Chez Dre, South Melbourne

Crunchy baguette with brie, walnuts, witlof and chutney

 On my wanderings between Gas and the South Melbourne market, I must have walked past Chez Dre a dozen times over the past few weeks without noticing it. Typically for Melbourne's cafes, it's tucked away discretely from the throng in a cobbled lane way with just a small sign above the door opening the way to a spacious patisserie/boulangerie/cafe.

The flat whites are true to Melbourne form ($3.50), and my crunchy half baguette with lashings of brie, walnuts, witlof, fruit chutney and a side of sweet shredded carrot are terrific ($7 half, $12 full).

The croissants and cakes are gorgeous - look out for the passionfruit tart topped with a mini macaron. I also love that there's a "Mac attack" - a coffee and macaroni tasting board consisting of short black, macaroni and a short macciato. There's lots of all day breakfast and lunch options for something heartier.

The space is fantastic - curved open kitchen, velvet booths, big wooden communal tables with colourful vases of flowers, or little round French style cafe tables opening onto the sunny outdoor courtyard. A lovely place to sit back and read the daily papers on route to the market - it's almost close enough to smell the sweet aroma of dim sims in the air.