Kings and Knaves is a cosy little space that specialises in the humble toast. Being located at the base of a commercial building right near Flagstaff station, supplying quality hot drinks is a must too, and they’ve got Allpress Espresso and Mörk hot chocolate to go. Non-toasty things include croissants, granola, breakfast trifle, baked eggs and salads. Noisette supplies the bread and most of the sweets. All Day Donuts are delivered on Fridays.

You may be tempted to brush off toast as completely boring, but with a list of toppings like this, you’d be wrong. Noisette Bakery bread is thickly sliced and spread over with St David Dairy salted butter. You can add a second slice to create a sandwich for $2. Pear and Prosciutto comes with honey baked pear with prosciutto, taleggio, fig jam and vincotto drizzle – a mix of sweet and salty. The Salmon is a classic combination of salty bits of chopped olives, zingy capers, and a luscious pile of sliced salmon.

The Mushroom toast is another great combo of balsamic onions, truffled creme fraiche, spinach and thyme. The sharpness of the Gorgonzola Picante cuts through the richness of the creme fraiche and the overflowing mound of buttery mushrooms.

Going down the sweet route, the Banana is topped with 99th Monkey hazelnut and cacao butter, banana, maple syrup, sea salt and grilled S’mores marshmallows. As you might expect from the ingredients, it’s gooey, chocolatey and delicious, and the touch of salt is a good addition.

The toast at Kings and Knaves can be customised, but the menu is worth looking at. With all those premium toppings, it is toast, but not as you know it.

Disclaimer: I was invited to Kings and Knaves Espresso as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are based on my experience at the time

Kings and Knaves Espresso
277 William St
Melbourne, VIC, 3000
(03) 9600 0820
www.kingsandknavesespresso.com