HOT: Palomino, 236 High St, Northcote

The design brief for Palomino seems to have been 'stylish kitsch'. Look around and there's tacky porcelain ornaments randomly resting on the ledges and dotted around the boxed wooden shelving. The backdrop though is a stylish royal blue feature wall, fern wallpaper and hanging round orbs of soft light over the bar.

Only Anita tried the food and hot chocolate, but Palomino is the kind of low-key cafe that I'd like to hang out in all the time. It seems that Northcote residents and visitors feel the same way, as there was constant traffic in and out of its cosy warmth on a Sunday afternoon.

HOT: Northern Exposure, High St, Northcote

Anita and I met on a windy, chilly Sunday afternoon for a stroll around Northern Exposure, Northcote's visual arts festival. The exhibitions included traditional hangings in galleries such as Kick and the grand dame Northcote Town Hall, combined with displays in High Street shopfronts.

I have to admit that I wasn't too excited by much of the art on display but I did think the delicate wrought iron hanging in the bay window of Palomino (Freya Pitt) was particularly eyecatching. Mostly though, the festival gets a HOT from me because I want to applaud the business and creative community of High St Northcote for their ability to work together to organise festivals for my enjoyment!