Much as I get excited about new cafes, I also have an outsized fondness for those that have been around for years.

Just like an old pair of jeans, a mature cafe moulds to the community it serves, shaping and being shaped by it in turn. And – to stretch denim the metaphor – older cafes offer confidence, comfort and continuity that shiny new cafes simply can't deliver.

I was thinking about all this at The Crux & Co, which opened in 2016. After six years at the base of an apartment building serving residents, local office workers, Tan and Lake walkers and those who can't be bothered queueing at Kettle Black across the road, Crux has attained a lovely balance, settling into its own traditions but with the solid foundations that support innovation.

Asian fusion is the idea, with light-touch flavour twists from Korea and Japan threaded through the menu.

Avo is smashed with yuzu, a Japanese citrus; the chilli scramble is spiced up with gochujang (Korean fermented chilli) mayo and served on thick-sliced milk loaf.

A brilliant take on carbonara is made with udon noodles, furled prosciutto and a slow-cooked egg. Break the yolk and it clings to the fat, springy noodles, turning them silky and slurpable.

There's a tuna tataki bowl on purple rice, jazzed up with pickled daikon and wasabi ponzu dressing.

I love the burger, made with a pattie of smashed panko-crumbed prawns stuffed in a potato bun: it's all sweet, seafoody crunch layered with lettuce and a sparky tartare.

Crux is a bakery, too, and the cakes and pastries are exquisite, with the same culture-crush skew.

Was this the first place in Melbourne to do a salted egg croissant? It's still a proud feature in the cabinet, sweet buttery layers of pastry offset by the creamy funk of a yolky crumble.

There are cragels, too (croissant/bagel hybrids), and new cakes: the matcha mousse with mandarin swirl on a black sesame cracker leads with savoury notes and swoops in with an airy sweet tickle.

The simple fact a human would like a cup of coffee is met with consideration and ceremony. Whether milk or black, espresso or filter, every beverage is carefully wrought from custom beans.

Crux already roasts its own beans and will soon shift that enterprise to a bespoke factory and small cafe called Cru+ Coffee Roastery in Hawthorn East. Owner Kevin Li is also in the process of sourcing beans from Yunnan in China – the only other cafe I know doing this is mini marvel Calere Coffee in Fitzroy.

The Crux & Co is recovering from a tough few years. Office occupancy is still down and the metro tunnel works at the Domain Interchange have made this part of Melbourne very messy.

But there's a stoicism and spirit running through the calm, spacious, '60s-ish space with its marble and copper details, plants aplenty and dog-friendly terrace.

Welcoming to regulars and happy to see new faces, the crux of the matter is that The Crux & Co is a gem.