Daily Detours to Help Expand Your Palate

Melbourne’s pan-Asian chef and restaurateur, Andrew McConnell, wants to get you off the couch this Monday evening. Remedy a weekend of bad behaviour with something sweet: namely, the ever-coveted peanut butter parfait, salted caramel and soft chocolate dessert at Supernormal, his ever-popular Flinders Street restaurant. The peanut butter parfait is the final crescendo on the restaurant’s hybrid menu: it injects a nut element into a typical western dessert format, securing its place alongside other Asian-inspired dishes. If you stop by for the peanut parfait, don’t be surprised if you find yourself facing three courses of pan-Asian dishes, showcasing McConnell’s delicate blend of Chinese, Japanese and Korean flavours.

Dexter is a ‘non-traditional American BBQ’ joint specialising in prime cuts of meat cooked low and slow and buns, served with a melange of pickled sides and experimental entrees. Get stuck into Dexter’s famous hot meat doughnut this Tuesday — a light and fluffy batter stuffed with burnt brisket ends, deep-fried and dusted with sugar and paprika. Try one for $4.50 or three for $12 — a sweet and savoury delight.

Sweeten up that mid-week morning routine with a little help from the world-class pastries at Fitzroy favourite (and everyone’s favourite) Lune Croissanterie. The backstreet gem is serving what’s been described by The New York Times as the best croissants on the planet, alongside an array of other mouthwatering baked goods — both classic and inventive. Drop by the sleek space for a coffee and sugar hit in the form of a traditional pain au chocolate, signature cruffin creation or perhaps a twice-baked almond croissant — your day will be looking pretty great indeed.

While Melburnians are quite proud of our diverse cuisine offerings, Ethiopian food is severely underrepresented throughout the city. Footscray, however, champions this distinctive cuisine at casual dining restaurants, including Addis Abeba, Awash and Abesha. After a meal of injera (flatbread), azifa (green lentil salad) and sambusa (fried pastry often filled with meat), wash it all down with a beer at The Reverence Hotel. At this Footscray institution, local beers like Two Birds and Coopers & Stone are championed, providing the perfect lubrication for one of their weekly gigs, or a laidback night with friends over a round of billiards.

Image: @marnie.vinall via Instagram.

Nearly all of life’s problems can be vastly improved with a plate of lasagne, especially one that’s been crafted in the kitchen of a Melbourne institution like Pellegrini‘s. The beloved Bourke Street espresso bar is Italian comfort food at its best, warming bellies and souls with its classic pasta dishes since the 1950s. Even the fit-out nods to the old-school, with its red leather bar stools and chequered floor. Clock off work and treat yourself to a serve of home-style lasagne, washed down with an Italian espresso. While you’re there, do some people watching — Pellegrini’s friendly service and fantastic Italian food attracts a whole range of customers, from corporates, to retirees and tourists who have heard of its legacy.

Image: Brook James.

If anything’s worth forgoing a Sunday sleep-in for, surely it’s cheese. More specifically, the oozy cheese of your wildest dreams: raclette. This Swiss-style cows’ milk cheese is a hot-ticket specialty of Prahan Market‘s famous Maker & Monger stall, where it’s melted into submission and scraped atop a dish of warm potatoes and pickles. Head to the fruit and vegetable hall from 7.30am, locate the cheesemonger’s distinctive French food cart and snap up one of these cheesy beauts for your weekend brekkie. Then you can work off all those delicious calories with a morning spent exploring the diverse offerings of Melbourne’s oldest market.

When it comes to cheap, cheerful and scrumptious feeds, Moroccan Soup Bar is hard to beat. With almost two decades under its belt, the North Fitzroy eatery is the epitome of a Melbourne institution, renowned for its generous North African dishes and perma-queues of eager patrons waiting to devour them. What this comfy, no-frills joint lacks in modernity, it makes up for in flavour. It takes just a couple bites of the acclaimed chickpea bake and various share plates to see why the place is heaving every night it’s open. Guaranteed to keep tastebuds happy and wallets full, it’s a winning option for mid-week dinner. Come hungry, and armed with a couple of takeaway beers to enjoy while you experience the time-honoured tradition of waiting for one of these prized tables.

Image: Nic Allchin.

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