Maha’s “bowl of goodness”,featuring creamy navy beans,burnt tomatoes,winter vegetables and wagyu meatballs with freshly baked bread.$15 bowls of goodness at Maha
Seven days a week – until the end of June – Shane Delia’s hattedMaha flagship,a CBD staple for Middle Eastern cuisine,is serving wholesome,generously filled lunch bowls for just $15.
Every week,a different chef is contributing a recipe based on their heritage or food experiences while travelling. Until June 30,for example,Maha’s newly appointed executive chef,Diego Huerta (ex-Lûmé,Geranium Copenhagen),is serving a bowl featuring creamy navy beans,burnt tomatoes,winter vegetables and wagyu meatballs with freshly baked bread. It’s inspired by a Burgundian dish his grandmother used to make.
21 Bond Street,Melbourne,maharestaurant.com.au
Egg noodles with char siu chicken at BKK.Supplied$15 noodles at BKK
Lonsdale Street’s multilevel,multifacetedHer all but guarantees late-night good times. But there’s a great reason to ascend to BKK,the fire-powered Thai diner on level three,at lunchtime:$15 noodles. On weekdays from 11.30am to 3pm,chef Sungeun Mo has a few different options on offer:perhaps egg noodles with grilled char siu chicken and garlic-and-chilli oil,or pink noodle soup with fermented bean curd,squid and fish balls.
Level 3,270 Lonsdale Street,Melbourne,her.melbourne/bkk
Arbory’s $55 fondue is plenty for lunch between two.Supplied$18 soup specials and $27.50 cheese fondue at Arbory Bar&Eatery
Arbory Afloat is in hibernation for the winter,but you can still rug up and head riverside to its more permanent sibling,Arbory,for some decent-value dining deals this month. From 11am daily,there are three protein-packed soups (served with warm rolls) to choose from,including lamb shank and pearl barley,and seafood chowder with bacon. Or dial up the decadence with a three-cheese fondue of Swiss gruyere,truffle pecorino and fontina that comes with baguette,pretzels,pickles and crudites for dipping. Technically,it’s $55 a portion,but it serves (at least) two,so we’re counting it here.
1 Flinders Walk,Melbourne,arbory.com.au
$19 chicken katsu sandos and $26 bento boxes at Robata
Yet to check outRobata,the hatted Japanese grill restaurant in the former Gazi site? Or want to save some cash next visit? Make a lunchtime booking to make the most of its daily special,available from noon to 4pm. Bento boxes are stacked with freshly sliced sashimi,robatayaki (or charcoal-fired goods) of the day,yaki onigiri (grilled rice balls),house-made pickles and miso soup – and they can be mixed and matched to suit most dietary requirements. Got more of a one-track mind? Try the hulking chicken katsu sando.
2 Exhibition Street,Melbourne,robata.com.au
Sit up at the bar for Grill Americano’s secret steak sandwich.Luis Enrique Ascui$25.50 off-menu steak sandwich at Grill Americano
Hatted glitzy city steakhouseGrill Americano was made for power lunching and pushing the boat out. But those in the know can get their steak fix for less when dining at lunchtime. Scouring the menu,you won’t find a steak sanger because it’s a limited-edition special. It’s only available for lunch at the bar,so park yourself there and hope it isn’t sold out.
12 Flinders Lane,Melbourne,grillamericano.com
$29 thalis at Tonka
At the front of Duckboard Place’s hatted modern-Indian restaurant Tonka,its in-house Thali Bar promises a more casual (and cheaper) experience. Perch at the bar to find traditional circular,stainless-steel thali platters loaded with your curry of choice (lamb rogan josh,butter chicken or a vegetarian option) plus dhal,raita,rice,naan and a salad. Make a booking or just walk in to claim the offer from Tuesday to Friday,noon to 2pm.
20 Duckboard Place,Melbourne,tonkarestaurant.com.au
This fried calamari bocadillo might feature on the Spanish restaurant’s worker’s lunch menu.Supplied$29 worker’s lunch at Bomba
Looking for an excuse to elongate your lunch break? Look no further than Spanish jointBomba. From Tuesday to Friday,its wallet-friendly worker’s lunch lets you choose your own adventure with one small tapa,one slightly larger racione and one vegetable dish. So,your trifecta could be a leek-and-manchego croqueta;a fried calamari bocadillo (sandwich) with guindilla pepper;and a hearty serve of crowd-pleasing patatas bravas. It’s $29 for three plates,but you can add on wine,sangria or vermouth for $8 a pop.
103 Lonsdale Street,Melbourne,bombabar.com.au
$29.50 lunch sets at Kisume
At $265 a head,Kisume’stwo-hatted chef’s table is worth saving for a special occasion. But if you want to get the best of the Flinders Lane Japanese diner – for less – daytime dining is the way to go. Visit from noon,Tuesday to Friday,and you can spend less than 30 bucks on a lunch set. They’re all served with miso soup and options might include a chirashi-don (sashimi-topped rice bowl,pictured above) or a teriyaki-chicken katsudon.
175 Flinders Lane,Melbourne,kisume.com.au
$45 feed-me lunch at Taxi Kitchen
A feast for less than $50 a head? Any day of the week? That’ll blanket the whole table? That’s the reality at reliable,hatted restaurantTaxi Kitchen,upstairs at Fed Square’s Transport Hotel – as long as you’re there between noon and 3pm. The deal includes three small plates and one large plate per person from a menu with Chinese and Japanese flourishes. Our tip? Go with a group of mates,and all order something different.
Level 1,Transport Hotel,Federation Square,Melbourne,transporthotel.com.au
$50 express lunch at Meatmaiden
Fancy a lavish but not-too-long lunch? Descend into moody subterranean steakhouse and cocktail barMeatmaiden from Wednesday to Friday for an express special that includes an entrée,a main,two sides and a house beer,wine or soda – all for $50. You might start with a smoky brisket taco and progress to a Nashville-style fried chicken sandwich alongside a handful of hot chips and a citrusy salad. Then,back to work.
195 Little Collins Street,Melbourne,meatmaiden.com.au
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