I’m someone who goes to bed excited about breakfast. But rather than splurge on cafe eggs on toast and yoghurt and granola (something I still love), recently I’ve found myself leaning towards noodles and rice when I go out for a morning meal. I especially love these three Thai cafes – each with hard-to-find drinks, expert baked goods and comforting Thai breakfast dishes.

Amber

Since it opened in January, Amber has been best known as a Thai dessert spot, with sticky rice sundaes and Thai tea soft serve made with tea leaves from Thailand. But it’s also a homey cafe that Pimnara Dhetsukdha, who co-owns the venue with Itthinat Kolvitayakul, Duangdao Bannakorn and Pimlada Olansuriyalert, says she hopes will make people feel like they’re eating at a friend’s house.

For breakfast and brunch, available daily from 11am to 4.30pm, Amber has savoury dishes that use Thai and Japanese ingredients. Khao soi (a northern Thai curry noodle dish) comes with udon in place of the typical egg noodles; green curry is served with yum khao tod (crisp rice salad) and tempura prawns; and the salmon ochazuke is given a khao tom (Thai rice soup) twist with the addition of fried garlic, shallots and ginger.

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As for sweets, two standouts are the kanom krok and the kanom kai. The former is made with coconut milk, sugar and tapioca flour batter infused with pandan leaves. They’re cooked on a hot plate and Dhetsukdha says the texture is mochi-like. The latter are Thai coconut pancakes served with pandan sauce, a Thai tea custard and condensed milk. Both take 15 minutes to make – but are well worth it.

Udom House

Aum Phithakphon’s cosy West Melbourne cafe – Nat Thaipun’s go-to – has several excellent breakfast and lunch options, including ga phrao mhoo grob (crisp pork with basil); hor mok yang (red fish curry) served with rice, a boiled egg and fresh vegetables; and jaffles filled with ham and cheese, or chilli paste and pork floss. It’s also one of the most exciting places to drink in Melbourne, with es yen (a shaken iced latte), nom chompoo (a sweet pink drink, also called nom yen, made with milk and sala syrup) and cha-keaw (a jasmine-infused Thai green tea).

Roslyn Thai

This cafe is run by husband-and-wife duo Sapol Deoisares and Busarin Rojkaranwong (both ex-Long Chim), along with Klomjit Barzano (ex-Momofuku and Nomad). While it might look quiet when you first walk in, the outdoor area is usually buzzing with Melburnians enjoying chicken satay served in a tiger bun, and khao khai khon, a soft omelette with garlic soy prawns or caramelised pork belly served over rice.

Roslyn Thai has excellent jok (rice porridge) which comes on a wooden tray with white pepper, Maggi seasoning and chilli oil, as well as exciting drinks including a mango smoothie, coffee on a cloud made using coconut milk, and Thai tea lattes. But it’s also secretly one of the best bakeries in Melbourne, with Rojkaranwong overseeing a cake selection that includes tako chiffon (pandan chiffon with taro, coconut, sweetcorn and water chestnuts), and a killer lod chong cake, inspired by the Thai dessert.