There’s a reason Australia has the best cafes in the world – we do them better than anywhere else.

In this week’s delicious. on Sunday, in Stellar magazine, we examine why we are a nation of deep-seated cafe addicts. Australia leads the way globally with casual eateries that blend first-rate food, top-notch coffee and arresting interiors. “There’s nothing like it in the world,” says Nathan Toleman, the entrepreneur behind iconic Melbourne cafes including Higher Ground. Plus, we are spoiled for choice. There are almost 7,000 independent cafes across Australia, which tend to inspire our devoted patronage more than international chains like Starbucks.

In our weekly meal plan, Hayden Quinn was inspired by a recent trip to China. Quinn has proposed five fragrant, flavoursome and fantastically easy dishes for every night of the working week: from chilli crab with egg noodles on Monday to tofu with ginger and mushrooms on Friday. Meanwhile, in his regular column, Matt Preston offers up possibly the simplest recipe of all time for beloved pumpkin soup. Once mastered, it’s a breeze to individualise the soup with additional ingredients.

delicious. on Sunday also includes the latest news and reviews for each state on the eastern seaboard. In this week’s NSW paper, Anthony Huckstep ventures to new Italian restaurant Sotto Sopra in Sydney’s Newport. For the VIC edition, Megan Miller dips into Mahalo Poké in Melbourne’s Richmond. In QLD, Anooska Tucker-Evans assesses Alfred & Constance in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.

delicious. on Sunday appears in Stellar every weekend. Stellar is available in The Sunday Telegraph in New South Wales, the Sunday Herald Sun in Victoria, and The Sunday Mail in Queensland.

If you want to make it a Stellar Sunday, be sure to #makeitdelicious, too!