Zekka is at 74 King Street, and has brought a burst of je ne sais quoi. Breakfast here, lunch here, do coffee here, even shop for clothes here!

Infinity Café is a popular and pleasant surprise in East Perth doing yummy breakfasts/lunches, right-on coffee and lamentably hard-to-find loose leaf tea. It's all reasonably priced and served by friendly staff so get on down to 111/131 Adelaide Terrace.

We had our wedding reception at Friend's Restaurant in the Hyatt Centre on Terrace Road, East Perth, and were blown away by the food, the service, the ambiance and the view. And their wine card is the best around.

Still pumping out Asian dishes for less than $10, the Viet Hoa at 349 William Street, Northbridge, is endlessly cheap and cheerful, ever popular and prompt — 10 till 10, seven days a week.

Tasty morsels are on offer at Ha-Lu, 4/401 Oxford Street, Mt Hawthorn, where the menu gives the subtleties of Japanese cuisine a kinky Aussie twist. Surprise yourself by enjoying the tofu (ask for agedashi tofu — the deep-fried variety), and the slow-cooked pork belly is a taste sensation.

Some like it hot and those who do head to 7 Spices, 35 Ardross Street, Applecross, for authentic flavours and a great variety of dishes from India and Sri Lanka. On Friday and Saturday evenings they bring on the buffet feast.

There's always a queue at 273 Mill Point Road in South Perth, where locals swarm to get their fix of Aussie-Italian grub at Ciao Italia. Find it and find out what all the fuss is about. Then tell me.

They're always packed and certainly don't need this plug, but Sushi Station Fuji at 233 Albany Highway in Vic Park does ridgey-didge Japanese food. Order a bunch of different dishes from the entrée menu, not forgetting the gyoza, a type of pan-fried dumpling. Umai–zo! Telephone: 08 93623796.