One nearby noodle café was even selling its takeaway partly frozen, for people taking their lunch back to the surrounding towers to thaw out. Le Charmé across the road was open with a limited menu for takeaway, but most orders were being delivered in yellow Easi bags. The doors of West Lake were tragically closed during the last lockdown. The rebate is for meals in the $40-$500 range, a far cry from “susso” ration vouchers in The Depression, but an historic measure, nonetheless, to support local cafes.

He found out they would be available until 4.30 pm but they won’t be eligible for the discount. “I want to buy some chicken feet for a friend,” he said. The previous week he had used the discount for a meal with friends at the Shark Fin Inn.

Nick Aristos, a resident of a nearby tower, had just been to West Lake Restaurant to ask about yum cha when CBD News met him on March 17. Melbourne Money is back and locals are taking advantage of the 25 per cent discount on meals at cafes along Little Bourke St, giving the street quite a lift.

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