Cherry almond bars

May 9, 2026 

 

   

 

I've broken the habit and pulled out The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits for the second time in a year (after several years of choosing it only in my summer holiday). I don't recall ever eating these cherry almond bars before (dried fruit and nuts were divisive in my family of origin) but glace cherries feel nostalgic for me, nevertheless.

 

This recipe is a mash-up of things I love - cherries, chocolate, almonds, shortbread. I omitted the lemon rind, because I made these rapidly on a whim, but I'd welcome that element too. The biscuits are formed by slicing pieces from a dense, buttery log of dough. I clearly didn't get the dimensions as intended because I made 15 biscuit slices, and the recipe estimated a batch to be 35. Yet my chunky biscuits still overcooked during the recommended baking time! They weren't burnt but they were much more golden, occasionally even brown, compared to a conventional shortbread. Fewer biscuits also meant less chocolate needed, and I've adjusted the quantity down to match my batch.

These biscuits were delicious, but less than the sum of their parts. The toastiness of the biscuits crowded out the almonds, mouthfuls of the chocolate half tasted of little else, and the cherries were rare, separate experiences. Every bite was a pleasure tinged with a search for something else. 

   

 

Cherry almond bars

(slightly adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly The Big Book of Beautiful Biscuits, also published online here) 

 

90g butter, at room temperature 

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 

1/3 cup caster sugar

1 egg yolk

1 cup plain flour

1/3 cup blanched almonds

1/3 cup glace cherries

125g dark chocolate

2 teaspoons vegetable oil 

 

In a bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, lemon rind, sugar and egg yolk. Sift in the flour, partially mix, add the almonds and cherries, and mix to fully combine.

 

Unroll a large sheet of plastic wrap and transfer the biscuit mixture onto it. Manoeuvre the plastic wrap to compact the mixture into a big log, with a cross-section of about 4 cm x 5 cm. Refrigerate the biscuit log until firm, at least an hour.

 

When the dough is ready, preheat an oven to 180°C and line 1-2 baking trays with paper. Use a sharp knife to slice the log into 5-8 mm thick slices and lay them out on the baking trays. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until just beginning to go golden around the edges.

 

Melt the chocolate using your preferred method and stir in the vegetable oil. Dip half of each biscuit in the chocolate and return them to the trays; refrigerate briefly to set. Store at room temperature.  

Babka III

May 9, 2026 

   

 

Babka is still open on Brunswick St for twenty-years-on coverage, though we've missed the cafe's founder by about 3 years. It seems to have lost most of the Eastern European features it was once known for:  borscht, potato dumplings, and - most devastatingly for me - the blintzes. Instead there's the more predictable Aussie cafe run of chilli scrambled eggs, smashed avo, chicken and avocado toasties, and egg and bacon rolls. (There are no markings for vegans or gluten-free folks, and I wouldn't especially recommend the menu to either.)

   

 

The overflowing sweets cabinet still reigns, and there were plenty of customers queuing for takeaway coffee, bread and baked sweets, rather than the sit-down menu.

 

   

 

Michael ordered the aforementioned chilli scramble ($21.50), a likeable, decently proportioned plate with a choice of bread (sourdough here), fresh herbs, chilli slices, grated cheese and a house-made chilli sauce from yesteryear.

 

   

 

Blintzless, I pivoted to French toast ($21.50). I was perfectly happy with one slice - it was nicely battered without being too eggy. The accompanying 'fresh fruits' were mostly tasteless strawberries, and the scoop of mascarpone was great. I didn't need any of the maple syrup on offer. 

 

   

 

We picked out a lil' something from the dessert case to take home for later. Michael rated his plum frangipane tart ($9) highly. I was even happier with the lemon tart ($9) - while I though the pastry was average, the lemon filling was exceptional, with a gorgeous wafer-thin crust of burnt sugar.

 

   

 

The Babka menu clearly isn't what it once was, but there's still a comfort to the place. The classic cafe fit-out feels just right. We were perched near the coffee machine and noticed the manager cheerfully chatting with everyone, with many clearly being regulars. The customers spanned generations and Brunswick St subcultures. I'm glad Babka has found a form it can sustain. 

