Little Sister Malvern

Little Sister is a family-run bakery that stands out with its 72-hour sourdough loaves, Middle Eastern-style pastries and hot coffee. Since opening the Elsternwick original in 2020, co-owners Dov and Immy Lachovich Marcus have also opened outlets in McKinnon and Malvern.

The family theme runs strong here, from the bakery’s name to the Middle Eastern baked goods that the couple – who moved from Israel to Melbourne in 2010 – grew up eating. Desserts like flaky apple strudel, chocolate rugelach and cheesecake babka nod to their grandparents, who are from Russia, Poland and Bulgaria. Plenty of other menu items honour the couple’s heritage, including bread twists dusted with fragrant za’atar, and a sealed pita pocket filled with sabich (a traditional Israeli filling of potatoes, eggplant, chopped Israeli salad, soft-boiled eggs and tahini). There’s also the Middle Eastern-influenced shakshuka-filled pocket, which comes with a side of tart pickled cucumber and radish.

Behind the counter there’s also a variety of loaves to take home, including rye, 72-hour fermented sourdough, fruit loaf and caramelised onion loaf. Plus, hot coffee to go.