In 1942 William “Paddy” Doyle, an Irish sailor in the Royal Navy, jumped ship to start a new life in Australia. Following the tradition, his grandson Wade Nicholson-Doyle joined the navy and spent the last decade as a sailor.

Following a background in hospitality before his sea-faring days, Nicholson-Doyle has done impressive work setting up a beautiful suburban cafe, Hello Sailor.

Eades and Bergman collaborated with Paul Grummisch’s please please please to design the fit-out with beautiful results. Soft organic colours create a light, airy space. You can pull up a wooden bar stool at the long stone counter, take a table or sit by the window facing out onto Auburn Road. Little touches add warmth, such as the copper piping fitted with frosted light bulbs. The wooden planks that line the walls could be the hull of a ship. There are framed pictures of sailors, including one of Paddy during his navy days.

The menu is concise and rotates seasonally. All-day breakfast includes a bun with beef and herb sausage, fried egg, cheese, rocket and relish, or French toast with rhubarb and mascarpone as a treat. For lunch in winter, you might take the hearty slow-cooked lamb shoulder.

Coffee and tea comes via Seven Seeds and Love Tea respectively, and you can also buy loaves of Noisette bread to take home.