Baffi & Mo

In a great year for new café openings, Baffi and Mo deserve special praise. If the Hills are alive then neighbouring Redfern is kicking right now and Baffi and Mo is fuelling the gentrification of the area with hearty fare and heart-starting caffeine. The room, dominated by a friendly communal table, opens out onto Redfern Street for great people watching. Their open kitchen is a marvel of relaxed efficiency and the food it produces make it worth making a special visit. Their signature dish is Eggs Baffi with roasted mushrooms, feta, spinach and hollandaise but the potato hash stack is our tip. Incidentally, you'll notice the moustache mo-tif on the sign (baffi is Italian for moustache). Co-owner Anne is obsessed with facial hair. "I don't have any myself yet," she says. "Although I am Italian, so it may only be a matter of time."