If your tastebuds are in stasis from the standard bacon-and-eggs brekkie that most cafes seem to dish up, Tom Phat is sure to cure you.

Eating at Café 3A is like being given a standard goldfish as a pet, only to discover that it sings, tap dances, and cooks a mean spaghetti marinara.

Trekking out to the Yarra Valley for an early morning brekky seemed like too much of a sacrifice on a foggy Sunday morning. Especially when this café only takes seatings before 10.30am.

You know that feeling, when you meet someone, and you feel like you've known them for years? That special instant-old-friend feeling. You know it. Well that's the feeling I got taking breakfast at Julio's.

Rathdowne St Foodstore sits pretty as a picture in leafy Rathdowne village. It serves consistently delicious, hearty breakfasts. It benefits from long serving, devoted staff. It even allows children to transform the butchers' paper tablecloths into works of crayon doodle art.

At first glance, this little café and food store feels like a children’s day care centre. Everything is just a little smaller than usual. There are little tables with red chairs, a wee cupboard full of wooden toys, a pastel mobile and baby blue walls.

The first item on North's menu is a "Champions Breakfast" of boiled eggs with toast soldiers and relish. Call me a child, but this is as good as it gets in breakfast world.