Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder

No need for alarm at the faint whiff of funk when you enter the Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder, it’s all part of having a cheese room with some of the finest fromage in Melbourne on offer.

Originally opened by Stephanie Alexander and cheese doyen Will Studd, RHCL is built solidly on good food. The original foodies might be gone, but the RHCL is still going strong.

Large windows give light to a well-trodden wood floor, populated by brusque and efficient waiters in crisp aprons who bustle about while the cheerful lunch crowd with their clinking coffee cups and wine glasses create a rising crescendo.

With seasonally sensitive food, well picked wines and convivial respite for the harried shopper, it’s easy to imagine – just for a moment – that you are on holidays in Provence.

The grilled cheesy toast is famous for a reason and we’ve seen more than one person join the cheese club as a direct result. As they say, the RHCL is all about "bread, cheese, wine, good things" and we simply have to agree.