Grandma Pauline, cousin Kaye, mum Deborah, son Bennie and son/dad Kenny.

265 Little Bourke St. Phone: 9639 0555

Our second splash-up dinner was at the Mercure, on Little Burke between Swanston and Elizabeth.

It’s my mum hotel of choice when visiting Melbourne.

Bennie’s mum, Deborah, objected to my description of it as a “budget hotel” – and she was right to the extent that this ain’t no backpacker establishment.

It’s a clean, non-nonsense, few-frills place – and one in which you wouldn’t expect to get anything beyond serviceable food.

I’m happy to say that summation was grandly trashed – the meal we all (Grandma Pauline, Bennie, his mum Deborah and I) enjoyed was rather thrilling – and certainly much better and smartly priced than we’d had the previous day in the much more swish and pricey Waterfront.

The hotel’s restaurant, The Louden Kitchen & Grill, continued the transit lounge vibe, having the sort of utilitarian and temporary feel you might find in an upmarket eatery in a large train station.

But food was super – and we’d all recommend it for anyone wanting some Mediterranean-styled tucker at very affordable prices, with a bonus to be prized – this is a mostly unknown, unstoried and tranquil space that quietly goes about its business just a few metres from  the hustle and bustle of Chinatown and the CBD.

This time Bennie was in luck – and he wasted no time in ordering the burger. Described as a “lamb burger with tzatziki, grilled onion, Greek romesco” ($15.5), it was hight, wide, handsome and tasty. Bennie ran out of eating juice halfway through, having eaten Lord knows what while galavanting around the CBD all day with his Kiwi relatives.

Pauline and Deb both ordered rump steaks ($32), and both gave their meat the big thumbs up. The mains at The Louden come with a side dish of choice from a list that contains some of the most appealing things on the menu. In the girls’ case, the baby roast vegetables were a wonderous jumble of bean, beetroot, baby turnip, snow pea and carrot, while the potato fritters were a couple disappointing cakes of the hashbrown variety.

My baked blue eye ($28)  looked modest of proportion but was oh-so-yummy. It was cooked just right. I appreciate the skill that takes. The accompanying tomato chilli relish was a bit of a trickster, too, looking dull and lifeless but having a sweet tang that brought the sublime fish even more to life. My side dish – the Greek salad – was also fine, its feta cheese having disintegrated to just the right degree to act a further dressing for the cakes, toms, red onion and olives.

Desserts of rhubarb fool tart, gooseberry and elderflower ice cream with hazelnut crunch ($12)  and chocolate and hazelnut flourless torte brought a satisfactory full stop to a meal that delighted us – and one that seemed to have added charm given that was far superior to what I at least imagined we be presented with.

Ahhh … so nice to have attentive dinner companions, no?