Opening in August last year, Roy Sassonkin and partner Natalie Powell (ex-Barry) set out to deliver vegetarian Israeli street-food in the middle of hipster Northcote. Originally from Tel Aviv, Sassonkin worked at Chin Chin, Hellenic Republic and the nearby Red Door Corner Store before settling into his own place. The setting is modest, with limited bar and counter seating around the periphery of the narrow eatery. We take a spot right at the kitchen, where we have the opportunity to watch our food being cooked, and the day's food...

Your typical brunch fare won't be found here. Aucuba offers a menu that is mainly plant-based, noticeably Japanese-influenced, and shies away from same-same dishes like smashed avocado and pulled pork everything (though I do have to say I love a good pulled pork dish). As its name might suggest, Aucuba also roasts its own specialty coffee in-house and boasts its own dedicated brew and espresso bar, which takes up nearly a quarter of the floor space in the front section of the cafe....

Lot 3 can be found by the stairs leading up to Ripponlea Station, set in an old station master's house. It's a small, cosy place; a no-frills sort of cafe with self-serve water (still or sparkling) and orders made at the counter. It's by David Maccora and Michael Bascetta, both of whom were formerly involved with Attica, just up the road, and they've succeeded in creating something quite different from Australia's best restaurant. ...

West of Kin is the sister restaurant of Chapel Street's Kin, a restaurant that focuses more on traditional Vietnamese cuisine. For their second venture, Andy and Tram Tran have decided to break away and go down a more contemporary path that introduces modern twists to the authentic flavours of Asian cuisine. This comes courtesy of consultant chef Sam Pinzone, who's ex-Rockpool, Jacques Reymond and The Rose Upstairs, and has earned himself two hats from Gault Millau. The heritage-listed ETA Foods Factory was previously sitting derelict in the middle of this...

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