Riddik

Overview

Riddik is a pretty spot-on moniker for the gutsy new all-day eatery that's landed itself in Templestowe. Largely because the menu is downright huge — you're going to want to leave your indecisiveness at home for this one.

Elsewhere, things are equally big and bold. The lofty former bank is decked out with statement street art and lots of leafy green touches against a black-and-white colour palette. It's a hard task to master, but it's the kind of space that holds up well from early morning Code Black coffees to those after-dinner cocktails.

By day, you're faced with a sprawling mix of cafe classics and clever adaptations, with breakfast running until 3pm and lunch on offer from noon.

A winner at either meal is the slow-cooked lamb, piled atop thick-cut sourdough and teamed with grilled asparagus and mint-laced hollandaise ($18) — just one of six different varieties of eggs benedict flying from the Riddik kitchen.

Also in excellent supply here are burgers. The five-strong lineup stars buttermilk-poached fried chicken, coffee-rubbed beef and everything in between. The fish version ($22) ticks all the right boxes, stuffed with a crunchy panko-crumbed fillet, cut through with a pea smash and served with a side of chips you'll only want more of.

A dive into more virtuous territory will leave you no less spoilt for choice, with options like the ancient grains bircher with chai-infused yoghurt ($16), a signature smashed avo finished with fig, spiced shanklish (a Levantine cheese) and pomegranate molasses ($19), and three on-trend breakfast salads.

Some daytime offerings reappear with the dinner service, though overall the influence here is a little broader. Make a proper feast of it with dishes like truffled cauliflower and seared scallop risotto ($21) or the lime and ancho chilli pork cutlet ($24). Or paddle happily up the snackier end of the menu while you breeze through some after-work drinks.

To match, there's a decent crop of largely local wines and a lineup of cocktails that runs from the classic to the more creative. For a tasty caffeine hit, see the Cold Drip Martini with brandy liqueur, Mr Black and house-brewed cold drip ($19) — you'll have earned it after navigating that ridiculously hefty dinner menu.

Images: Phoebe Powell