purple peanuts

It's a well known fact that Purple Peanuts is one of the most reliable lunch places in the CBD. Fast, tasty, efficient, and the food is always of a good quality for lunch fare. This is not fine Japanese food like sushi (although that is available), the crowds come here for the salads and the hot foods.

The cafe is decorated with cutesy lights, blue knitted octopus (I am not making this up), a poster for a Bruce Lee film from the 60's and outfitted in simple wooden tables and stools. There is a small seating area jostling for space in the open kitchen. The menu is written in coloured marker on to pieces of brown lunchbag paper and blu-tacked to the walls.

And there is always, always a line for lunch. There is a reason for this - lots of cheap lunch options, with no skimping on the right ingredients.

Brown rice salad with vegetables.

Kakuni pork.

Tsuke don.

It is a big ask to consistently roll out good food in one of the busiest areas of the city while still retaining some kind of eccentric identity and authenticity. Purple Peanuts has this, and continues to make food that gives comfort to hundreds of people a day.

Purple Peanuts Japanese Cafe

620 Collins Street

Melbourne

0403 235 410