The hot new Melbourne restaurant where pasta starts at $6

The biggest 'why not?' is this. If you think dining out should be accessible to those without a hundred bucks or more to drop on dinner, why not create a restaurant that finds a happy meeting place between money and mouth?
And the cool thing about cheap places is that cashed-up patrons will often get a bottle of wine rather than two glasses, order a round of peach cheesecake for the table and keep the wheels humming, while those on a tight budget can be here too.
Three more excellent-value places to try
Jay Bhavani
This is the first Melbourne branch of a vegetarian Indian street-food chain with nearly 200 branches around the world. Start with panipuri, fragile dough balls stuffed with spiced potato; it's $10 for 15 tasty bite-sized spheres.
401 Clayton Road, Clayton, jaybhavani.com.au
Beit Siti
Falastini Food Truck now has a permanent cafe home, sharing Palestinian food and culture, inspired by owner Rahaf Al Khatib's teta (grandmother) Jamal. On Mondays and Tuesdays, laptops are encouraged (there's Wi-Fi) to accompany bottomless batch brew coffee and a slice of focaccia for $10.
150 Bell Street, Coburg, instagram.com/beit.siti
Blackwood Hotel
An hour north-west of Melbourne, this 1868 weatherboard pub has been given a sensitive refurb by new owners. Prices are keen, and the pub classics are all there, plus a lamb shoulder that reflects the chef's Greek heritage and roasted cauliflower with cashew cream. Kids schnitzels or lasagne are $14.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Age

32 minutes ago

• The Age

Find riffs on Palestinian dishes at a homely Coburg cafe that honours its owner's grandmother

Previous SlideNext Slide Middle Eastern$ Rahaf Al Khatib channels Palestinian recipes from her mother and grandmother at Beit Siti ('grandmother's home') in Coburg. Following on from her Falastini food truck, this cafe and cultural centre exudes home-style warmth with family photos and Al Khatib's own house plants. Fresh baked goods with Palestinian twists include musakhan focaccia with confit onion, almonds, sumac and cauliflower; a Danish filled with strawberry, pomegranate and dill jam, and house-made labneh; and a zaatar croissant with pickled chilli and baladiyeh, a firm 'village cheese'. There are also grab-and-go sandwiches such as chicken mortadella with smoked pepper spread, spinach and labneh. Al Khatib plans for the breakfast menu to showcase different regional specialties of Palestine including mub'atra, a dish of scrambled eggs with potato, parsley and green chilli. Constance coffee is brewed with cardamom or served espresso-style.

Sydney Morning Herald

33 minutes ago

• Sydney Morning Herald

Find riffs on Palestinian dishes at a homely Coburg cafe that honours its owner's grandmother

Previous SlideNext Slide Middle Eastern$ Rahaf Al Khatib channels Palestinian recipes from her mother and grandmother at Beit Siti ('grandmother's home') in Coburg. Following on from her Falastini food truck, this cafe and cultural centre exudes home-style warmth with family photos and Al Khatib's own house plants. Fresh baked goods with Palestinian twists include musakhan focaccia with confit onion, almonds, sumac and cauliflower; a Danish filled with strawberry, pomegranate and dill jam, and house-made labneh; and a zaatar croissant with pickled chilli and baladiyeh, a firm 'village cheese'. There are also grab-and-go sandwiches such as chicken mortadella with smoked pepper spread, spinach and labneh. Al Khatib plans for the breakfast menu to showcase different regional specialties of Palestine including mub'atra, a dish of scrambled eggs with potato, parsley and green chilli. Constance coffee is brewed with cardamom or served espresso-style.

Perth Now

3 hours ago

• Perth Now

Greek-inspired revamp for much-loved Cottesloe destination

A popular beach side store and cafe in Cottesloe has had a revamp which exudes Greek Mediterranean bliss as the new owner preps for summer. Cottesloe General Stores has a prime location on Marine Parade with sea views and easy access to the beach and has long been a go-to destination to grab a snack, beach essential or souvenir. Cottesloe local Voula Nelson came out of retirement to take over the store in early March and wanted to bring something new and fresh to the beachfront. 'Part of my motivation to come out of retirement was to give this historic business a brand new look and feel because being a local I felt like it needed some love' Mrs Nelson told Perth Now. A painting of the Greek 'Mati' eye now has prime position on the front exterior wall of the stores. Credit: Cottesloe General Stores/Instagram / Instagram The renovations included repainting the exterior and interior in crisp white and blue and re-doing the signage. A painting of the Greek 'Mati' eye now has prime position on the front exterior wall of the stores. 'My parents were Greek migrants and hospitality is in my blood and in my culture. The Mati has significant meaning in the Greek culture to ward off the evil eye and to my mind, it is a strongly recognised Greek symbol.' said Mrs Nelson. The renovation isn't just cosmetic, Mrs Nelson has introduced tasty Greek treats which lean into her heritage. Cottesloe General Stores sell coffees, snacks and souvenirs in a prime beach side location. Credit: Cottesloe General Stores/Instagram / Instagram 'Every day I am sourcing new food and beverage products . . . it is ever evolving, such as getting food imported straight from Greece such as spanakopita, tiropitta and bougatsa.' Cottesloe General Stores revealed on their Instagram page that Spanakopita is a spinach and feta pastry, Tiropita is a creamy feta pastry and Bougatsa is a pastry with a soft semolina custard filling. Mrs Nelson is a hospitality veteren; she's worked for iconic Perth operators such as Kate Lamont and Nic Trimboli and this is her third Cottesloe business. 'Being a local it comes with a lot of good will but also great expectation. Big shout out to the beautiful people who I work with, they are just fabulous and we all love what we do' Mrs Nelson said. Cottesloe General Stores revealed their renovation in an Instagram post which was flooded with positive comments. 'Santorini vibes!! 🤍💙' one person commented. 'Love this clean fresh look. ❤️' another wrote.