Macedonian cuisine isn’t one that I’m familiar with, and restaurants in Melbourne are hard to find. Luckily it’s much easier to explore now that Lé Léé just opened up in Northcote.

The menu is focused on sharing plates, in line with their traditional communal dining style. The meal might begin with starters like lightly crumbed Fried Zucchini, dips, cured meats, or a tasty and refreshing Shopska Salad with tomato, cucumber, onion and grated fetta.

Mains are largely warming dishes. The Banica is a crisp and flakey spiral pastry filled with leek and cheese. Slow-roasted Pork Belly delivers on the crackling, and the meat itself retains its juices. Vardarsko Grne – a slow-cooked claypot of vegetables, pork and chicken – comes with a bread topping that can be eaten alongside it. A surprise favourite for many is the baked beans. Wipe away all those memories of canned beans. This is one flavoursome dish that has much more depth of flavour than just tomato.