"It's a combination of a modern diet and old-school Lebanese,'' says Antoine Taouk, one of the identical twin brothers who owns Teta Mona, an accessible, fresh Lebanese cafe-restaurant named after their grandmother (''teta''), Mona. (He does the talking and Bechara does cooking, he says.)

It is the food they grew up with, but with a wholefood focus. ''There's no white flour, no white sugar. It's back to basics: all made here without refined ingredients.''

Nine pastries, including crusty baby spinach and haloumi pies and mankoushe (pizzas), are hand-made daily with wholemeal flour, and all come with tomato and cucumber slices, which makes them even healthier. It is to the boys' grandfather that they owe their baking skills. They worked at his Cedar Bakery in Preston for 15 years. The bakery, now owned by their uncle, provides the pita bread served with many dishes on the dinner menu.

Start with small and medium share plates, such as diced tomato tossed with crumbly shanklish and topped with house-preserved green olives. Spiced lamb cigars are fine filo-wrapped minced lamb cigar rolls drizzled with sweet pomegranate molasses and crushed walnuts. It is almost desserty good.

The small table fills with those lightweight woven-wooden plates and bowls popular in the days of cubed cheddar and cabana chunks, on which everything is served.

The snapper fillet is listed as a medium plate, but it is easily a main. It is encrusted with chilli flakes, pan-fried then piled with a cooling, roughly chopped salsa of tomato, coriander, parsley and spring onion. A squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of tahini tames any spice heat.

Rissole-sized meatballs are redolent of cardamom and anise: you can taste it in your nose. Three of them and their crushed tomato sauce are ladled on to chubby brown rice flecked with wild-rice grains. It is homely.

Disappointingly, neither brown-rice stuffed zucchini, nor beef and cracked wheat dumplings were available. What to do? Go to town on the dessert list. Two sticky-centred, coconut-rolled balls of minced date, cacao and pumpkin seeds; two scoops of creamy chocolate-and-cinnamon and pistachio ice-cream; and a bowl of chilled brown-rice and orange-blossom pudding.

The dining room is also the kitchen. With just an ornate terracotta-tiled bar dividing the two, it can get hot, but rarely dull. The black-and-white Taouk family photos on the walls, pressed-tin ceiling, nook with a couch and coffee table, and courtyard are a neat fit with the Brunswick East village vibe.

Do … Take away if you are on the run

Don't … Miss the take-home pickles, preserves and ''mix-tape'' CDs at the front

Dish … Cigara bi lahem (lamb pastry cigars)

Vibe … Lively, come as you are

segger@fairfaxmedia.com.au