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You can read about one, two of our previous visits to Babka. Since then, it's received generally positive reviews on Multicultural Melbourne, Almost Always Ravenous, Spoonful of Sugar, and Vanilla Slice (Snot) Blog.

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Babka

358 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 

9416 0091 

menu: one, two 

instagram page 

 

Accessibility: There is a step up on entry and a crowded interior. Furniture is densely arranged regular height small tables and backed chairs. We ordered and paid at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets. 

Fitz Curry Cafe III

May 8, 2026 

 

   

 

The next stop in our 20 year anniversary tour of the 2006 Cheap Eats guide is the 25-year-old Fitz Curry Cafe. It's well over a decade (perhaps nearing two!) since we last visited, but Fitz Curry was an early front-runner in Michael's search for a favourite Melbourne Indian restaurant. The Cheap Eats review highlighted their organic ingredients; these seem to be less of a selling point in 2026, although the cafe's website mentions organic flour roti.

 

   

 

Eating in at Fitz Curry includes that touch of Indian restaurant hospitality we love: a basket of papadams with a light yoghurt-based mint chutney. Having had one cocktail and little food in the preceding hours, I fell upon these enthusiastically.

 

   

 

We ordered as we did so many years ago: navaratan korma ($8-10 in 2006, $23.99 in 2026), malai kofta ($8-10 in 2007, $24.99 in 2026), garlic naan ($4.99), and steamed basmati rice ($4.99). The curries were quite mild and sweet (we requested medium heat), the kind we've known and enjoyed many times from family Indian restaurants. We're more excited about the likes of Horn Please, Bhang and Masti these days, but Fitz Curry Cafe hit the mark for a nostalgia tour such as this.

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You can read about one, two of our previous Fitz Curry experiences. 

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Fitz Curry Cafe

44 Johnston St, Fitzroy

9495 6119 

banquets, mains page 1, mains page 2, sides & desserts 

https://fitzcurrycafe.com.au/

 

Accessibility: There are two shallow steps up on entry and a clear, flat corridor through the middle of the restaurant. Furniture is densely packed, consisting of regular height tables and backed chairs. We ordered at our table and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Harissa butter beans

May 6, 2026

   

 

I've got a bit of a type when it comes to dinner recipes: come up with some kind of one-pot, bean-based situation with lots of flavour and a solid dose of veggies and I'm going to put it on my list. So when I saw a colleague eating this for lunch at work I was immediately nagging her to send me the recipe. 

It's very simple and very adaptable and has already had a second go around for a weeknight dinner here - you've got a bit of bite from the harissa smoothed out by the coconut milk and some nice depth of flavour from the nooch and the sun-dried tomatoes. Butter beans are great here, but it would work equally well with white beans. We've had it with little roti breads on the side (as pictured) and with some fresh sourdough, both of wich were excellent. It will slot smoothly into the rotation, alongside other beany favourites. 

Harissa butter beans

(via this recipe from Nutri View)

2 cans butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, peeled and sliced finely

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped (the recipe drains the oil off, but I reckon it's worth tipping it in!)

3 tablespoons harissa paste

400ml coconut milk

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped

Heat the olive oil over med-high heat in a large pot and cook the shallots for a few minutes until they've softened. Add in the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute or two. Tip in the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil and stir to combine. 

Add the butter beans and the harissa, stirring to coat the beans in the spice paste. After a couple of minutes, tip in the coconut milk and lower the heat. Bring the mix to a low simmer and stir in the nutritional yeast, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. 

Simmer for about 15 minutes until it's thickened a bit and then add the chopped kale, cooking just long enough for it to properly wilt - about 5 minutes. 

Serve, with whatever bread product you fancy. 

Trippy Taco V

May 2, 2026 

 

   

 

Trippy Taco does not actually appear in the 2006 Cheap Eats guide, but it's entrenched in where's the beef? lore, opening on Smith St in that first year we lived in Melbourne and instantly becoming Michael's favourite place for a workday lunch, as well as a semi-regular nighttime hang-out with friends. It's now been on Gertrude St much longer than it was ever on Smith, and most recently we walked across from the VAS Gallery with some friends for a weekend lunch. 

