Chilli Cafe, Melbourne

The expertise here is in the cooking not the interior design. The city office workers who flock here at lunchtime come for the food. It is a bit hard on the eyes when you first walk in (the dishes are pictorially displayed in light boxes) but much more pleasant on the nose, with the distinctive combination of lemongrass, coriander and chilli that defines Thai cooking. The menu offers traditional Thai tastes such as tom yum, red and green curries and gado gado, but with some interesting Aussie ingredients thrown in occasionally--such as a dessert made from pumpkin and a fried rice incorporating tomato sauce!