Light Years

There’s lots of natural light flowing in through the floor-to-ceiling windows at Light Years. It’s the kind of place you can pull up a stool for a solitary working breakfast, or gather friends for a lunch date. It’s sleek and open, with stone and timber throughout. Overhead is a giant light that resembles one of Saturn’s rings, or the outline of the moon.

Simon Ward, who was previously executive chef and co-owner of Fitzroy’s Hammer & Tong (which closed in early 2017), is heading up the kitchen. The miso scrambled eggs showcase Ward’s love of Asian food; shitake mushrooms, Gippsland sea noodles, nori, young corn and fried bread all sit on top of the scramble.

Matcha waffles come with dark chocolate, lemon cheesecake and popping candy; a “pixel” avocado dish (the avo is sliced into little squares) comes with poached eggs; chilli air-dried kale; edamame hummus; and an Asian flourish of nori, lime and pickled radish. There are a significant number of vegetarian dishes including a winter bowl of Jerusalem artichoke with potato and cauliflower, and ramen topped with kohlrabi, shitake, charred spring onion and mushroom dashi.