 

While the menu's not strictly the same, changes to the spread of casual Mexican-inspired foods are subtle: there are no longer sultanas in the salads, and they now offer something called 'heart attack fries'. Everything's vegetarian; vegan and gluten-free options are plentiful; and there's more dietary information than most places on the printed menu. 

 

   

 

A large basket of trippy fries ($9) for the table was essential. (The smaller serving was $4 in 2008 and is now $7 in 2026.) Their seasoning has always been heavy on the smoked paprika and that's how everyone likes it.

 

   

 

Michael returned to an old fave, the tofu asada burrito ($9 in 2008 and now $17 in 2026). It's precisely as it's always been, from his memory: chunky and full of flavour, with bright salad and guacamole, and even better when doused in something from TT's hot sauce collection. 

 

   

 

I've always had a soft spot for the Trippy Taco tamale ($8.50 for a more elaborate version in 2008, now $13 in 2026 + $3 for guacamole + $2.50 for salsa) - so sweet and tender and carby! I still haven't had the dessert version, once a special and now a menu fixture. Twenty years later, Trippy Taco still has a little more to offer us. 

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You can read about one, two, three, four of our past visits to Trippy Taco. Since then, it's appeared on veg*n blogs melbourne with the rocket, Green Gourmet Giraffe, I Spy Plum Pie, Veggo Melburnian, and I Travel For Vegan Food. It's also appeared on omni blogs They Call Me Maggie, FOOD CHEE, Sweet & Sour Fork, Ms I-Hua, The Epicurean of Southbank, and Melbourne Vita.  

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Trippy Taco

234 Gertrude St, Fitzroy

9415 7711 

menu: one, two 

https://www.trippytaco.com.au/

 

Accessibility: There's one step on entry, and there's a clear flat pathway through the centre. Furniture is densely arranged, regular height tables and backed chairs. We ordered and paid at a high counter. We didn't visit the toilets. 

Arepa Days

April 19, 2026

 

   

 

Arepa Days has been on our wishlist since it opened, it being a sibling to Michael's beloved Sonido. (The list ticks over slowly, with Arepa Days opening back in 2018.) At long last, I found my excuse to meet up with a friend there for Sunday brunch! I love the cafe's relaxed fit-out and splashes of colour, though I'd rather more of the seats had backs. Thankfully I was in early enough to grab a bench against the wall. 

 

The name clearly indicates the features here: a daytime cafe with a menu centred on arepas. The menu is mostly gluten-free, and the arepas are also vegan when not explicitly cheese-stuffed. They can be served simply, with just cheese, butter and salt or some corn, or built up with eggs, beans, pulled beef, even black pudding. There are rice bowls, too, lots of sides to customise your plate, and an attractive little selection of sweets at the counter. 

 

   

 

I was early and cold, and started with a chai ($6.40). It was milky and not too sweet; it could have been spicier but was nevertheless lovely to nurse.

 

   

 

When it came time to eat, I went for the huevos arepa plate ($18.10) with a side of beans ($5.50). It looked a little small but proved deeply satisfying, with lots of golden scrambled eggs striped with hogao and piled onto a soft arepa, the flavourful beans dotted with feta and everything scattered with fresh coriander leaves.

 

Staff were happy to let us linger, and I would have lingered longer still if I didn't have places to be. Arepa Days was everything I anticipated.

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Arepa Days has also been reviewed by Mamma Knows North. 

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Arepa Days

25 Preston St, Preston  

food, drinks 

https://www.arepadays.com.au/

 

Accessibility: Arepa Days has a wide entry with one step up. The interior is quite crowded with furniture, mostly regular-height tables with backless stools, and some benches along the walls. We ordered and paid at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Lankan Tucker II

April 12, 2026 

 

   

 

Michael loved our first visit to Lankan Tucker, but it just wasn't conveniently located for us to make many follow-up visits. Last year Lankan Tucker shifted to Carlton, nestled within College Square and invisible from the street, but Michael got wind of it somehow. We took refuge there for lunch on a day with dreadful weather, and were warmed by the staff welcome long before the food.

