Just when it seemed like Melbourne had disappeared up its own single-origin, what with all those deconstructed blue algae lattes with a turmeric twist served alongside doughnut ice cream crab croissant burgers with fairy floss on top, along comes Higher Ground to right the slipping crown.

For this is what a world class café looks like, and there’s not a gimmick in sight.

But to simply class this extraordinary transformation of a heritage-listed powerhouse at the western edge of town as a café is perhaps underselling it, for this Higher Ground is more like a restaurant with great coffee, or perhaps it’s a bar with breakfast.

Whatever you call it, it’s clear the owners – a group led by Nathan Toleman of Top Paddock and The Kettle Black, already two of Melbourne’s pioneering, and leading, cafés – have not only exquisite taste, but have outdone themselves in creating a space that whispers style everywhere you look, but remains welcoming and comfortable.

That’s due in no small part to staff that, while walking straight out of a casting call, are working the three-levelled space with unflustered skill and nothing other than a can-do attitude.

From the smart uniform that covers both floor and kitchen through the black supporting trusses that highlight the stark white roof that’s so very high in the sky, to the lounge areas where a discrete afternoon Pimms and gin is the order of the day – heck, even the water glasses – there’s impeccable, unimpeachable taste at every turn.

But there’s proper substance to the sustenance that backs up all that style.

Such dishes as the spiced cauliflower scrambled eggs – where a doughy flatbread is topped with buttery eggs that are then crowned with exquisitely sharp pickled florets and a few dollops of cauliflower puree, the lot finished with chilli oil and curry leaves – or a Middle Eastern-tinged fry up of lamb mince, pomegranate and smoked yoghurt with fried eggs, take the morning road less travelled.

This all-day menu also features crowd-pleasers with a twist – a cucumber pickle with a hefty sausage roll, the crunch of daikon within the wagyu short rib roll, vinegar powder dusting the benedict – that segue into beef tartare and cured kingfish and Saskia Beer roasted chook after dark, when the twinkling room is lit so everyone looks as good as it and the staff.

In one highly considered move, Higher Ground proves Melbourne’s reputation of world-beating cafés is not only deserved, but cemented. It’s a triumph.