A good restaurant isn't always the most innovative or edgy. It can simply be a place that gives you what you want - a commuter coffee,great poached eggs,or a frisky glass of wine after a frazzling day. In essence,a good restaurant makes you feel good:it's as straightforward and as complicated as that. Ripponlea Food and Wine has been at it for only two months but it's making such a decent stab at being a welcoming local restaurant I reckon it's worth rolling in from other parts of town. The heritage corner site extends over four shopfronts and the cool fit-out finds a happy meeting place between rustic and industrial. Laptop-friendly window benches and a cosy gossip chamber near the open kitchen are big pluses.

The food is comfortable but engaging. The breakfast menu rolls out classics (smashed avocado,eggs your way,corn fritters) but throws in a few twists too. Eggs benedict is served on a slab of brioche (instead of muffin) and the ham is shredded hock (instead of the usual slices);the hollandaise has a nice acidic kick. I appreciate the attention to detail on a menu that notes,for example,"we butter our toast."Three cheers for chefs that butter toast!

At lunch and dinner time there are wine-friendly snacks such as oysters with champagne dressing,slow-cooked lamb ribs and wasabi-crumbed squid. Nothing too startling,nothing I wouldn't order with glee. Pasta dishes include ravishingly autumnal spinach and ricotta ravioli scattered with pinenuts,shreds of crisp leek and plenty of nut-brown butter. Easygoing main courses include juicy beef burger in a box and chicken breast on the bone with over-sized cous cous and minted yoghurt. It's all nicely done.