 

While the menu starts with eggs and toast, it's Sri Lankan flavours from then on: lots of roti, a biriyani burrito, tacos stuffed with black pork curry, and banana leaf rice and curry. There aren't any dietary markings on the menu, but the staff seem to know their stuff.

 

   

 

Michael relished the vegetarian version of kotthu roti ($26), a warming toss-up of shredded roti, veges and egg flavoured with soy sauce and chilli, nicely charred around the edges and garnished with curry leaves. It worked well with a fresh glow juice (carrot, apple and ginger, $10, pictured top). 

 

   

 

Sadly for me they were all out of Milo French toast (and now I think it's disappeared from their menu entirely!). I bounced back rapidly, having seen faluda on the menu ($10, pictured top). This one's a cheerful layering of rose syrup, milk and cream with a sprinkling of seeds, but no rival to the over-the-top versions I've previously enjoyed at Savour and Maalu Maalu. More unique was the veg pan roll ($7, pictured above), subtitled "the much cooler cousin of the sausage roll": here a warm vegetable curry is wrapped in a crepe, crumbed and deep-fried. The shell reminded me more of a Chiko roll, though it was much better, with this roll offering greater sophistication in its textures and flavours. No sauce needed!

 

   

 

Lankan Tucker are also doing quite a line in take-home products, from T-shirts to preserves, tea and ready-made meals.

 

It was so nice to be back at Lankan Tucker after so many years. Though they're tucked away, they've remained front of mind and I've already been back for another faluda-pan roll lunch! 

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You can also read about our previous visit to Lankan Tucker at its original location. Since then, its Brunswick West incarnation was reviewed on Melbourne Vita, Good Food, Good Karma, and Whatever Floats Your Bloat. 

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Lankan Tucker

570 Lygon St, Carlton

8000 3929 

food, drinks 

https://www.lankantucker.com/

 

Accessibility: Lankan Tucker has a flat entry and a heavy door. Furniture is medium spaced, mostly regular height tables and backed chairs. There is one large table located up two steps, and one large high table with backed metal seats. We ordered at our table and paid at a high bar. 

Masses Bagels

April 11, 2026 

 

   

 

Michael's been visiting Masses Bagels regularly with his run club and telling me, often, how much he thinks I'd like it. It took many months before we made use of an errand in Richmond to breakfast at Masses together on the way through.

 

The setting is a little stark, with brushed metal surfaces, concrete floors, and low-height backless seating. At least the staff make up for it in warmth! The bagels distinguish themselves by being wild fermented, and they're probably the thinnest, crispiest bagels I've experienced. There are also gluten-free bagels available (acknowledging the flour contamination risk), quark-based cream cheese and a cashew-based vegan alternative.

 

For eating in, there's an array of 'bagel tartines', most of which have a vegetarian option, and a few of which have vegan options. Michael loved the balance of the egg gribiche topping ($17), which is richly dressed, and cut through with gherkins, tarragon, chive and capers.  

   

 

After considering the couple of sweet options (honey, peach and lemon verbena jam with quark), I swerved savoury and ordered the pickled green tomato ($18.50), which comes with parmesan cream, fermented hot honey and mustard leaves. The acidity of the tomatoes offset the bagels nicely, but the parmesan cream that I was eagerly anticipating didn't really shine through. My choice to drink an orange juice ($8) just dialled up the acidity further.

 

Masses Bagels wasn't precisely what I expected, but it was a nice time and I'm curious to try more. Given his frequency of visits, you'll be better off asking Michael for tartine recommendations in the meantime. 

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Masses Bagels

5 Smith St, Fitzroy

menu 

https://www.massesbagels.com.au/

 

Accessibility: There is a flat entry and clear path to the low counter. Furniture is a mixture of low tables with backless small stools and milk crates. We ordered and paid at the counter. We couldn't see any sign of a toilet.  

Knafeh Nabulseyeh

April 9, 2026 

 

   

 

Trying knafeh has been on my wish list for several years, and I finally made it happen at Knafeh Nabulseyeh in Coburg, after I had a medical appointment in the area. This modest cafe focuses on serving knafeh in the tradition of Nablus, Palestine, and it also offers tea and coffee, baklava, falafel, shawarma and chips.

