HOT: Von Haus, 1 Crossley St, Melbourne

Von Haus. I?m imagining a private club for beardy little men with a penchant for tweed knickerbockers.

The reality is much more cool. Von Haus is a café/bar with an almost invisible doorway on achingly stylish Crossley Street. Step inside and it?s like being in your best friend?s cosy, rustic dining room with perfectly distressed walls.

The big wooden communal table invites convivial conversation while the benchtop facing the rusty grilled window is the perfect place to perch solo with your morning paper. The small room is overlooked by a kitchen which looks like it was lifted from my dream terrace house.

The breakfast menu is spartan ? eggs, toast, muesli and unfortunately the day I was there, a shortage of Spanish tortilla. So instead I opted for a bowl of housemade muesli with yoghurt.

I know it?s not as healthy, but I prefer my muesli toasted, so the Von Haus non-toasted version didn?t really grab me. I also declined the proferred honey but in retrospect the rather bland oats-heavy mix could have done with the lift. I did like the fresh apple mohawk though.

While I didn?t love my muesli, Von Haus gets a HOT because I?ve been before for post-work drinks and nibbles as well as a lovely lunch. It?s a relaxing, friendly space and all the better for its slightly hidden location.

Check out what The Age and Tummyrumbles had to say about it.