Martha Cove Cafe and Store

The editor was adamant: "You've got to get out of the inner north."

"But I went once and there's nothing there," I whined in email reply.

"Just go," she wrote, followed by an emoticon that hinted "Puttin' My Foot Down".

Which is how I found myself at Martha Cove Cafe and Store, recently relaunched by Peter Rowland Catering, which runs venues including Persimmon, the Tea Room and the Gallery Kitchen at the National Gallery of Victoria, and the Hill Winery Cafe in Geelong.

Martha Cove is a residential marina development at Safety Beach on the Mornington Peninsula, in the shadow of Mount Martha's leafy suburban southern flank.

The cafe perches above a boardwalk around the 750-berth marina, and tables on the deck have a view of unnaturally green water and who knows how many tens of millions of dollars worth of gleaming Evinrude, Stabicraft and PowerCat. Inside are more tables and a sofa that shares one end of the space with the development's sales office (you could pick up a berth and a block of land with lunch).

Breakfast, until noon, covers the bases with bacon and egg rolls and smashed avo, feta and lime on sourdough (both available all day) as well as huevos rancheros or zaatar-seasoned baked eggs with beans and pancetta.

There was no sign of Peter Rowland's famous chicken sandwiches (roast chicken, chives and mayo on sourdough) in the display cabinet, although the kitchen did offer to make one up.

The lunch specials were all pizza - a calabrese, a pumpkin and blue cheese and a margherita. The margherita had a thin, not-too-crisp base, a bit of nice tomatoey sugo, but a slightly heavy hand with the mozzarella - in honour of my 12-year-old, perhaps.

The kitchen also helpfully whipped up a smoked salmon salad when nothing on the menu appealed to co-luncher number three. It was a nice pile of fresh leaves, tomato and cucumber with a few slices of salmon draped on top and some pieces of roasted pumpkin and eggplant, presumably diverted from the pizza (nothing wrong with a little improvisation), dressed with mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise features on one of the regular lunch mains, too: a pork roll with gravy and slaw. The toasted roll (not brioche!) was loaded with slices of roast pork and running with gravy; the slaw sat in a little pot on the wooden serving board beside it. The mayo was a little too thin and puddled at the bottom of the pot, while the cabbage was a little too chunky - but the pork was sweet and juicy.

Coffee comes from Mornington Peninsula roaster Little Rebel, who won a bronze at this year's RASV International Coffee Awards in the milk blend category; as a short black it was fairly mild, balanced but lacking in sparkle. There's also a brief menu of Mornington Peninsula wines at cafe-friendly prices.

The labyrinth of nautically named streets leading to the marina, dotted with architect-designed units and plenty of undeveloped lots, has an air of not-quite-there-yet. You could not get further away from the inner north and still be in the same universe.

Do … Take a stroll along the boardwalk to check out the boat bridge over Marine Drive

Don't … Get any crazy ideas about owning a 22-foot Stabicraft

Dish … Chicken, chive and mayonnaise sandwich with a glass of Balnarring Vineyards chardonnay

Vibe … Gold Coast on the peninsula

Email goodfoodunder30@theage.com.au