 

Knafeh can be bought one slice at a time, by the plate and by the kilo (!), in both coarse and fine (kataifi/shredded pastry) varieties. I made my debut with one slice of the coarse style ($10.90), which was heated up to order and topped with syrup. The base layer of cheese was dense and springy, contrasting with the golden crunch of the pastry, and crushed pistachios added a fun stripe of colour to the top. the knafeh was rich and comforting, though I might have liked a pinch more salt in the flavour profile. I should have ordered a cup of tea, but made do diluting the sweetness with water.

 

Skipping out on knafeh that day would have saved me from getting absolutely smashed with rain on the cycle home, but I had no regrets - this was an afternoon tea to remember, and to revisit.

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Knafeh Nabulseyeh

442 Sydney Rd, Coburg

9569 4085

https://knafehnabulseyeh.com.au/

 

Accessibility: There is a step up on entry and an open area leading to the counter. Furniture is densely packed around the walls, with regular height tables, backed chairs and benches. I ordered and paid at a low counter. I didn't visit the toilets.

The Sporting Club Hotel V

April 8, 2026 

 

   

 

The Sporting Club Hotel was listed in the 2006 Cheap Eats guide, then became the Charles Weston around 2015, and has since reverted back to the Sporting Club name. Cheap Eats described it as "a bit like your best mate's lounge room", which was reasonably accurate. Some of my mates' lounge rooms have had upgrades since 2006, as has the Sporting Club, but the simile doesn't really fit any more. We first visited in 2011, moved closer a couple of years later, and have since stopped in several dozen times, I'd guess - it was our go-to casual hang-out spot in the 2010s.

 

   

 

In 2006 Cheap Eats mentioned chicken parmigiana and lamb shanks, but by 2011 the menu was more of a tapas-and-tacos situation. But I reckon vege burgers are one of the better ways to track a pub's trajectory. In 2012, the $20 portobello mushroom burger that Michael ordered earned howls in the comments for being too expensive. A year later, I mentioned the $16 crumbed haloumi burger, which I went on to order many, many times (raised to $18 in 2015) - it was beloved. At some point, it got switched for a vegan-friendly tofu burger, which I declined to try for several years in my haloumi grief, and then learned was actually also very good. The pub's food experienced a post-COVID dip, and then it had its makeover, and the Southern fried enoki burger with cheese and slaw ($26, pictured above) arose. This burger made a positive impression on Michael on our most recent visit - crispy, chewy and savoury.

 

   

 

Much as I did on our first blogged visit, I flitted around the sides list. The wombok, snowpea, mint and feta salad ($14) was fun, fresh and very finely chopped. What looked like raw red onion (which I detest) was actually radish, with the additional purple on top most likely sumac. The vegan-friendly roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary ($14) were unexpectedly served with the garlic and rosemary forming a viscous green goo all over the spuds. While weird to look at, it tasted brilliant, with the potatoes having been cooked to a rich golden brown before they were dressed.

 

The current Sporting Club Hotel isn't our favourite incarnation of the pub, but it's still a pretty good one. I've no doubt we'll continue to pop in for years to come, even if it no longer feels like a second lounge room. 

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You can read 2011, 2012 and 2013 posts about the Sporting Club Hotel, a 2015 post about the Charles Weston iteration, and then a 2025 post about the Sporting Club reversion. 

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Sporting Club Hotel 

27 Weston St, Brunswick 

9996 1869 

food, drinks 

https://sportingclubhotel.au/ 

 

Accessibility: The Sporting Club Hotel has a flat standard-width entry, an even wider flat entry directly to the beer garden, and plenty of space inside. There's table service in many areas, with ordering and payment also possible at the bar, which in our experience can be very loud. It's been a while since we visited the toilets; back then they were easy to get to but were just ordinary sized cubicles split by gender.

Tokyo Maki

April 2, 2026 

 

   

 

We had a decent shot at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year - seven shows across four nights - with only the last one located at the flagship Melbourne Town Hall. Our first night out had us seeking an early dinner near the Speakeasy Theatre. While the theatre itself proved cute as a button, we weren't inspired by its location in the south-western corner of the CBD. Happy Cow once again came to our rescue, noting that Japanese-Korean fusion restaurant Tokyo Maki has a dedicated vegan menu.

