Dukes Coffee Roasters

247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

http://www.dukescoffee.com.au

The day before Grand Final Day I was in the city, and having treated myself to lunch at Bowery to Williamsburg, I was caught up in the hustle and bustle of the parade, with waves of Hawthorn and Fremantle fans swarming in every direction. Fortunately, I spied this sign with a coffee cup emblem, and ducked into Dukes Coffee Roasters.

The cafe has quite a masculine fit-out, with lots of blonde panelled wood and and an exposed concrete ceiling. It's a fuss-less, relaxing aesthetic.

The space is fairly small with seating for only 20 or so people. It's more of a place where you'd come in for a quality cup and take it back to the office, or buy one to sip on your way to work.

Also, check out their sweets cabinet, possibly the best stocked cabinet I've ever seen. All sorts of delicious goodies beckoned, in particular what appeared to be Matt Forbes' oreo biscuits on the bottom shelf.

In the end though, a beautifully nutty flat white and a pistachio bite was perfect, something to nibble on while taking a break from the frantic nature of Swanston Street.

Sigh ... back to the grind, I suppose.