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The name says it. “Masak” means “cook” in Malay, but “masak-masak” means to play at cooking as a child might, sitting on a mat surrounded by pots and woks, making imaginary cakes and invisible dinners. This sense of pleasure and merry-making, South-East Asian style, is at the heart of Masak Masak, a new cafe in Yarraville.

The cafe is owned by Deb Ong and Julien Tay, and the menu is a comforting look back at childhoods spent in Singapore, as well as influences gleaned over decades cooking and eating in Australia. It’s a cafe that speaks to who we are now: confident in our multiculturalism, accomplished in our hospitality, less interested in authenticity but deeply invested in pleasure.

Ong’s most recent chef gig was at Copper Pot in Seddon, a beloved European restaurant that recently called time, but it’s interesting to look back at Jack B Nimble, a cafe the pair part-owned in Maidstone in 2016. At that time, the Asian influences were gentle: a relish here, a garnish there. Now, our dining culture has matured to the degree that people can cook whatever they like, as long as it’s good.

Good is an understatement here. The Sarawak-style laksa is a great way to start any day. Tay’s father is from this part of Malaysia, where the laksa is thinner than the creamy coconut-rich curry laksa more usual in Melbourne.

The spice paste is lifted by cardamom, cumin and coriander, with chilli more a backnote. Peanuts are the traditional binder but the use of cashews is just one sign of a respectful attitude to allergies and dietary choices.

Roti John is an omelette sandwich sold by hawkers in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. A roll is usually stuffed with minced meat, but lamb shoulder is the luxurious protein on this menu, served on crackle-topped tiger bread.

Ong and Tay were regulars at the cafe that used to inhabit this gorgeous old butcher shop with its flagstone flooring and breezy high ceilings. They have reinstated a favourite dish in homage, Leon’s chilli eggs, which combines beans, poached eggs and a spicy lemongrass oil that you can also order as a side.

Here’s a secret: it’s not compulsory to have smashed avocado on a cafe menu. Avos aren’t always in season and they do get a bit boring.

Ong finds a way to resurrect an overused staple by turning avocado into a sweet semifreddo, garnished with brown sugar boba pearls and sesame brittle. It’s surprising and fun and gets extra points for suggesting breakfast dessert is a normal practice.

Excellent espresso coffee is on hand, but I am more excited about the iced teh special, a tea layered with evaporated milk and gula melaka syrup. As with everything, creativity, joyfulness and pride is evident. Luckily though, the food and drink springing from this “masak-masak” playtime is absolutely real.