GALLERY cafes can go two ways: cheesy and twee with unimpressive art, or switched on and homely with a collectors' aesthetic. JAM is type two, a top little spot run by Melanie and Michael Nichols on a strip in Murrumbeena.

Michael, a picture framer, has been in the art game for 20 years, and art is Melanie's passion. ''Our house is full of it. We're always dragging our kids to exhibitions,'' she says, adding that the suburb felt like the right place given the area's art history and connection to the Boyd family, who lived and worked here.

A couple of works by John Olsen hang on the freshly painted white walls, plus two by Adam Cullen, a Howard Arkley and a rotating exhibition, this month by Leith Walton. Everything is for sale, except for the framed board games of retro Snakes and Ladders.

''It's a family-orientated business,'' Melanie says, ''and families tend to gravitate here because they can feel that.'' ''JAM'' is an amalgam of ''J'' for Jasmine, ''A'' for Abbie - the Nichols' school-aged daughters - and ''M'' Michael and Melanie.

The girls helped with the fitout - choosing the wavy wallpaper on the feature wall that blocks off the kitchen.

They also draw on the ''children's snack packs'', a practical little cardboard box with a choose-your-own-sandwich, Charlie's juice and Freddo or Smarties hidden underneath the sandwich.

A splendid array of cakes are on display - carrot, friands, baked cheesecake, and at least two are gluten-free offerings. ''Every time I've got a spare minute I make a cake,'' Melanie says.

The menu is straight down the line cafe food - toasted banana bread with whipped ricotta and raspberries, tomatoey baked eggs with feta, and baguettes and pasta for lunch.

The ''breakfast burrito'' needs a name change and possibly a better wrap. The packet tortilla was a bit bland and could have been hotter, and though the cheesy scrambled eggs were luscious, there were too many ''soft'' textures with avocado and spinach. The added sour cream seemed redundant.

My baguette had good elements - tender roast chicken, cheddar, aioli, avocado and spinach - but the too-crumbly bread let it down, and it too could have had a bit more crunch or texture. Melanie is talking about sourcing bread from Noisette bakery soon.

At three months old, 40-seater JAM is well on track and looks set to be a neighbourhood staple. The tea is from Tasmania, the coffee is Genovese and the vibe is right.

Stay tuned for JAM's ''stage two'' plan, to create a dedicated artspace out back in the bakers' shed.

Where 486 Neerim Road, Murrumbeena, 0457 082 847
Prices Breakfasts, $4.50-$12.50; lunches, $6.50-$16.50; kids' menu, $4-$7; cakes, sweets, $7.50-$9
Cards MC V Eftpos
Unlicensed
Open Mon-Sat, 8am-4pm
Website facebook.com/JAMcafegallery
Cuisine Cafe

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■Jinks Creek A rustic winery, gallery and B&B, with wood-fired pizzas and great art. 1720 Tonimbuk Road, Tonimbuk, 5629 8502 or 0418 298 502.

nrousseau@theage.com.au