Lunch like a champion in Melbourne’s CBD

If you don’t mind crossing over to the other side of the Yarra, head to BangPop for a fun Thai lunch with friends. The energy here is funky, friendly and flavourful – with dishes for sharing and a bold cocktail list to keep the arvo rolling along nicely.

Elsewhere on the menu, expect lip-smacking sticky and tender meats, bright pops of chilli and herbs, and spices swimming around in each dish.

One of the most popular picks is the caramelized ‘Berkshire’ pork hock with peanut caramel and pickled cucumbers. Another crowd favorite is the twice cooked master stock ‘Aylesbury’ duck with star anise and pad paak boong green stir fry. It arrives bathing in a pleasantly piquant soy and lime sauce you’ll be sure to mop up entirely with your roti.

BangPop’s menu covers the whole Thai gamut, with plenty of curries, salads, and hawker-influenced street style eats to satisfy your whole table. And if you come on the weekend, you can turn that lunch into a bottomless brunch. What’s not to love?

Dish Cult’s top pick: Beef short ribs ($34.90)

Think of Butchers Diner like a five-star burger bar. It’s certainly no-frills but its casual air doesn’t detract from the quality. To the contrary, in fact.

It’s disarmingly impressive how what looks like just another fast food joint (albeit a bit more stylish) is home to some of the best American-style burgers and steak sangas you’ll find in the CBD.

Go simple and satisfy yourself with a cheeseburger and hand-cut chips if you please, but just know that there’s a lot more to explore on the menu here.

You can get blood sausage and devilled egg rolls, Japanese fried chicken, chilli dogs and chargrilled octopus with homemade lap cheong. There are Berkshire pork tongue skewers for the daredevils.

And on Saturdays, the kitchen will astonish you with a perfect French baked dip roll: a juicy monster of a sandwich dripping with shaved Wagyu beef, sweet onions and Comté cheese, and a bowl of jus for dipping.

An important note for poutine enthusiasts: here’s one of the few places in the city where they use real cheese curds like the Canadians do!

Whether you need a quick bite on your lunch break or you’re meeting a friend, Butchers Diner will impress.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Cheeseburger with house bacon ($17.90)

It may be old news in Melbourne’s fast-moving food scene, but Supernormal is still anything but super normal.

The pan-Asian restaurant project can be credited to famed chef turned restaurateur Andrew McConnell, whose imaginative modern menus have been proven to stand the test of time.

Supernormal’s communal-oriented space features a big open kitchen, bright Japanese-style signage and even a basement karaoke room. But it’s the food that attracts diners in droves here.

Discover dumplings, skewered meats, seafood, slow-cooked meats and noodles galore – all not without a decent kick. Opt for the banquet to get the full experience.

Your tastebuds will zigzag across the Asian continent, from Tokyo and Hong Kong, to Seoul and Shanghai and back again. What could be confusing in the wrong hands is a dizzyingly creative yet comfortable experience at Supernormal.

For one of Melbourne’s favourite desserts, don’t forget to order the peanut butter parfait with salted caramel and soft chocolate.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Banquet ($85 pp)

Blink and you’ll miss it, but it’s one of the Royal Arcade’s best kept secrets. Caffe e Torta serves fresh Genovese coffee, cake, and continental-style breakfast and lunch dishes.

The warmly lit space features vintage art deco prints and seating that spills out into the arcade and terrace, evoking the nostalgia of European cafe culture.

Rare for brunch cafes in Melbourne these days, Caffe e Torta’s menu is standard and unpretentious. You’ll find your typical egg and sourdough brekky plates, paired with avo, mushroom, smoked salmon and other classic ingredients. The Istra ham and eggs with cheddar, onion and cherry tomato is known to be a crowd-pleaser.

There are no freakish emulsions or monster-sized brekky burgers here; no, this is a place you could take your nanna for a cup of tea and vanilla slice. But that’s what makes it so beloved, and especially reliable for when you just want a simple lunch out in the city.

Speaking of nannas, the tagliatelle bolognese ragù is attributed to a “Nonna” – a historic four-generation signature bolognese recipe slow cooked and served with grated Grana Padano. Pair it with a glass of the (very decent) house wine in the daily lunch special for just $29.80.

Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find homestyle lentil soups, panini and salads, with plenty of gluten free and vegetarian choices available.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Nonna’s tagliatelle bolognese ragù ($24.80)

Craving something hot, soupy, noodly and rich? Make a beeline for Russell Street to taste what is widely considered to be Melbourne’s number one ramen.

Hakata Gensuke was founded by Master Chef Kousuke Yoshiumra, famous in Japan for perfecting its favourite noodle dish and being crowned the ‘Ultimate Ramen Champion’ title two years consecutively. So you know you’re in expert noodle-making hands.

The type of ramen most popular here is the Tonkotsu, a style from the Hakata district in Fukuoka. It’s made from collagen-rich pork bones in a flavourful master stock – the result is a broth so lip-smackingly slurpable, all other soup will pale in comparison.

The noodles are made with that classic Japanese precision and attention to detail, with temperature, climate and humidity leveraged in a control room to produce the perfect bite every time.

Your bowlful of soup comes with your choice of broth (the spicy “God Fire” will blow your socks off), pork cha-shu, egg, black fungus and bamboo shoots, though customisations are welcome and easy to make.

Round out the meal with gyoza, chicken karaage and the famous fizzy lemonade-like drink from Japan ‘Calpico” for a lunch you’ll want to re-experience again and again.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Signature tonkotsu ($18)