If you walk into the Service Station and nobody greets you, you clearly don't live in Melville, Westcliff, Auckland Park or Parkview. The popular Melville restaurant is an institution and local hangout for suburbs that surround Bamboo, the contemporary open-air shopping centre in which it is located.When it was closed for a few weeks for refurbishments last month, regulars stared longingly through the windows, feeling a little displaced. So Carmen van der Merwe, the owner, stationed a mobile coffee truck outside to placate her patrons until her new, improved restaurant was ready.There's now more space in the back, the kitchen has been extended and enlarged, which will hopefully improve service time, and there's a long table encouraging communal eating and conversations.Service Station is famous for its buffet lunches, a selection of healthy, tasty salads like beetroot and Gorgonzola, asparagus and bean, Asian noodle and pineapple, and lentil and couscous, complemented with homemade quiches and hot dishes such as potato bake and lasagne that change daily.The blackboard menu includes a killer homemade burger.On Saturday mornings, the airy cafe is filled with breakfast regulars eating fluffy scrambled eggs flecked with salmon, or perfect brioche French toast with berries and mascarpone, or banana and bacon. It makes children of all ages happy.The lowdownWhat to eat?People come from far-flung climes for the cheesecake, which is a perfect mix of solid and fluffy, and the buffet never disappoints.When to go?For breakfast and lunch, or any time you want to bump into someone from the neighbourhood. They are closed at night.Who we spotted?DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane.What not to do?Have bigger eyes than your stomach. They charge by weight.What to drink?Coffee or homemade lemonade or wine.How much?An average buffet plate is R52 and a slice of cheesecake costs R31Where is it?Corner 9th Street and Rustenburg Road , Melville, 011-726-1701..