 

   

 

Tokyo Maki was casual and welcoming, a little more than half full when we arrived. We noticed hotplates in the centre of many tables, and space-saving slide-out drawers in the tables for cutlery and napkins. The vegan menu runs to a full A4 page of several dozen items, proudly headed I am a Vegan. Flip it over and you'll find the equally confident alternative, Hate Gluten. Aside from being funny, it's unusual and welcome for Japanese food!

 

   

 

I was in the mood for several snack plates. First to arrive was the agadashi tofu ($9.90) in fine form. Michael and I also split the vegetable croquettes ($7.50), which had a unique savoury flavour that pleasantly surprised us. I spaced my food out with a house-made honey ginger tea ($5.80), served with a kawaii relaxed dog spoon (see second photo above).

   

 

When Michael sees the words 'mapo tofu', he's hooked. This Japanese Mapo Tofu Don ($18.50) didn't have the Sichuan pepper bite he's accustomed to, but he loved the rich and still-spicy douban sauce. It was packed with tofu cubes, veges and rice.

   

My last snack of the night was lotus root chips ($11). They were plentiful and came with nice condiments, but unfortunately they weren't crispy all the way through, the only flaw in our meal. 

Tokyo Maki was a nice little surprise in what we consider to be an unattractive corner of the city. The staff were lovely; the vegan food was plentiful, arrived on time, was mostly terrific, and on reflection very good value for money. We won't hesitate to return and sample more if back in the neighbourhood. 

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Tokyo Maki

547 Flinders St, Melbourne CBD 

9620 0375 

vegan, gluten-free, drinks & dessert 

order online

 

Accessibility: Tokyo Maki has a flat, reasonably wide entry. Regular-height tables and backed chairs are arranged at medium density. We ordered at our table and paid at a regular-height counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Vegiera

Happy Cow already reports that Vegiera has closed. 

 

March 28, 2026

 

   

 

We were ready for lunch after visiting a friend in Beaumaris; Happy Cow turned up Vegiera as the nearest vegetarian spot and we figured we'd give it a go. Sadly, Happy Cow now reports that Vegiera is closed so this is probably just a document of a nice meal had rather than a usable recommendation for readers. 

Vegiera is nestled within a commercial/light industrial strip of Warrigal Road (and we made sure to stop by the neighbouring Savers for a browse before departure). While Vegiera is clean and naturally lit, it's difficult to shake off a certain food court vibe. They've got an appealing, all-vegetarian a la carte menu that spans the cooking traditions of Asia, with soups, appetisers, abundant rice and noodle-based dishes, curries and stir-fries, and a couple of desserts. Gluten-free options are well-marked.

   

 

Michael made the most of our visit, ordering a tempeh rendang ($19), served with five-grain rice. Look at those generous tempeh chunks, tender potatoes and luminous broccoli florets photographed up top! I was after something simpler and tried the omelette ($22), which was dense with veges and very well seasoned. I regret that I didn't have the appetite for Kado-kado, house-made sweet and sour balls, or Thai style fried rice - the Vegiera team seemed to be producing really nice vegetarian dishes with care.

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Vegiera

Shop 7a, 442-444 Warrigal Road, Heatherton

9558 2163

menu: one, two, three

facebook page

 

Accessibility: Vegiera has a flat entry and a clear corridor through its length. Regular-height tables and backed chairs are arranged at medium-to-high density. We ordered and paid at a regular-height counter. There was a large, unisex toilet cubicle with accessibility features.

Tom Phat IV

March 21, 2026 

 

   

 

When we first arrived in Melbourne, I thought Tom Phat looked so cool. It maintains the same vibe 20 years later, and I still think it looks pretty cool. That said, we've had some really mixed experiences, both within and between meals, and it has never really earned our loyalty. We've popped in for the odd late-night espresso martini or dietary-friendly friend date since our 2016 anniversary post and not been moved to document them. But we can't resist a longitudinal analysis, so here we are, back blogging Tom Phat in 2026.

