Over the next four weeks I’m splitting Melbourne into North, East, South and West and taking you on an edible world tour, starting closest to home.

1. THAILAND » Tom Toon, Abbotsford

Somewhat in the shadow of Jinda Thai around the corner, this small restaurant is known for its noodle soups, but the rest of the menu is worth exploring. The pork mince sausage has the subtle fermented funk of Issan cuisine and the less-subtle punch of garlic and fish sauce. There are starters like soft pork bone and deep fried pork intestine with tamarind sauce, while salads range from tab wan (pork liver) and spicy minced larb, to no less than two dozen varieties of som tum green papaya salad. Try som tum hoy na, sliced bamboo with river snails out of their shells, pork loaf sausage, salted crab and pickled mud fish. It’s worth checking the menu posted on Instagram; it has dishes that aren’t on delivery platforms, like pink yentafo seafood noodles and $10 grilled chicken sticky rice packs.241 Victoria Street, Abbotsford, 03 9417 7447, instagram.com/tomtoon_thai

2. MYANMAR » Burmese House, Richmond

This restaurant has been modestly plonked on the corner of Bridge Road and Church Street since ‘98. Even pre-COVID it’s been a while since it’s been heaving, which is a shame because it’s a beacon of light on the culinary wasteland that is Bridge Road (with the exception of Anchovy). If you love noodle soups and curries, you’ll love Burmese food.⁣ Mohinga is the national dish, but I also love ohn no khao swe, egg noodles in coconut curry broth with tender chicken, sliced boiled egg and the zing of lime and chilli. There are lots of bitter flavours in Burmese cuisine and la phet (pickled tea leaf salad) and chin paung hin (roselle leaves with bamboo shoots and shrimp in a thin curry) are sure-fire ways to taste them. Eat with coconut rice and pungent, hand-pounded shrimp paste.303 Bridge Road, Richmond, 03 9421 2861, burmesehouserestaurant.com

3. MOROCCO » Casa Tajine, Carlton

It’s surprisingly difficult to find Moroccan food in Melbourne. Most are familiar with stalwart Moroccan Soup Bar, but in the inner north there’s also Casa Tajine, which opened in 2019. While you can’t currently sit on the kilim floor sofa upstairs, you can enjoy the flavours at home. Start with bastela, a traditional Moroccan wedding dish where chicken (traditionally pigeon) is wrapped in thin pastry and dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar; Maghrebi brik pastry stuffed with tuna, parmesan, egg, olives, parsley and spring onion; or Tunisian-style spaghetti with slow-cooked ras el hanout lamb. Mains are Yemeni mandi rice cooked in the tandoor and topped with toasted almonds and saltanas; couscous and mashwi barbecue dishes; and of course the tagine – I can’t choose between chicken and preserved lemon, lamb with apricots and prunes, or Moroccan meatballs and egg.164 Rathdowne Street, Carlton, 03 7013 8137, casatajine.com

4. CHINA » The Best Guilin Rice Noodle, Carlton

First thing's first: Guilin is a city in Southern China that you need to Google immediately because its lakes and limestone hills look like something out of Game of Thrones. Guilin rice noodles are a staple there and come round or flat. Locals order them at the counter, where slow-simmered fragrant gravy is ladled on top alongside condiments such as pickled black-eyed peas, bamboo shoots, peanuts, soybeans, spring onion and meat.You can taste them at The Best Guilin Rice Noodle on Victoria Street, next door to RMIT and beside Chinger Biang Biang Noodle (also great). The extensive menu is split into stewed herbal and meat soups; rice noodles with three kinds of soup; dry or fried rice noodles; rice dishes; and snacks like stewed duck’s feet and deep-fried rice cakes. The house special comes with pork belly, poached beef, pig stomach, boiled peanuts and pickled beans.72 Victoria Street, Carlton, 03 8657 8594 or 0450 928 066, Menulog

5. INDONESIA » Yuni’s Kitchen, Northcote

You either know about Yuni’s Kitchen or you’re shocked you’ve walked passed it so many times when strolling down High Street. Tucked behind the Uniting Church in the old hall, it’s run by Yuni and Matthew Kenwrick. She’s in the kitchen cooking food from Java, her home until she met Matthew in Jakarta some 20 years ago. He runs the floor serving mostly locals, with Singaporean and Malaysian fans travelling from suburbs further afield on weekends, lockdown permitting. Laksa is a signature here and, unusually, it’s made with a vegan base before any meat or seafood is added to cater for locals with dietaries. Try the rendang beef curry, ikan pepes (fish steamed in banana leaves), nasi bakar (rice and chicken cooked in banana leaves with Indonesian accompaniments) and bebek Bali (half spiced duck).251 High Street, Northcote, 0455 337 666, yuniskitchen.com.au

