Devon (CLOSED)

It can be a long, dark lunchtime of the soul when you’re stranded on the eastern side of Central. The dreary stretch of pubs and late-night kebab joints along Devonshire Street doesn’t do much to inspire the appetite and when you’re pressed for time the hike down to Malibu or Chur Burger is that little bit too far. But Devon Café is set to remedy your midday malaise. Here they are growing their own herbs, pickling their own shallots, fennel and beetroot and slinging some quality coffee from 5 Senses in Perth.

They like getting creative in the kitchen. Specials could be miso salmon with eel croquettes and a 63° egg, or a lobster broth, depending on the day. They know their way around a soup here, too. If you see the nutty, cauliflower chestnut and burnt butter on offer it’s your lucky day.

Need food that will sustain you well into the night, and possibly throughout an Andean trek? Go for the winter vegetable salad. It’s a mighty hillock of mixed quinoa with roasted eggplant, pumpkin, Spanish onion, fetta, whole almonds and the fuchsia flash of pomegranate seeds. We’re devastated that they took the pork belly sandwich off the menu, though. It was a delicious, fatty steak of porcine goodness with an apple cabbage and cucumber 'slaw with green onion and a mild chilli hit. RIP, lunch friend. In its place they now do a lamb-shoulder version.

They’re also a dab hand with a muffin tin. Their magic muffins sell out most days and usually involve various combinations of chocolate, Nutella and banana with excellent results.

On a weekend this place gets slammed and the wait times are more than our blood sugar can take, but for a weekday lunch this is one to add to the list.