At their Carlton bakery Madeleine de Proust, former Attica head pastry chef Hyoju Park and her partner, chef Rong Yao Soh, transform the buttery genoise sponge cakes. Their imaginative bakes see madeleines flavoured, filled and decorated to look like everything from golden Easter bunnies to corn on the cob.

But where do Park and Soh eat around Melbourne? We caught up with the couple to find out.

Small Batch. The coffee is always spot on and the viennoiserie is beautifully made. You can tell how much care Charlie [Duffy] puts into every pastry. I have a soft spot for the amaretto tart.

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I love a proper breakfast – it’s just a really cheerful way to start the day. Nine Yards is my favourite. The coffee is always good and I usually go for the green breakfast bowl or the Turkish eggs.

Carlton Wine Room. The wine list is always exciting, the snacks are on point, and the place just has such a good energy. My move is to start with the raw scallop tostada and end with their warm rum baba.

I am a meat lover, so to make ourselves happy, we love to go to Mansae for Korean barbeque. They serve top quality meat. Nothing beats a proper barbeque night out.

My favourite ice-cream spot is Luther’s Scoops. The dark chocolate Earl Grey is my favourite. It’s rich and floral at the same time.

Doju. Nice food, nice atmosphere. Mika [Chae] always brings great produce – it’s great farm-to-table food.

Matilda. There’s a good vibe and great food cooked over wood fire, and service. Biggy [Ngamtrairai], the head chef, is always creating new menus every season. But one thing that always remains a favourite is the focaccia with kecap manis.

Soh: Hua Lu Peking Duck. It’s lively. The menu has so much variety so you can have a big table full of food to share. Always order a Peking duck as the main show, and don’t miss out on the sweet and sour pork on ice.

What Melbourne restaurant do you think is the most underrated?
Park: Jang Go Mama. They make the best big and fat kimbap: the tuna mayo, spicy squid and the spicy beef kimbap are the ones to order.

Where can you find your favourite dessert in Melbourne?
Park: Tarts Anon. I just can’t resist Gareth [Whitton]’s custard tart and his pistachio tart.

What’s the best place to eat as a solo diner?
Park: Sogumm. The food there tastes like my grandmum’s cooking. Gomtang is the dish I am always craving.

Soh: Mr Pho Hoa Hoi Vang is a great spot for a comforting solo meal. I always get the beef combination. There’s so much meat and the broth is incredibly nourishing.

What’s the best place for a late-night feed?
Park: Mr Lee’s Foods City. The soondae gukbap and the suyuk (boiled pork) are the definition of late-night comfort food. Imagine having a hot boiling soup served in a ddukbaegi, an earthenware pot, on a cold rainy night. Nothing can beat that.

What’s your bucket list restaurant?
Park and Soh: Chae. We’ve had [Jung Eun] Chae and Yoora [Yoon] visit our shop a few times and it’s honestly a little embarrassing that we haven’t made it to their restaurant. We really admire and respect what they do. They are two of the food industry’s biggest role models.