The fish head soup at this slender restaurant is so nourishing it might hold the power to cure heartbreak and football losses. It sits in front of children,grandparents and couples,its milky base transforming prehistoric-looking fried fish heads into manageable morsels to slurp up with bitter melon and vermicelli.

The restaurant,buried among a grab-bag of hair salons and audiologists,is staffed by friendly pros who work at a furious pace. The wait for a table is likely to be longer than the wait for food. Why stand between someone and their assam laksa?

More sweet than sour,it’s a tropical arrangement of pineapple,red onion,mackerel and noodles as thick as straws. Char kwai teow scratches a more savoury itch with smoky egg-flecked noodles,while Milo Dinosaur and grass jelly drinks keep kids in matching tracksuits happy.

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Melbourne’s Eastern Suburbs

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