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Curving couches and soft leather banquettes break up the long space.Credit:Jason South
Their previous outings made the scientific breakthrough of locating restaurant DNA in the cafe genome, and the experiment continues in the confident hands of executive chef Martin Webster. Hit the toasty slab of boudin noir with caramel brown sauce and fried egg, a fat ricotta hotcake like a delicious Sealy mattress or a socialite-thin omelette (think of it more as an egg crepe) wrapped around chunks of prawn and charry cauliflower livened up with a squeeze of lemon.
The lunch menu puts the spotlight on the catholic delights of the hot roll, with early signs showing the rotisserie chicken filling (served with a jug of gravy on the side) going head-to-head with the more outre designs of the ma po tofu. Never fear, the Zeally Bay bread stands up to the Sichuan-spicy sauce crunched up with fried noodles and spring onion. Do you eat it with cutlery or fingers? Your choice, but we kindly suggest this is not the dish of choice when meeting with Hilary from HR.
Coffee
The beans from Square One Coffee Roasters, a spin-off of the Liminal owners' Mulberry Group, make a caffe latte of supreme loveliness. Nutty, silky and sweet, it ruthlessly corrupted my previously iron-clad one-coffee-only rule. Also get it as a filter or a cold brew.
A fat ricotta hotcake is like a delicious mattress.Credit:Jason South
Drinks
Also a wine shop, there are around 200 labels waiting to be taken to that mergers and acquisitions celebration, while the in-house list goes short and sharp with the likes of Venetian pinot grigio and Yarra Valley pinot noir. Also see: a Bloody Mary jazzed up with fermented chilli and toasted rosemary-infused vodka.
Liminal's caffe latte is nutty, silky and sweet.Credit:Jason South
Address 161 Collins Street, Melbourne, no phone, liminalmelbourne.com
Open Mon-Fri 7am-6pm
Loving The Gatsby-esque luxe hotel foyer ambience.
Not getting The workers heading to the elevators clutching their takeaway coffees from outside. Big mistake, guys.
Vegan factor There's a solid vegan-friendly game, from breakfasts of brown rice pudding with banana jam, matcha and hazelnuts to grain-heavy lunchtime salads delivering all your daily nutritional requirements.
Overheard "I'll FaceTime you after lunch."