The city isn't ever short of cafes and trying to determine what would make you choose one over the other can often come down to the finer, more subtle details. Want to know what mine is? I love a good curry however I find it difficult, unless going to an Indian restaurant, to find a cafe that can seem to do a half decent curry. So imagine my surprise when I got given a generous serving of a hot, spicy and truly authentic curry at a cafe named Maio, hidden around the corner near the newsagents at 55 Collins Place in the city.

It might seem a small factor to decide upon but this curry was great - big pieces of potato and really juicy, fatless pieces of beef. It rocked! The environment itself was a hive of activity - lots of business people enjoying the bench table atmosphere during a busy lunch hour although the handful of smaller tables out the front did provide an area for a little more privacy. However for our visit, we just wanted to have a space where we could chat comfortably and enjoy the meal.

My guests enjoyed their meals too - the food is inexpensive and of a really high quality. I could imagine that if this was my office place 'local', i'd be down there grabbing a lunch most days myself.

Certainly, next time you're up the Paris end of Collins Street, drop into Maio Cafe and check it out for yourself.

Maio Cafe
55 Collins Street,
Melbourne

hours: Mon - Fri 7.00am - 5.00pm
phone: 03 9654 1221