6. CHILE » Neruda’s, Brunswick

If you’re already a subscriber, you know about Neruda’s from the Chilean Dispatch. Known unofficially as “The Hug Cafe” pre-COVID, this cafe is a gateway to Chile. “You don’t have to fly 14 hours or spend all that money on a plane ticket, you walk in the door and you’re here,” owner and musician Gus Vargas tells me. Chilean and South American flags and souvenirs cover every surface (Gus has an especially impressive collection of mate cups). Try a Chilean hot dog known as a completo and pastel de choclo (a shepherd’s pie made with corn, but better).Now and then, fine dining chef Juan Carlos (Gaea, Fitzroy) makes deep-fried Chilean sushi inundated with Peruvian leche de tigre – and if you're reading this now, you're in luck! It's available TODAY.6/210 Albion Street, Brunswick, 03 7001 8344, facebook.com/nerudasbrunswick

Images: Liam Neal

7. SOUTHERN INDIA » MKS Spice and Things, Preston (also Ashburton, Dandeong, St Albans, Epping)

This Indian grocer has a few tables indoors and outside where you can sit and eat (when not in lockdown). It’s also good for takeaway. Order a giant serve of three curries and rice from the bain marie (perhaps paneer, jackfruit and goat), as well as a variety of deep-fried South Indian street snacks known as vada that are $1.50 each or less. Try masala vada, a chubby flying saucer of whole lentils freckled with curry leaf. When we're COVID normal, look out for dosa and hopper specials. Near the front there’s a glass counter display of traditional Indian sweets that are almost too pretty to eat (almost). The grocery store has recently gone online, too.258 High Street, Preston, 03 9416 9011, mks.net.au

8. TURKEY » Antalya, Coburg

I love this Turkish restaurant with its white-brick archways and carpeted floor. After travelling with a group around Turkey, I took it upon myself to find a restaurant with more traditional dishes for us to reminisce over during a reunion dinner. Enter Antalya, where you can start with dips ranging from havuc (carrot) to patlican (smoked eggplant), lahmacun (Turkish flatbread pizzas) or iskembe corbasi (tripe soup), before sharing mixed grilled meat, adana kebab, kofte and vegetarian plates like biber dolmasi (red peppers stuffed with rice and served with borlotti beans). Single-serve kebabs and halal snack packs are also available.233 Sydney Road, Coburg, 03 9383 5115, Menulog

9. LEBANON » Al Alamy, Coburg

If you live outside Coburg you've likely heard of the iconic A1 Bakery, but what about Al Alamy? This Lebanese bakery, cafe and grocer is in a car park near Corburg station. Tables butt up against shelves of Middle Eastern goodies, dried fruits and nuts. There are pizzas with traditional toppings like kishk (sun-dried yoghurt, cracked wheat and spices), labneh and sujuk (sausage); saj flatbreads cooked on a dome griddle of the same name; dips, wraps and foul mudammas (garlicky, lemony fava beans with pickles and pita); kibbeh and squat makanek sausages. What excites me most here is breakfast, which you can pick up or have delivered after they open at 7am. The Lebanese breakfast comes with eggs, sujuk, labneh, shanklish, pickles and pita, while the Al Alamy breakfast has foul mudammas, hummus, minced lamb and labneh.51 Waterfield Street, Coburg, 03 9355 8866, facebook.com/alalamymelbourne

10. JAPAN » Papirica, Collingwood

This gem of a cafe is tiny minimalism and maximum charm. Owner Yutaka "Matsu" Matsuda is from Osaka, where okonomiyaki savoury pancakes are a specialty. That said, his Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki has developed a local cult following. Unlike Osaka-style, Hiroshima okonomiyaki are cooked with each ingredient layered one on top of the other, instead of being mixed together, and include noodles and a fried egg. They’re only available on weekends and are best pre-ordered via social media, but if you’re lucky you might be able to land one on Uber Eats (don’t tell me, I’ll judge you).Papirica also offers nostalgic, homely Japanese dishes with rice, like omurice (with a soft omelette), tonkatsu (crumbed pork) and a 280-gram hamburger steak. Taiyaki (fish-shaped waffles) might be filled with azuki red beans, chestnut or whatever Matsu decides. Just this week, Papirica also introduced the “Matsu Sand”, a tonkatsu sando made with shokupan (Japanese milk loaf) baked by Matsu. He sold out within half an hour of announcing it on social media, but I have a feeling you’ll be seeing more of them.22 Smith Street, Collingwood, 03 9416 1829, instagram.com/papirica_cafe

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