Lil Boy Blue

Stripped bare red-brick walls and concrete floors collide edgily with consciously ornate fixings like chandeliers and high-backed chairs, placing this cafe in the out-of-the-box category. The menu flies through American dude food via the crunch of soft-shell crab sliders, dips in to Australian bush-spiced South Oz calamari, and detours to sticky pork ribs glossy with nam jim. It can be hard to keep up, but any ‘food-lag’ is ameliorated by the kitchen’s spot-on execution. Breakfast works a neat mix of deserved classics, with a lil bit of sass: think bewitching baked bean jaffles with streaky bacon and maple syrup. Prices can jump out of the under-$30 box.