The road to FIKA (the name is Swedish for “coffee break”) started with Freeman ditching sales to train as a barista at South Melbourne coffee kings St Ali. The decision to return to his hometown of Ballarat saw FIKA opening on Doveton Street in 2015. Then, as now, he chose to serve St Ali coffee beans in the café’s espresso and milk-based coffees, while Collingwood’s Proud Mary stands in for filter coffee.

“The other day we had a guest who just ordered two oysters,” says Waite, who runs front-of-house at the Castlemaine wine bar and restaurant. “I really love seeing someone come in and choose their speed, whether it’s a drink or a few small plates or a full dinner. We really want to be able to represent that kind of flexibility and be the kind of place people feel comfortable doing their thing.”

On the golden mile of Piper Street, one of the hottest eat streets in Victoria, it sits directly opposite Grist Artisan Bakers, while Parkland bar, Major Tom’s burger joint and Little Swallow Café are just up the road.

Spaghetti Bar is a lesson in how Italian food should be done. A love letter from Kyneton to Italy, it celebrates that country’s great gift to the food world as it deserves: simply, with an insouciant sense of style.

Opened by Daniel Whelan on historic Piper Street two years ago, it’s a portal to Rome, or Puglia, or the Veneto, depending on which way the region-hopping menu swings. The fresh ribbons of pappardelle with duck ragu will whisk you straight to Tuscany; the saffron risotto to Milan.

“The idea is that we cater to guests, sure, but we also want to be a place where locals feel comfortable and intrigued enough to visit regularly. We’ll be changing the menu often enough to keep it interesting.”

“Hospitality seems to give me energy rather than take it away. You can feed off the energy of your customers when they’re having a good time.”

The signature dish of chef Steve Rogers and his six-and-a-half-year-old restaurant, it’s something that keeps the regulars coming back, “If I took it off, I’d be run out of town.”

Location counts – sometimes so much that it makes you do unexpected things. That’s how Jen Latta found herself at the end of June throwing open the doors on Daylesford’s newest wine bar and deli.

Lauren Bieber and Tom Crowe aren’t the only Melbournians who’ve packed up to seek a simpler life steeped in the beauty of Central Victoria. They are unique, however, in being members of the city’s café intelligentsia who’ve brought their skills to the `hood. Part of a wave of smart operators who helped revitalise Melbourne’s café scene into a world leader more than a decade ago, these days you’ll find their skill-set transplanted to a vibrant café on Daylesford’s Vincent Street.