Sani

Sani is a bright all-day spot by Sam Terranova and Raju Ghimire, the minds behind West Footscray’s Dumbo and Toorak’s Yuca cafe. It sits in a historic Victorian-era bank, where the now-closed Woodstock Pizzicheria used to serve family-recipe rounds. These days, at Sani, Terranova leads a menu that does a lap around the globe every few months.

It’s best known for the customer-favourite Turkish eggs, two perfectly poached beauties in a velvety za’atar labneh, puddled by fermented chilli butter and flecks of herbs. Then there’s the Japanese eggs, inspired by the eponymous dish at Motokichi Yukimura’s Kichi Kichi Omurice in Kyoto, Japan. It’s a beautiful mess of eggs, “dirty” rice and spam scattered with furikake and papery bonito flakes.

For the lunch-hour guests, a loaded rockling burger comes spiked with chilli sambal and dill pickle, while the gnocchi is fried in the pan and served with blistery house chorizo, prawns, shallots and herbs.

As at Dumbo and Yuca, Sani has a commitment to serving specialty coffee. You’ll find classic flat whites here made with a Locale Espresso house blend. But there’s also a pour-over station with beans from local roasters like Ona Coffee and international coffee collectives.

Sani has a spot for everyone across three distinct dining rooms. The main dining area has beautiful bones, exposed brick archways and parquetry floors. And the shaded outdoor seating is a perfect spot to take in the bustling Lygon Street strip.