 

   

 

Tom Phat continues to cover the larger floor space it had expanded to by 2016, and it is filled pretty effectively on a Saturday night. Tom Phat used to be an all-hours venue, from brunch to late-night cocktails, but now it's strictly a dinner-and-drinks affair. The drinks are good fun! A dozen cocktails and four mocktails focus on south-east Asian flavours, with numerous tropical fruits, lemongrass, and ginger. 

 

   

 

It was harder than we expected to order dishes we'd had before; tempeh, in particular, seemed to be off the menu. The hoisin tofu baos ($14) were a fun and tasty DIY experience, with more pickley bits than we could fit into the buns. The grilled roti with satay sauce ($12) is one of the few menu fixtures and sadly one of the least inspiring, with little flakiness or toastiness.

 

   

 

The choo chee curry with rice ($24) has a tofu option for the veg*ns, and it's an enjoyable if not memorable coconut milk-based curry with a good variety of vegetables.

 

   

 

Kung pao cauliflower ($24) was another new-to-us menu item, a bit spicy and plenty sweet, with lovely roasted cashews. The cauliflower florets were thickly battered, the effect was too heavy, and we didn't make it through the whole plate.

 

I had vowed to order the banana roti pancake for dessert if it was still around, but it was blessedly absent. While the menu has technically changed, this version of Tom Phat didn't really offer us anything new. 

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 You can read about one, two, three of our past visits to Tom Phat.

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Tom Phat

184 Sydney Rd, Brunswick  

9121 3377 

menu 

https://tomphat.com/

 

Accessibility: Tom Phat has a small ramp on entry. Tables are aligned through the length of the building with a corridor through that starts off wide but gets a little more crowded towards the end. Furniture is a densely-arranged array of regular-height tables with backed chairs and bench seats. There is a disability-marked toilet out back. We ordered at our table and paid afterwards at the low-ish counter. 

Andrew's Hamburgers IV

March 14, 2026

 

We're revisiting lots of places from the first couple of years of the blog to celebrate twenty years of posting about Melbourne's food and to check back on the Cheap Eats 2006 places we got excited about when we first moved here. Andrew's Hamburgers has been going a lot longer than twenty years, churning out famous burgers with the lot and laying claim to being Australia's first dedicated burger shop. There are conflicting accounts of its history, but it seems to have been run by the same family since at least 1957.

 

Its last two decades we can account for, with the shop basically unchanged since we first visited - a narrow, busy space pumping out burgers and chips well beyond the capacity of the few tables out the front. The menu itself has expanded since we last visited, with Mexican, Hawaiian and American themed burger options alongside the classics (plus the souvlaki that turned up on the menu around 2010).

 

Most people are here for the classics though I think. The burger with the lot is the mainstay, and I suspect the veggie burger ($16) recipe hasn't been messed with since whenever it first appeared. There are no concessions to vegans here, with feta in the veggie patty (based on a family recipe). It's gooey and dotted with veggies, layered up with cheese and just soggy enough - a far cry from the Impossible patties that now dominate the veggie burger world. We added in a potato cake ($2.50) and small chips ($6.50) and had a delightful dinner in the sunshine. 

    

Veggie burger prices at Andrew's have gradually increased, from $7 in 2007 to $7.50 in 2010 to $10 in 2016 to $16 on our 2026 visit. It's not outrageous, but it's not quite the bargain that it felt like back in 2007. Still, there's something wholesome about a business that knows what it does well and just keeps doing it.

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You can read about our earlier visits to Andrew's here, here and here. Since our 2016 visit there have been a few blog posts about the meaty options - see Team Cheeseburger and Food Trip (reviewing the short-lived CBD outpost). There is a lovely obituary for Andrew Georghiou here, as well as the interesting but inconsistent articles in The Age and Broadsheet.

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Andrew's Hamburgers

114 Bridport Street, Albert Park

9690 2126

menu

https://www.andrewshamburgers.com.au/

 

Accessibiltity: The entry is flat, but the interior is quite crowded and you order and pay at a high counter. The outside tables are reasonably well spaced, with bench seating. We didn't visit the toilets.

Gopal's IV

March 3, 2026 

 

   

 

We probably haven't been to Gopal's since our 2016 decade retrospective of the 2006 Cheap Eats Guide. What once suited our student budget and tastes and our newly vegetarian ways brought less excitement as the years went on. But what's boring to one can be comforting and even nostalgic to another.

