CH James

Went to a function here in the upstairs area. The area itself is long and large but strangely soulless with no flow through ventilation. The balcony view, however, is a treat mainly because I’ve never seen an above street view of station street despite living in the area for years. The function was generally well managed. The wines were quite acceptable and the finger food generally very good. There was enough food which surprised me. However, it came out about an hour after we arrived which was a bit too long and a number of us were quite hungry. It was a nice night though. The real stars of the event were the two young waitresses who worked seriously hard all night and maintained a pleasingly cheerful demeanour throughout. Memo to the owner: reward and retain these terrific staff. A good night indeed overall. We must try the restaurant proper very soon.

Right! Never going here, period. Coffee is bitter, food is average at best and not as advertised on the menu. Once a friend, who is also a chef, complained about the vegetarian option in earshot of the owner/​manager and neither the waitress nor manager made a move to rectify the problem. Yesterday we arrived for a coffee at4:15pm (the close at 4:30pm) and were told that, while we were welcome to sit in the outside area to enjoy our coffees, only take-​away coffees were being served. If I go out for coffee I want it in a proper cup as paper cups destroy the taste. The order was going to be a cappuccino as I’d tried their version of long black and was unimpressed. Too bad, as the venue looks very attractive.

Awesome food and really great pricing. The seasonal menu is a nice perk, thumbs up!

Super fresh ingredients, lovely setting and good coffee.
First time here and there were so many things on the menu I would have liked to have tried.
Settled on the homemade gnocchi with a fresh tomato sauce. Disappointed to see a number of olives in this dish as there was no mention of them on the menu and I really dislike the taste & flavour of olives. The gnocchi itself was very nice.
Someone had the pasta of the week which was a lamb rigatoni with roasted capsicum — it was lovely and I wish I’d chosen it.
Someone else has the homemade cheese burger with salad and fried potatoes and was assured it was very good.
Two good coffees and a chai latte later and we were suitably satisfied.
Would go back again.

Looked great from the outside so I went in.
Had to grab my own menu and waited 10 minutes for service that didn’t arrive so I left.
No apology, no recognition. Poor poor service.
If you want to go somewhere and not eat then this is the place for you!

The menu options were broad and all looked yummy! I, of course, had to go with the ‘Only If You’re Hungry’ option. There’s something about thick cut bacon that always gets me. I loved the relish on this dish as well and the sourdough was something else.
The other thing that stood out to me were the prices, not in the usual fashion where I am flabbergasted. But in the good way. There at least half a dozen fairly substantial dishes on the brunch menu that are $ 10.

$ 10 for brunch. In Melbourne. Srsly?!
When I had brunch yesterday, I was gobsmacked by the oh-​so-​reasonable prices. When’s the last time you saw $ 10 on a brunch menu in Melbourne? Is this what you get when you leave Fitzroy? Honestly, Fairfield isn’t *that* far of a drive (or cycle… and CH James is right by the train station).
The menu has a nice balance of brunch and lunch items, and the brunchies aren’t all avo-​on-​sourdough (although you can get that if you wish). I went with an interesting chickpea concoction, which filled me up and was a nice, different change.
There’s an outdoor space with garden planters that they share with the church next door, and dogs are in abundance outside. Any café that’s doggie-​friendly is good in my books.
I hope this becomes an ornament to Fairfield’s Station Street.

Service was excellent, coffee great, scrambled chilli eggs with fetta was delicious! I’ll be back…

We’ve had several rewarding and standout experiences at CH James, for brunch and lunch. The ambience here is a standout, with large welcoming windows and bright spaces, giving a feel of light and airy. Fascinating farm implements adorn the wall, a reference to the period of CH James and heritage. The fit out is such that the indoors and outdoors meets seamlessly, with the windows opening up to accommodate the coffee bars, and its an easy stroll to the courtyard.
CH James is modern but features a nod to yesteryear with its compelling story of local CH James who was prominent in the northern suburbs in the halcyon period of Melbourne’s development.
CH James is well equipped with a coffee bar that faces iconic Station Street. Customers can pull up to the bar for top notch Small Batch coffee and the barista skills of Yuta Tanaka ex Auction Rooms (also a top skateboarder). The World Loves Melbourne sampled two lattes perfectly made with fine latte art to boot.
Service here is excellent with Chris Krambias and the team personable and on their game. Chris has extensive experience in hospitality at top hotels such as the Park Hyatt in Melbourne and has a flair for service excellence.
CH James features an interesting and fine brunch and lunch menu, with Frenchman Franck Verschaeve (ex Pope Joan) the Head Chef classically trained from a fine dining background, but who has brought his skills to the café scene. Franck is a chef who likes to make his own pasta and jams and relishes, for example.
For brunch we enjoyed the Ricotta and smoked trout, soft scrambled eggs with a chive coriander pesto and toast. This dish sang on the plates, with smoked trout flavours through the scrambled egg, with the richness of the ricotta. The chive and coriander pesto set off the dish, and the toast was a perfect accompaniment.
The World Loves Melbourne was taken with the House made gnocchi with roasted tomato asparagus & broad beans as a lunch option. This was «comfort food» heaven. Franck has cooked his superb house made gnocchi in butter and sage — a killer combination — and the roasted tomato, asparagus and beans bring great balance. This dish has been a standout since CH James opened.
Coffee here is excellent and served in proper glassware. CH James spent time sourcing the best sugar to match its specialist coffee, and uses Coconut blossom sugar, which features a slightly caramelised taste.
Drinks list includes Small Batch coffee, Mork chocolate, and Tea by Chamellia. Wine list includes boutique World Loves Melbourne favourites, Maddens Rise and Medhurst, as well as other boutique wines. Another favourite is Pizzini Prosecco, our favourite Australian Prosecco. Craft beers are sourced from Victoria, including Hargreaves Hill and Holgate Brewhouse. An interesting option is Lager from Keo, Cyprus.

This is the new face on station street fairfield. Set next to the anglican church. It offers an exciting option for breakfast, lunch and early next year the fucntion room will open.
C H James is a family owned and operated business. They offer great coffee and amazing food and outstanding customer service.
They have a bar if you feel like a real drink on a nicw summer day.
There is ample seating inside and a great outdoor seating area down the side next to the church.
Feel free to bring your dog to the outdoor area.