Full English  @ Cumulus Inc.
Cumulus Inc. is a foodie haven on bustling and stylish Flinders Lane in the Melbourne CBD. The studio vibe attracts the professionals, along with the standout food on offer. The Full English breakfast is a clever dish with quintessential English elements on the plate; brought together with balance of flavor and textures. The Full English consists of farmhouse slab bacon, blood sausage on toast, fried eggs and smoked tomato. What else could you require for a hearty breakfast? The blood sausage is house made and suitably moist, while the thick-cut country-style bacon is indulgent. This is smoky rustic bliss in a breakfast.

Bougatsa @ Trela Plein
At Trela Plein, a Greek cafe in the up-and-coming Spaarndammerbuurt, you can pick up a slice of bougatsa for just a couple of euros. Essentially, it’s a Greek pastry, stuffed with anything from spinach and feta to minced beef – there’s even a sweet version filled with a mild egg custard, a bit like crème pâtissière. Run by a burly-looking bearded Greek guy, Alex is the sweetest person you’ll meet in Amsterdam.

Pappardelle with Deer Ragu @ Spaghetteria
Spaghetteria specialises in – you’ve guessed it – pasta. You can’t make a reservation, seating is at one big communal table, and there are only a couple of house wines to choose from. All of this only adds to the experience: simple, no-fills, honest food. The pasta dishes change seasonally (although there’s always a couple of meat-based sauces, a couple of fish-based options, and a couple of veggie pastas) but if you’re in luck and game is on the menu, order it! Think slow-cooked deer ragù with broad ribbons of freshly made silky pasta and lashings of Parmesan – a dish full of bold, peppery flavors. Order a glass of the house red wine on the side and you can’t go wrong.

Barbacoa Taco @ Salsa Shop
Much like Vietnamese food, Mexican cuisine is a recent – but hugely popular – addition to Amsterdam’s culinary repertoire. While most of the best tacos are to be found at pop-ups (the city has been brim-full of pop-ups ever since the economic crisis led to youth unemployment and a low appetite for financial risk), my favourite permanent location is Salsa Shop. Slap bang in the centre of town, just down the street from the buzzing Rembrandtplein, Salsa Shop specialises in three-bites-and-you’re-done corn tortillas with dozens of delicious fillings. As the name suggests, the salsa here is pretty special. Try the fresh peach habanero with your barbacoa taco, the smoky pineapple chipotle with your carnitas taco, or the zingy salsa verde with your grilled chicken taco. They are all spicy and spectacular, and reasonably priced at €8-9 for three tacos of your choice.

Banh Mi @ Little Saigon
Vietnamese food is enjoying a surge in popularity in Amsterdam at the moment, with fresh spring rolls, pho and banh mi popping up all over the city. One place doing all three very well while staying true to their cheap-and-cheerful street food roots is Little Saigon, in Amsterdam’s version of Chinatown. But their banh mi is possibly the best value of their offering – with a baguette stuffed with roasted meats, liver pâté and pickles only setting you back €3.50. It’s particularly good value for money when you consider the location: a stone’s throw from Central Station, Nieuwmarkt and the notorious (and notoriously touristy) Red Light District.

Omelette @ Omelegg
Omelettes, invented by the French, are widely known as the test of a good chef. It’s been rather disheartening, then, to discover the sheer dearth of decent omelettes in Amsterdam. Thankfully, Omelegg has stepped in to change all that. Specializing not only in omelettes but also in shakshuka, chicken burgers and all things egg-related, Omelegg lives up to its name every time. Its omelettes are huge and can be pimped up with everything from chorizo to sun-dried tomatoes to peanut butter (preferably not all on the same plate). And for €6-9 a pop, it’s nothing short of an egg-cellent brunch option (sorry).

454 Cheddar Burger @ Charlie's Bar & Kitchen
The name of the 454 cheddar burger gives a nod to 10454, a zip code in the South Bronx, in a neighborhood (some say it's part of Mott Haven, other insist Port Morris) that's chock-a-block with older industrial buildings. You don't need to travel far to find an auto-repair shop, if need be, or very good Mexican food, if a mole Oaxaqueño would hit the spot. Just outside the restaurant is a well-traveled roadway that leads to an on-ramp, and to a bridge that can take you out of the Bronx and into Manhattan — or from Manhattan to the converted piano factory that now is home to Charlie’s. Consider this juicy half-pound of grass-fed beef, well-dressed with bacon, cheddar, grilled onions and sherry jam, and clamped in a crisply toasted seeded bun. Perhaps that mole can wait for another night.

Okonomiyaki @ Japanese Pancake World
Japanese Pancake World does exactly what it says on the tin: three types of Japanese pancakes – Osaka-style okonomiyaki, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, and Kobe-style negiyaki – filled with everything from pork and seafood to mushrooms and cheese. They have little in common with Dutch pancakes, except for the fact that just one of them will fill you up for hours, with no starter or dessert needed. If you’re a Japanese pancake virgin, Japanese Pancake World suggests you try the okonomiyaki – the original style that involves potato purée, piled high in a heated skillet. For those curious to learn how these hearty pancakes are created, you can sit up at the back of the restaurant, right next to the open kitchen where all the magic happens on a giant hotplate.

Baja Fish Taco @ La Cholita
The highlight of La Cholita's menu is always the tacos. There's the beef tongue with ranchero sauce & coriander, the crumbed prawn with pickled cabbage & avocado, the beef cheek with pico de gallo, the scallop with cucumber salsa, avocado & coriander and the baja fish with chipotle mayonnaise. The baja fish is always a winner here. The light, golden batter with the soft, flaky white fish and pickled cabbage underneath with the punchy sauce is all kinds of good. This is a taco that ticks the boxes of flavor and contrasting texture and temperatures.

Smashed Crispy Potatoes  @ Good Things
Good Things is a photographer's dream, thanks to the bright open space and natural lighting. But it's also a foodie's paradise with all-day brunch options. Favorite dishes here are the smashed potatoes with salsa and a fried egg and the decadent fried chicken with waffles and chilli butterscotch sauce. But there are many more dishes worth trying, too. So kick back and enjoy being close enough to the beach that fresh air wafts its way in through the open windows and doors.