Time Out Food & Drink Awards 2023: Best Cheap Eat Nominees

Cast your mind back to the dark days of Melbourne’s lockdown (we know, we know – it wasn’t a good time for any of us, but play along for a moment), when our every waking moment revolved around daily press conferences, Covid-19 case updates and pondering the significance of premier Daniel Andrews wearing his North Face puffer jacket. It was in this time of absolute despair that a beacon of light appeared, and it came in the form of a humble delivery service that went by the name of 1800 Lasagne.

On the daily, aromas of curry leaves, onion and rich cinnamon and cloves waft out of the friendly neighbourhood corner eatery – an inviting preview of the homestyle Sri Lankan buffet available within. When it’s cold out, the windows steam up, and in the hotter months, people who’ve spent a day lazing about nearby Eddy Gardens spill in. It’s not the only all-you-can-eat Sri Lankan offering in Melbourne right now (there’s Maalu Maalu in Brunswick, and a more recent opening, Serendib in Northcote), but it’s one of the first, and for that, we pay our respects.

We’ve all had our fair share of unsatisfying tacos in life. An oily one here, with fish that’s not fresh. A dry one there, with paltry fillings. It’s with this sense of caution that we approach the neon-lit sign of CDMX Taqueria, a brand new taco joint that’s still in the process of cementing its reputation. But so far, word on the street has been promising. 

Vola Foods specialises in Cameroonian cuisine, a melting pot of flavours from the north, west and centre of Africa, with a dash of Arabic and European influence. How many other Cameroonian joints are there in Melbourne? Not many that I’ve found, if any. So my partner and I are, in a word, pumped. This is going to be a new West African food experience.

On a rainy Sunday arvo, it's hard to know what to expect on your way to Taita’s House ('taita' is Arabic for grandmother). Are you actually going to someone’s house? Will there be obvious signage or will you have to knock on some strange door, only to be met by a perplexed old Lebanese woman and her wooden spoon? Our concerns are fast assuaged as we approach the restaurant and see tables and chairs scattered out the front of a clearly marked establishment.