Blue Line Sandwich Co.
Chef Brad McGehee offers simple but delicious breakfast and lunch fare at his brand new digs, Blue Line Sandwich Co., none more exemplary of his talent than the Broken Yolk Sandwich. House corned beef is piled onto seven grain toast and topped with a fried egg, Swiss cheese and grilled onions.

Avery's Po Boys
Owners Justin and Christy Pitard have taken the po-boy to a whole new level with "The Sandbag." It's a delectable, juicy roast beef po-boy with fried pickles, provolone cheese and horseradish aioli served on classic Leidenheimer bread.

Rincon Habanero
One of the dishes I grew up with in my half Cuban-home, Vaca Frita is shredded skirt steak marinated with garlic and lime and then fried in olive oil until crispy. Served with sauteed onions, moros y cristianos (rice and beans) and yuca al mojo (boiled cassava laced with a garlic-lime-olive oil vinaigrette. The best Vaca Frita so far is found at Rincon Habanero, a charming six-table Cuban restaurant on the bohemian Via Argentina street in Panama City.

Peel St
Peel St is located on none other than Peel Street, the new go-to hip street in the CBD. The hole-in-the-wall restaurant oozes a cool, casual and laid-back atmosphere with high open ceilings, exposed bare brick walls and two large blackboards with the latest, seasonal menu offerings. The food is made for sharing with a modern Asian and Middle Eastern influence. The famous and popular Mulloway fish pasty is a must-order. This simple looking dish is amazingly delicious. A light flaky pastry with a hefty filling of Mulloway fish, potato, peas and greens is accompanied by a large wedge of crisp iceberg lettuce drizzled in tartar sauce with a sprinkle of chives and chopped spring onions. The food is fresh and seasonal while the service is attentive, professional and relaxed.

Mike's Deli
Behind every Mike's Deli sandwich is a cold pasta salad. It's never much to look at. Behind this two-fisted lunch was an odd lot of at least three different pasta shapes, tinged green with pesto, that didn't even make it into the picture. The salad may seem like a plate-filler, but it also serves a vital supporting role: A buttress of pasta helps shore up a behemoth like this Yankee Stadium Big Boy — which sports mortadella, ham, salami, and capicola; heavy slices of mozzarella; lettuce, sweet peppers (or, if you prefer, hot peppers) and balsamic vinegar — and prevents the sandwich from toppling over in untimely fashion. Ultimately, however, the Big Boy fell to my appetite; so did the pasta salad.

Mama Isabel's Place
The "place" is a truck; its home, a fenced-in corner lot; the customers, neighborhood hangers-on and undercover cops. (After a few visits, you'll learn to tell them apart.) Mama Isabel's shares its permanent parking place with a half-dozen chairs under a single shade tree, and on a warm afternoon all the seating may be spoken for. But if there's a full house, no worries: Puerto Rican pastelillos and alcapurrias are perfect for stand-up snacking. The casing of the torpedo-shaped, orange-brown alcapurria (ahl-cah-Poor-ree-ah) is deep-fried yet unusually supple; Mama Isabel's best version is plump with a ground-beef picadillo, something like a sweet sloppy joe. The pastelillo (pahs-teh-Lee-yo) is a half-moon empanada filled with pollo, carrucho, or jueyes (Hway-yays) — chicken, conch, or (shown) crab. It's as delicate and flaky as any in the city.

Asado
At Asado, beef short ribs are cooked on a parilla BBQ, which diners can see from their seats. The smell is completely mouthwatering and the byproduct is tender meat that cuts like butter. It's juicy and flavorsome, working well with the generous accompaniments of chimichurri and salsa. Definitely a great representation of Argentinian barbecue in Perth.

Mary's
Fusion cuisine can often go pear-shaped, but Mary's does it really well with a nice cross between Asian and European. Their squid ink tagliatelle (pasta made fresh in-house) is al dente and flavorsome, with punchy fermented chilli scattered generously throughout. The best part are those sweet and juicy seared scallops, which are cooked so perfectly they could be celebrated on their own as well as in the dish.

Tropico
Along the beautiful white sands of North Beach sits Tropico, a new laid-back cafe that specializes in fresh, seasonal and tasty food. Playing on a coastal California vibe, the restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating. Their breakfast menu has people lining up out the door waiting for a table, but come by at night and it's more accessible but still delicious.

Il Tul
Il Tulá, known for its simple atmosphere, great service and fantastic food, is a six-table italian restaurant in the San Francisco neighborhood of Panama City. Chef Valerio himself goes from table to table recommending the daily offerings. Classic dishes include the Vitello Tonnato, in which thin slices of braised veal are covered with a tuna and caper mayonnaise; and fresh Burrata cheese, made locally, which Valerio brings to the table and prepares with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper, then serves it over thin slices of prosciutto and sweet figs. A favorite dish is the Spaghetti Amatriciana, in which pasta is prepared with a smoked bacon and tomato sauce, which he finished at the table with small pieces of goat cheese. Desserts include a Torta di Mascarpone (Mascarpone cheese torte) served with Tamarillo preserves (a local fruit related to the tomato). Reservations are highly recommended.