This document summarizes several lunch options in Melbourne that can be completed within 30 minutes. It describes the menus, atmosphere and recommended dishes at Pok Pok Junior for region-hopping Asian small plates, 90 Secondi for authentic Neapolitan pizza, Gills Diner for hearty Euro fare, Coda for artful small plates and exceptional service, and Sun Moth for quick coffee and small plates under $10. All locations are described as being able to fuel and refresh downtown workers within a 30 minute lunch break.

1. March 2015 Time Out Melbourne 19
Inner-city lunch
Thirty-minute
snackdownsLunch shouldn’t take all day. These will get
you refuelled and back in 30. By Suzi Owen
Pok Pok Junior
Get into kaffir-infused, coriander-riddled bowls of
goodness in minutes. In the kitchen, young folk
in baseball caps furiously dash about, while the
staff up front greet and seat lanyard-wearing
workers at bus shelter-inspired banquettes.
Expect a lively region-hopping menu of Chinese,
Persian and Malay-influenced Thai, among
Western favourites like Tom Yum and Pad Thai.
Try: Roast pork belly and green peppercorn,
swilled with a Singa draft.
Shop 9, 555 Bourke St, Melbourne 3000.
03 9629 5881. www.pokpok.com.au. Mon-Fri
7am-4pm.
90 Secondi
When Brunswick’s 400 Gradi extended their
pala to the Docklands, pizza lovers were worried.
Would the mosaic dome-of-deliciousness become
a stainless steel, gas-powered pizza prison? No.
The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (a
non-profit organisation which celebrates exacting
methods of the ‘true’ Neapolitan style pizza)
bestowed 90 Secondi with a much-coveted
membership. It’s following its Brunswick
sibling into the inferno of perfection.
Try: The Napoletana, naturally. (You order
without anchovies and I breaka your legs.)
1/700 Bourke St, Docklands 3008. 03 9600
2841. www.90secondi.com.au. Mon-Wed
7.30am-5pm; Thu, Fri 7.30am-late;
Sat 6pm-late.
Gills Diner
The quiet achiever of King Con’s swag of
landmark city venues (that’s restaurateur Con
Christopoulos) has been serving up humble and
hearty Euro-leaning fare since 2007. Head chef
Chris Kerr and his team are big on heart but
small on fuss, which means solid but swift
respite from your office inbox.
Try: Seared salmon fillet with quinoa and
beetroot.... because you still want quinoa.
Gills Alley, Rear 360 Little Collins St, Melbourne
3000. 03 9670 7214. www.commercialbakery.
com.au. Mon-Fri 7am-10pm; Sat 8am-10pm.
Coda
Awarded a hat every year since they opened their
moody glam-den doors, Coda might not be the
kind of place you’d think of for a quick lunch. Well,
you’re right. But you’re also wrong. Coda’s ability
to get uptown workers in and out can be credited
to their ample walk-in seating, an array of artful
smaller dishes and their exceptional service.
Try: Roasted yellow duck curry, loved from
Hardware Lane to Ho Chi Minh City.
141 Flinders Ln, Melbourne 3000. 03 9650
3155. www.codarestaurant.com.au.
Daily noon-3pm; 6-10.30pm.
Sun Moth
Their coffee’s ready in ten seconds, their eats
are around ten smackers and they have crafty
brews on tap. The stellar duo behind Dead
Man Espresso and Common Galaxia sold up
and put everything on the line for Sun Moth.
And it’s a winner. The fitout is ethereal and
the tunes are so cool you’ll Shazam ’em all.
Try: Masa dumplings in broth with greens
and organic chicken.
377 Lonsdale St, Melbourne 3000. 03 9602
4554. www.sunmoth.com.au. Tue-Fri
8am-11pm; Sat 3-11pm.
Gills Diner
Pok Pok Junior
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