Perth

Be Free pulled up its Subiaco roots and replanted at a working city farm, which is either a gimmick or the most honest thing a produce-driven cafe has done in years. The umami miso mushrooms settle the argument, and Saturday's menu shifts with whatever the market gardens out the back have given up.

Order Umami-forward miso mushrooms, wild-caught smoked salmon crumpets, Saturday farmer's market-sourced dishes

Bac Pham did his time at Rockpool and Petition, then put it all into a ten-inch banh mi roll in Leederville. The lamb meatballs with cumin labneh are the order that explains why the lunch queue forms before noon.

Order Grilled lamb meatballs with cumin labneh, son-in-law eggs with tamarind mayo, roast pork with fermented red bean

Side Piece treats the sandwich as a passport — fish katsu on shokupan one slot down from a Keralaan fried chicken focaccia with kasundi aioli. The Pantry Group crew behind it know Swanbourne will line up, and Swanbourne duly does.

Order Tomago or fish katsu sando on shokupan, mortadella and labneh focaccia, onion bhaji focaccia, Keralaan fried chicken with kasundi aioli

Smidge shifts something like twenty trays of cinnamon scrolls a day, which is less a baking statistic than a Leederville traffic report. Get there early in the week; the salted Caramilk cookies tend to be gone before the lunch crowd works out they exist.

Order Cinnamon scrolls (sold 15 trays first week!), choc caramel brownies, salted Caramilk cookies, sangas

Bert's took over the old Odyssea site at City Beach and runs the full arc — eggs Benedict at nine, oysters and a prawn plate by four. Time it for late afternoon when the light comes off the water and the breakfast crowd has long cleared out.

Order Breakfast classics (acai, breakfast burger, pancakes, eggs Benedict), oysters, prawn and lobster plates

A Michelin-trained chef decided the humble pie deserved better and Leederville has been clearing the counter by lunchtime ever since. The fillings rotate without notice, so turn up before midday or turn up disappointed.

Order Fine-dining pies (varieties change), get there before midday!

Kelly Vo brought her Nha Trang dessert shop to Carlisle and kept the menu down to two things: a banh mi and a chè. The chè — taro, flan, jelly, coconut milk in one glass — is the half of the order people make the drive for.

Order Chè (dessert soup with taro, flan, jelly, coconut milk), xoi man (sticky Vietnamese rice), banh trang tron rice paper salad

Drew Dawson and baker Charlotte Beeton took the keys to a long-loved East Freo room and kept the menu deliberately short. The Scandi breakfast plates carry it, and the house-baked side of the counter is the reason regulars don't bother reading the rest.

Order Scandi breakfast plates, house-baked treats, chef-driven seasonal menu

Timber veneer, chrome counters, plush banquettes — Lovers commits to the old-school diner look hard enough that you half expect a jukebox. The chicken schnitzel under brown butter, capers and lemon-herb sauce is a genuine contender for Perth's best.

Order Chicken schnitzel (brown butter, capers, lemon-herb sauce), "green eggs and scram" with parsley sauce, blood pudding egg muffin

Earl's spotted the lunchtime gap in Mount Hawthorn and filled it with hoagies and French dips done properly. Order the French dip and accept that the next hour belongs to it.

Order Hoagies, French dip sandwiches, classic deli fare