Burnley Gardens Canteen

FINE-DINING denizen and restaurant legend Tansy Good now runs Burnley Gardens Canteen, an open-to-the-public student cafeteria at Melbourne University's Burnley Campus. Working alongside her is partner John Evans, former head sommelier at Pearl.

For those unfamiliar with Good's part in restaurant history, Tansy's (which she ran with former partner Marc Bouten) was the place to dine in Melbourne in the '80s and early '90s. It consistently scored rave reviews, three hats in The Age Good Food Guide and a firm place in diners' hearts for its cutting-edge French food, prix-fixe menu and BYO policy.

Good trained a teenaged Karen Martini and a young Rita Macali; Philippa Sibley and Gerald Diffey (from Gerald's Bar) also worked under her tutelage. Matt McConnell did a stint at Tansy's, as did brother Andrew, who put a reinvented version of her well-known dish "a silk purse" on Cumulus Inc.'s menu in homage.

When Tansy's went bust in 1994 (a victim of the recession), Good was shell-shocked and says it felt like something had died. Since then, she's had a son, done some restaurant stints (including at Locarno 150 and EQ), battled breast cancer, and — most recently — studied an associate degree in horticulture. And that's how she's ended up running one of the best student canteens in town: a cosy, chilled-out spot with fresh roses, timber tables and outdoor benches.

It's a spectacularly low-key hangout — or as Good puts it, "shockingly micro" — and it's pay-dirt for the students, local office workers and walkers in the nearby, stunningly gorgeous Burnley Gardens (also open to the public).

Everything is made from scratch, such as the home-made vinegar in the extra-virgin olive oil vinaigrette that dresses some of the herbed leaves from the kitchen garden; the outstanding buttery friands topped with raspberries; the Portuguese tarts; and the lemon-and-clove shortbread horseshoes.

The small blackboard menu is usually decided daily. If there's a nicoise salad, it's likely to be made with fresh tuna and free-range eggs. There might be spinach-and-feta cannelloni, or a quiche of smoked and fresh salmon (or maybe made with shiitake mushrooms "fresh off the log" from the university nursery). It's simple but there's care taken with every component.

The much-lauded roasted free-range chicken sandwich has sold out when I arrive but here's how it's done: chicken breasts are browned and slow-cooked so the meat stays tender, then shredded and mixed with luscious home-made mayo, chives, salt and pepper.

Between my two slabs of Schwob's wholemeal sprawls good leg ham with grilled zucchini, (dressed) salad leaves, tomato, basil, avocado and that mayo. If you have the cheese version, expect slices of vintage tasty cheddar.

Good and Evans also cater functions or private dinners. If you hire them to cook at your place, Evans says it's like having "two crusty old legends in the kitchen creating havoc". Sounds like fun.