I’m not sure who ‘Mamma’s Boy’ refers to, but for me the name of this cafe’s name conjures up images of mothers all around the world urging their sons to ‘Eat up!’ ‘Mange!’ ‘Chī fàn!’.

Certainly their cabinet selection of fresh-looking pre-made sandwiches, appetising sit-down lunch menu and cartoon recipe blackboard encourages you to get hungry and tuck in.

After studying up on Melbourne Gastronome’s review, the four of us tried the Vietnamese inspired poached chicken salad with crispy shallots ($9.50), the vegetarian salad ($9.50), the daily special Mussaman curry ($13) and the toasted roast pumpkin sandwich ($8). The meals came quickly and they were huge – there was barely enough room on our tiny table to fit all our meals.

I mean, look at that salad – there’s a whole head of wombok in it! And the sandwich is big enough to require its own broad-handled knife!

As for the taste, everything was consistently fresh and flavoursome. I really enjoyed my creamy curry which contained lots of chunky tender chicken served with fluffy rice and fresh chilli as requested.

The poached chicken salad had a refreshing citrus kick to it, while the vegetarian salad was piled high with spinach and drizzled with a balsamic dressing. I didn’t taste test the sandwich but I liked the look of the grainy bread and the oozing pumpkin filling.

It seems that the office workers around the area have also discovered the good-value delights of Mamma’s Boy, as the cute cafe was buzzing during the lunch hour. So often lunch stops in the city deliver boring, sub-standard food – but Mamma’s Boy is a really great find. Enjoy!

For other good value lunch options in the Paris end of town, try Yu.u and Shoya.

• Mamma’s Boy, 13 Little Collins St, Melbourne +61 3 9662 2166

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