Upmarket food court re-served as food cafe at Emporium Melbourne - The Age

On board: EARL Canteen's Simon O'Regan and Jackie Middleton.

Melbourne's shopping-centre food courts have never been overly troubled by the notion of quality or fashion, yet the buzz over the opening of Emporium Melbourne on Wednesday is as much about the food as the footwear.

Without a McDonald's or KFC in sight, the food court - management prefers the phrase ''cafe court'' - is the new home of independent Melbourne names such as EARL Canteen, Jimmy Grants, Chinta Ria, Industry Beans and South Melbourne Dim Sims.

Emporium Melbourne centre manager Steve Edgerton is so emboldened by the on-trend mix of hospitality brands - including Sydney blow-ins Charlie & Co Burgers, Becasse Bakery and Jones the Grocer (all from the Becasse group) and New Shanghai Chinese Restaurant - that he uses the phrase ''the city's premium food destination''.

Whether that is over-egging the pudding, it is clear the 1980s food court concept is enjoying a modern makeover.