This week we were invited to visit Niche on Bridge. Niche on Bridge is not your typical Melbourne cafe. Even in the middle of a refit, it was sleek, suave and reminded me more of a hotel restaurant than a Richmond eatery.This place oozes professionalism and all staff were smart and polite leaving the feel of a place I’d be happy to host a business meeting, and well as somewhere comfortable enough to dine with my family.

We were there early and ordered from their brunch menu. I went for the blueberry and ginger pancakes (they are more like hotcakes), which I have to say were the biggest and best I’ve had so far. It is literally a hot cake – being the size of and thickness of a small sponge cake. Proudly described as “their most instagrammable dish” it plates beautifully, but also tastes amazing. Despite being delicious, the portion size is crazy large – making it great value, and it would be ideal to share as a sweet treat or as a breakfast dessert after ordering a lighter main each.

My other half ordered scrambled eggs, bacon and hash brown. The presentation matched niches sleek image, and he found all elements enjoyable. He particularly noted the hash brown – which to me looked like a large triangular chip and got two thumbs up from him. My latte was very enjoyable. The coffee here is strong and sharp, with a slight bitter taste.

Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to Niche, and while not a huge cafe, it’s a comfortable size. The food is high quality, and well plated, with generous portions. Definitely worth stopping by if you are in the area.