The Jam Pantry

Peddling much more than just preserves, The Jam Pantry serves up classic and left-of-field breakfast and lunch options in equal stead. Owner, chef and all-round powerhouse Naomi Zavackas runs the cafe with her husband Gideon.

After selling up at Comfort At My Table in Milton, the duo swore to take a break from the industry. They didn’t last long, much to the delight of their fans.

Resurrected from the bones of an old Thai restaurant, The Jam Pantry has a new lick of paint and painstakingly selected wallpaper. The coffee is by Supreme and while the classic menu boasts conventional favourites, the house wildcard is surely The Whole Pantry fried eggs with four-hour pork collar butt and cinnamon ricotta, served with toasted rye. Then again, there’s the Jam Pantry riff on the standard avo toast, served with pickled strawberries and pistachio crumb.

Zavackas’s specials board changes fortnightly. It’s a platform to go all-out with dishes such as pancakes with rosemary, semolina, honey butter; and mandarin with tahini yoghurt, mint and pomegranate.

Don’t leave without a jar of Zavackas’s house made specialty preserves; her bacon jam and banana jam chutney are legendary, as is her tomato jam, a special family recipe.