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From one side Tothy Brothers Deli looks like an unassuming suburban cafe, but then you notice the neon “hot pastrami” sign and realise something else is slow cooking under the hood.

Brothers Blake and Sean Toth built a local following by dishing out smoked brisket, pastrami and the like from their market stall, eventually landing in their current bright, white, light-filled digs.

By day, it’s all about Reubens, cheese steaks, fried chicken sandwiches and other all-American classics loaded with ruby-hued meat. More refined – but no less smoked – are the added dinner offerings such as a tranche of shredded, crumbed and fried ox tongue painted with mayonnaise and salsa verde, or the smoked half-chook with ikra, the richly savoury Russian eggplant stew.

The smart line-up of local beers, Australian wines and (really good) whisky-based cocktails may also turn that quiet afternoon you planned into a low-key party.