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Did you hear the one about the Hong Kong-born ice hockey pro who sold his pizza truck to open a Scandinavian cafe named after a Slovenian nonna in Melbourne? Well, you have now.

Lilijana is a new daytime eatery from chef Chris Wong and his wife Christine. It’s a lovely, friendly place for solo snacking and coffee (there’s good batch brew and espresso) and cosy catch-ups, especially between 2pm and 4pm, when Lilijana offers $9.50 “fika”, the Swedish tradition of slowing down for coffee and a pastry. I’m having trouble choosing between the cinnamon-and-cardamom bun and the “sun buns” filled with custard.

How did this all come to be? Chris started playing ice hockey in Hong Kong, where the sport is more popular than you might think. When his family moved to Australia, Chris continued with the sport, and ended up spending summers in Finland and Sweden, where he played pro ice hockey, and fell in love with the bright flavours and penchant for pickling in Scandinavian cuisine.

He also loves pizza, so when he got bored of his industrial design job during the pandemic, he put in some shifts at 400 Gradi and ended up starting Porcupine, a pizza catering business. Mobile food is fun but bricks-and-mortar was the dream, and Lilijana is its fulfilment.

Just about everything is made in house by Chris and pastry chef Blanca Capraro: sourdough loaves, pastries, pickles and cured salmon are all presented with pride.

Also baked here are soft buns for the “deli snacks”, little rolls filled with delights such as dill-laced prawn salad or pepper-crusted pastrami by new local brand Zaidy’s.

The Wong family think of Lilijana as a “continental deli” to encompass its various pan-Euro inspirations, and these affordable $9 delights are a nod to Nonna Lilijana, who worked at Preston Market and was always sneaking her grandchildren nibbles like this.

Larger bites include a home-style Finnish blueberry rice porridge that’s a true snuggle in a bowl and sandwiches both classic (poached chicken with roasted broccoli) and quirky (sardines with gherkin and potato crisps).

The true heart of the menu is the range of platters, which are eminently shareable but also make a deluxe deli picnic for one.

The breakfast plate leans a little eastern European with its kransky sausage, while the signature “sea” plate is Scandi central, with cured salmon, herbed ricotta, colourful pickles and toast.

Lilijana feels bright, organised and approachable. Christine is out the front with sister Steph Comelli, who used to work on the dining floor at Annie Smithers’ hatted Du Fermier in Trentham.

With its professionalism and poise and croissant specialist Brulee soon to open a few doors down, this sweet spot is set to be part of a Bay Street revival.