 

   

 

Gopal's specialises in vegetarian and vegan food, prepared in bulk and served at affordable prices. The mainstay is the feast plate ($12 in 2006, $12.95 in 2016, $13.50 in 2026); they were out of soup on our visit so Michael dropped back to the otherwise-same vegan platter ($12.50). It's a plate piled with rice, two curries and salad, plus a dessert (apple crumble with custard) and drink (lemonade). The foods and their dietary features are well marked at the counter bain marie, but it all kinda melds on the plate.

   

 

I knew I couldn't handle the full shebang, so focused on kofta and rice, drink and dessert. It was simple, salty and filling, no more and no less than I expected. It's food that won't make new memories but might trigger old ones. It's remarkable that Gopal's have kept the prices so low for so many years, and maintained a space in the city that remains so accessible and accepting to anyone who can make it up the stairs. We might not be excited by Gopal's but we're lucky to have them.

 

    

 

On this night, we paired our meal with a Pulp show under a blood moon. Gopal's went on to rescue us from hunger between Melbourne Comedy Festival shows in April when the crepe cart was overrun and time was tight. 

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You can read about one, two, three of our previous visits to Gopal's.

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Gopal's Pure Vegetarian

139 Swanston St, Melbourne CBD 

9650 1578 

menu 

https://www.gopalspurevegetarian.com.au/ 

 

Accessibility: We entered via a narrow staircase with a handrail and did not notice an alternative access point. We ordered and paid at the counter. Tables are quite well spaced. Toilets are gendered and narrow. 

Artichoke heart cannelloni

Februrary 28, 2026 

   

 

We were in the mood for a cosy pasta project on a Saturday night, and I pulled this one out of Deb Perelman's first Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. The photo in the book has pasta shells oozing with something creamy and cheesy, edges crisped to a golden brown, and everything flecked with green parsley. My presentation is a little more coarse but it hit the mark well enough.

 

The major hitch was that I couldn't find jumbo pasta shells. I'm not confident that they're even a thing here in Australia. I pivoted to cannelloni: that meant filling them carefully while they were uncooked and brittle, compared to shells that were intended to be cooked, soft and open for filling. I kept an eye on the amount of liquid in the sauce and the baking time, wanting to make sure that the pasta cooked through in the last phase. They did pretty well with some extra milk and ricotta, though perhaps they didn't look quite as satisfyingly gooey.

 

Pasta shapes aside, we stuck to the key flavours: a filling of blended artichoke hearts brightened with white wine and lemon juice, poured over with a thick ricotta béchamel, and scattered with basil leaves. It was gorgeous, paired with a favourite simple tomato salad that I've won Michael around to.

 

 

 

Artichoke heart cannelloni

(adapted from Deb Perelman's The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook) 

 

cannelloni

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

2 x 400g cans artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed, and sliced in half

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan

2 egg yolks

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

250g box cannelloni tubes 

 

sauce

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup flour

3 cups milk

2 clove garlic, minced

2/3 cup ricotta

3 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

 

2 tablespoons parsley or basil leaves, chopped, to garnish

 

 

Melt the butter in a medium-large frypan over medium heat. When it's lightly brown, add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring, until softened and browning, about 10 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook it all, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool a little.

 

When the artichoke mixture is no longer too hot for it, transfer it to a food processor. Add the parmesan, egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse the mixture until it is well chopped but still retains plenty of texture.

 

Make the sauce by melting the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Gradually whisk in the milk, keeping it all moving to prevent lumps. Add the garlic and bring the sauce to the boil, stirring regularly. Reduce the heat and stir in the ricotta, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

 

Preheat an oven to 180°C. Spread a bit of the sauce over the base of a large, high-walled baking dish (about 20 x 30 cm). Use a teaspoon to carefully spoon the artichoke filling into each cannelloni tube, then set the tubes into the baking dish on top of the sauce. When all the cannelloni and filling is used up, spoon the remaining sauce over them. Cover the dish in foil and bake for about 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for a further 15 minutes.

 

Serve the cannelloni sprinkled with parsley or basil.