The Little Larder was a New Farm institution. Grungy, unpretentious and as iconic as the suburb’s blooming jacaranda trees. It fed locals simple, hearty fare from within its graffiti-emblazoned walls for more than two decades, with diners ordering specials off blackboards ringing the room before perching to eat them on curved timber chairs as artistic as they were practical.

But mid last year, the cafe finally called time on its stellar innings, turning the Moray St tenancy over to a new owner for a new era.

Trying to fill the impossibly large shoes left behind is Hey Mr. by Jay Seo – a hospitality vet and one-time owner of popular nearby Fortitude Valley cafe King Arthur. Seo began making his mark with the fit-out, gutting the interior of the tight corner site and giving it a somewhat trite Scandi makeover, with white walls, floors and ceilings, vines crawling along the plasterboard and pale timber tables hovering above banquette seating that hugs the room’s perimeter.

There is dog-friendly seating outside on the footpath too, with pet bowls set up alongside larger tables to encourage eating with your pooch. In keeping with the fresh look is a fresh menu – an all-day brunch offering that will take you around the world in a single sitting with the likes of chicken congee, ras el hanout chicken salad, or perhaps a Vietnamese-style omelette.

For the purists though, there are favourites like a classic beef burger, avo on toast and a big breakfast of bacon, mushrooms, hash browns, poached eggs and toast. A dispassionate waitress takes our order, and when I ask how many poached eggs the savoury potato waffle with smoked salmon ($24.50) includes, she’s unsure and too disinterested to find out.

The answer is two. Their liquid yolks spilling across a folded sheath of withered smoked salmon that was probably at its peak two days prior, covering a duo of crispy potato hash browns of sorts. Had the fish been fresher, it would have no doubt been a worthy dish.

A well-made Fonzie Abbott coffee cleanses the palate for the Middle Eastern lamb shoulder ($23.50), with crispy strips of roasted lamb sitting on a plinth of pumpkin hummus-smeared flat bread piled high with a simple cabbage and carrot slaw before a garnishing of raita.

It’s almost impossibly large to eat as a wrap but rolling it up like a gyros is almost the only way to incorporate the flavours and not be left gnawing on rather bland bread. While generosity is indeed appreciated, it shouldn’t come at the cost of practicality and perhaps a tweak to the presentation could save it.

Sure to bring a smile to the face of many, however, is the banana smoothie ($9.50) from the drinks list that runs from house-made iced tea to milkshakes, juices, soft drinks and flavoured lattes. The potassium-rich blend-up generates instant nostalgia.

Hey Mr. is an eatery that ticks every contemporary cafe box on paper. But for it to have the longevity of its predecessor, a little fine tuning would go a long way.

Related review New cafe The Mailman in Alexandra Hills is the total package