Vadouvan eggs:Poached eggs drizzled with spiced ghee and garnished with zaatar over herbed carrot puree and lemon labne.

Is breakfast the new dinner? This rooftop cafe adds fine dining touches to brunches

Perched atop a suburban shopping centre,Rombe serves a daytime menu with dinner aesthetics and patisserie-style desserts.

  • Dani Valent
Bar Spontana’s fitout features brick walls,exposed roof trusses and colourful artwork.
14/20

Funk,fire and fantastic cocktails:This secret bar might be the Thai diner of your dreams

Bar Spontana is one of those spots that feels like a secret,and a really juicy secret at that.

  • Besha Rodell
A cinnamon-and-cardamom bun with pearl sugar.

Stop by this sunny cafe for its Scandi-style coffee happy hour

Lilijana embraces the Swedish “fika” tradition of slowing down for coffee and a pastry,and for less than $10.

  • Dani Valent
The sushi train,imported from Taiwan,fits the narrow Bourke Street site.
13.5/20

It’s super weird,fun and accessible,but a few things almost send this big-name sushi train off track

The Bossa Nova pitch sounds like a drunken late-night thought bubble. But it’s a welcome measure of weirdness for this great restaurant town.

  • Besha Rodell
Stuffed homemade tofu with pork mince.
14.5/20

Eating this extra-special tofu dish is like being softly covered by a blanket

Hakka Cuisine is on a mission to expand Melbourne’s understanding of Chinese food,one burbling claypot,sticky dumpling and pork-stuffed tofu pillow at a time.

  • Dani Valent
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Bonito with palm heart and pomelo.
13/20

It has a new hotshot Sydney chef and great service. So why has this St Kilda stalwart lost its hat?

The room,drinks and service are all great. But the umami-forward food leaves our critic feeling baffled.

  • Besha Rodell
The “killer” cauliflower dish.

Why this ‘killer’ charred cauliflower stopped our reviewer in her tracks

It didn’t look that different from a hundred other vegan offerings around town. Eating it was a different story.

  • Dani Valent
Chef Philippa Sibley’s drawings (left) decorate the walls of the bistro.
Good Food hat15/20

‘Like a general store in a country town’:This 13-year-old local favourite finally gets a hat

Charming neighbourhood bistro Pinotta is experiencing a golden period under chef Philippa Sibley.

  • Dani Valent
Pizza Diavola with spicy salami,onion and roasted capsicum.

Everyone can get a pizza the action at this allergy-friendly pizzeria

Plus:Don’t miss nonna’s-gnocchi-meets-potato-gems at warm and welcoming neighbourhood gem Shop 225.

  • Dani Valent
Barbacoa estilo Hidalgo (lamb barbacoa tacos with chilli consommé).

‘The best tacos Melbourne has ever seen’:This inexpensive Fitzroy diner is changing the game

The most memorable,soul-quenching single bite of food I’ve had in weeks was at modest shopfront diner El Columpio.

  • Besha Rodell