear.

Unlike some cafe owners who plan the layout to discourage kids and their paraphernalia,, there's space for two prams to pass side by side while you pick up a takeaway latte, space for little ones to sit and draw at a kid-sized table, space in the bathroom to change a baby's nappy and, come Christmas, space for little people to run wild when a fenced-in playground and rear courtyard are completed.

Dabab and Lay brought in consultant chef Sam Pinzone (if you've been to Small Plates in Eltham or West of Kin in Braybrook you might be familiar with his food) to revamp the menu, although it's actually cooked by head chef Paul Singh.

Singh began as a dishwasher when the cafe opened, climbing the ladder to the top job – now there's a story we don't hear enough in the MasterChef age.

On the new menu you'll find the Weekend Warrior, a breakfast mixed-grill with free-range bacon cut as thick as a pork chop and topped with a hunk of beef cheek slow-cooked in pedro ximenez alongside salty, crumbled black pudding, a corn fritter (the vegetable content is void; it's fried) and a shiny sous-vide egg. It's ugly but delicious. 

Prettier is the excellent house-made roesti with whole roasted field mushrooms, a buttery tangle of enoki and oyster mushrooms and that sous vide egg again (bang on for consistency).

There are healthier options, including a cacao-nib porridge with blood orange, freeze-dried berries and a smattering of edible flowers that ought to make you feel good about yourself, likewise a selection of the lunchtime "superfood salads".

Pinzone plans to overhaul the kids' menu (currently it's Coco Pops, toasties and chicken nuggets) and there's a small sweets cabinet for the peckish. 

Coffee is from old-faithful Campos – espresso plus third-wave options with Moccamaster for batch, V60 and cold drip.

Leroys is nailing the service angle – it's entirely possible the super smiley, switched on wait staff are mind readers; they'll know exactly what you need.