Serve: also try

TOP PADDOCK, 658 Church Street, Richmond, 9429 4332. Daily breakfast and lunch

Healthy eating initiative "Death to Nuggets" is running a pop-up children's menu here in February. Get the little ones onto "Not Coco Pops" with puffed grains and coconut-chocolate milk or a picnic plate complete with edible ants.

MOUNTAIN GOAT BREWERY AND BAR, 80 North Street, Richmond, 9428 1180. Sun lunch, Wed & Fri dinner

You can enjoy the Goat in its native environment for three sessions a week. Pizzas provide the ballast for special beers, some served via a hand pump. It's near the Yarra Trail, so very bike friendly.

AU79, 27-29 Nicholson Street, Abbotsford, 9429 0138. Daily breakfast and lunch

Just about everything is baked, roasted, crafted and made on site, and it's delivered in an astonishing space. Try to plan your visit for an off-peak period or prepare for a wait.

THANH NGA NINE, 160 Victoria Street, Richmond, 9427 7068. Daily 10am-10am

A good option among the many Vietnamese joints on the strip, this energetic restaurant covers the classics, does cocktails and has a function room with karaoke. Look out for their Wrap Roll It food truck too.