In times gone by, the creamy, the fried and the sweet were what you ordered – being virtuous was so damn dull.

Now healthy food isn’t the boring option. Melbourne has a new wave of wellness cafés and Green is one of the latest where you’re not tempted to munch on the flowers at the table instead. The menu has bags of flavour and while it’s vegetarian, the line-up is so enticing you might only notice afterwards the complete lack of bacon.

Opened in March, Green is the newest member of The Pantry’s empire, which spans an entire corner taking in Royale Brothers burgers, Hiro sushi bar, a deli and the namesake flagship restaurant, a Brighton institution that’s kept Melbourne’s moneyed in poached eggs and posh pasta since 1993.

Service at Green is matter of fact but polished, and meals land swiftly and piping hot. The white-painted brick room exudes a boho chic, holding an eavesdroppingly close 50 seats with a big takeaway window to the street.

Coffee is by Lavazza, but if caffeine plays with your circadian rhythm, go for kombucha on tap, an earthy latte of cacao, reishi and beetroot, or one of 15 juices, smoothies or ‘magic elixirs’.

Food-wise, the Half Dave – named after the favourite breakfast of business partner David Evans – is a hearty assemblage of piped avocado and assorted plump heirloom tomatoes, sharpened with goat’s cheese and capers and heady with basil.

Green’s soba bowl, a restorative broth with a twirl of buckwheat noodles topped with tofu, edamame and a forest of green leaves, will put a spring in your step. Pancakes, too, get a rev-up – the discs made with almond meal are lavished with seasonal fruit, coconut yoghurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.

With healthy tucker this tasty, it’s easy being green.