“Food has a magical ability to create indelible emotional memories. We enjoy summoning comforting images from our Mother’s tables and aim to create new memories shared at ours by writing monthly menus with a focus on hyper-seasonality and time honoured traditions.”

Lavender & almond sourdough pancakes, Lemonade fruit curd, baked Halo Farms rhubarb, with orange blossom whipped ricotta and mandarin (GF); sweet corn & basil fritters, charred red capsicum, grilled asparagus, avocado and nectarine with tomato & fennel relish (GF, PB); broken egg, beetroot leaf pesto, smoked sun-dried tomato and fresh peach on toasted sourdough; and asparagus, Kenilworth cheddar and purple heirloom carrot tart with garden greens, pickled carrot and Summer Del apple.

A force of nature both in the kitchen and out of it, outspoken “real food” advocate Naomi (Nims) Zavackas rolls with the seasons and her not inconsiderable whim. Almost everything is made in-house, down to the fruit-flavoured sodas (no commercial soft drinks cross the threshold). Fruit and veg are supplied by dedicated passion players Food Connect and Loop Growers – or even neighbours’ backyards. The all-day brunch menu serves to both inspire nostalgia and feed contemporary appetites; from “Nanna’s recipe” lemonade scones with rosella jam, to slow-cooked venison with endive and roasted cumquats. And we love the sign above the tips jar that reads “Our tips are for others” – with a newly designated recipient every three months.

“The creative woman behind this cute café also dreams up an entirely new blackboard menu each month, built around whatever is fresh and abundant.”

–Morag Kobez, Qantas Insider