Lady Moustache, 84 Gamon St, Yarraville. Phone: 9396 1916

We were sparing frequenters of the coffee/brekky/lunch place that preceded Lady Moustache.

Things have changed a lot, so it’s interesting to have a look at this lovely old Yarraville building in the knowledge it has become an eatery of quite a different kind, one that includes some serious evening-time foodiness.

The double-story building is a beauty, but the new crew have left the interior pretty much as it was, near as we can tell. Even some of the furniture looks familiar,

A nice bar area has been installed, though, leaving the rest of the dining area a little limited. There’s long stools at both windows but on this wintry mid-week night it seems every other seat is taken or soon to be.

In this context, the place has the really nice vibe of an intimate, inviting neighbourhood favourite, an impression aided by lovely staff already getting on top of a new place with new routines and new customers.

We’re told there’s a Colombian connection involved Lady Moustache, and that shows in about half the breakfast menu and all the evening fare, which is presented as a sort-of South American tapas list.

As well, there’s empanadas from one of our North Sunshine favourites, South American sweets and tortillas and the like.

We toss restraint out the window in ordering five dishes and are thrilled with what we eat and what we pay for it – if we’d gone without drinks (Napoleone pear cider for me, bottle of that Coca Cola stuff for him, both $4.50), our meal would have clocked in at a very fine $37.

“Patatas with house made sauces” ($7.50) are basically very good potato wedges – though I feel a few of them are a little undercooked – with a nice, thick and unsweet tomato sauce.

Three into two won’t go!

If there are arguments at Lady Moustache, we suspect they’ll be over these divine chicken drumettes ($6.50) served with the same tomato sauce as the spuds and a creamy, apricot-coloured mayo number.

This time Bennie gets two of the superbly deep fried and utterly ungreasy gems!

Papusa are two in number, modestly sized but totally tasty.

They’re quite crisp on the outside, stuffed with shredded pork and topped with the as-advertised tomato sauce and also roast red capsicum.

The accompanying cabbage-and-carrot mix – described as curtido – is disappointingly dull, but maybe that’s because we eat so many similar serves in varying eastern European and Asian joints that have so much zing.

Quesadilla and dips (left, $7.50) is an oddball – to us – winner.

The cheesy corn sandwich triangles are sublime, but it feels a little strange to us to be smothering them with the good olive, fetta and cashew dip, and the even better and more sexy lime, bean and coriander number.

What the hey – it works!

Peruvian swordfish ceviche (right, $7) is good but I find the marinade a little bitter where I am expecting tangy and/or sour.

The nice salad that comes with it has walnuts, almonds, greens, olives and mandarin.

With Advieh just up the road, Gamon St seems to be taking on a rather suave cosmopolitan vibe – and we couldn’t be happier!