Cheap eats in Cremorne

Start your lunch or dinner with some real rice paper rolls filled with prawn, lettuce, mint and vermicelli noodles. Quan Viet seals the deal with classic Vietnamese dishes such as hearty beef pho, crunchy deep-fried spring rolls, crisp Vietnamese prawn pancakes and oh-so-soft, slow-cooked pork belly.

Once you try wood-fired pizza it’s hard to go back, but instead of building a wood-fired oven in your backyard head into Fratelli’s to satisfy your smoky pizza craving. Situated on the ground floor of Cremorne Garden Plaza, Fratelli’s menu boasts authentic Italian pizzas like Napoletana, Diavola and Capricciosa as well as less traditional options like the Salmone e Bianco. Fratelli’s also do starters, salads and pasta. Or grab a calzone and eat twice the pizza in half the time. Seating is cosy inside the store but you can sit outside on a sunny afternoon or get your pizza to go – Fratelli’s offer a ten per cent discount for takeaway orders.

Don’t make yourself choose between Korean or Japanese – have both at Korean Samurai. The blink-and-you’ll-miss-it restaurant is tucked away under the stairs at Cremorne Garden Plaza but don’t let its ordinary shopfront fool you. Inside is stylish and intimate with barbecues at each table to let guests grill their own dinners, or they can order from the restaurant’s Korean-Japanese menu. Start with Japanese entrees like gyoza or agedashi tofu then tuck into a Korean beef bulgogi or bibimbap. The truly hungry can order a ten-course banquet for just $49 per person.

Papaya offers top-notch Thai food in an upmarket setting. The lavishly decorated restaurant is covered in embroidered silk cushions, carved Buddhist sculptures, soft red light and wicker seating: it’s almost like a temple for Thai food. Start with po piah koong ped tod (spring rolls filled with prawn, duck and black fungi) before trying one of the house specials. For a garlicky squid dish order pla muck tod katiem, or go the theatrical kao pad sub-pra-rod: that's fried rice with chicken, king prawn, crab and vegetables served in a halved pineapple. Papaya are BYO and also do functions, takeaway and delivery.

The hole-in-the-wall restaurant creates classic Japanese dishes like sushi, donburi, soba and udon soups and tempura. For an easy and filling meal order the dinner box: $25 gets you rice, miso soup, sushi, sashimi and a choice of teriyaki beef or chicken, chicken katsu, or crumbed whiting.

It’s a fact – the fastest and most fun way to eat sushi is from a sushi train. Get your hit of conveyor-belt sushi at Sushi Train Cremorne. Open seven days a week, the popular sushi chain has all of your favourite types of sushi like California rolls, inari and chicken teriyaki. You can also order party platters to take away.