First bite is al dente vegie crunch, followed by pickled-ginger tang and creaminess from the crosshatch of house-made Kewpie-style mayonnaise and tonkatsu sauce. Bonito flakes and furikake make toasty toppers. The savoury Japanese pancake, or okonomiyaki, at Brunswick snack bar

Theodore’s is far from the often-greasy incarnations I’ve had before. It’s clean,  crisp and delicious, bristling with cabbage delivered fresh to the Saxon Street venue from Meneghetti Farms three times a week. It’s an example of the considered approach taken by coowners Lily Stokes and Henry Brooks.

All the produce on the largely plantbased menu is locally and seasonally sourced and prepared by fairly paid chefs (certified by union Hospo Voice) with a no-waste ethos. The wines, meanwhile, are minimal intervention, a direction inspired by Stokes’s time at Wine Republic, and the Coffee Supreme beans are ethically sourced.

Theodore’s, which opened on the site of former fine-diner Host in August, is named after the couple’s toddler son Teddy, who inspired the idea of opening a family-friendly joint. The interior of the converted warehouse remains largely unchanged. Wooden-arched booths line the narrow 83-seater along whitewashed brick walls and the space is filled with light spilling from the roof.

Head chef Andy Maybury (formerly of Footscray’s Rudimentary) serves snacks, deli-style salads, soups and sandwiches for lunch, rustic dinners and weekend brunch.

Go big with a great-value hotel-style buffet breakfast with all the trimmings (a steal at $27 per person), or start small with curry fried eggs or anchovy toast from the short carte.

Wherever you land, eating at Theodore’s is like dining at a close friend’s place – fun, no-fuss vibes with great-tasting food that’ll please the kids, too. Just make the okonomiyaki a double stack on your next visit.