Cheese Factory Cafe

There’s really nothing like a good cooked breakfast on a chilly morning, and we certainly found the perfect one at the Robertson Cheese Factory Cafe, in the Southern Highlands of NSW. Recovering from an epic night of dancing at a fabulous wedding the night before, a group of us hunkered down over coffee and juice and awaited our food. Some waited longer than others – it’s a small kitchen – but my big breakfast (sorry, forgot to note the price) came out relatively quickly and was huge! With two pieces of toast, roasted tomato, avocado, bacon, fried mushrooms and fried eggs (with still-runny yolks), it was exactly the energy-boost I needed for the drive home. Each element was delicious – the tomato was perfectly blistered but still juicy; the avocado was nicely salted and fresh; the mushrooms had tonnes of flavour and were probably the highlight; and the runny egg yolk brought everything together. The bacon was a little lacking in crispiness for my taste, but wasn’t unpleasant by any means. We stayed and chatted in the lovely cafe space for a while, before browsing the gift store full of gourmet delights. Definitely a great breakfast stop if you’re in the Highlands.

Cheese Factory Cafe, 107 Illawarra Highway, Robertson NSW, http://www.robertsoncheesefactory.com/

Devon

I was so very excited to see that one of the breakfast/brunch options at Devon was salmon. It’s quite rare to find a Japanese-style breakfast, so we were happy to wait for nearly 30mins to get a table. Seated in the back courtyard, we ordered right away, tummies grumbling from the wait. I chose Breakfast with the Sakumas ($25), clearly a staple menu item, of miso-grilled salmon, smoked eel croquette, 63 degree egg, radish salad and kewpie mayonnaise. The plate was beautifully presented, and I broke open the croquette before cutting my egg, so there was something to absorb the perfectly runny yolk. The croquette was delightful – don’t be put off if you’re not a seafood fan, the eel flavor is subtle, and the brown rice inside makes this a surprisingly filling portion. But the main game is definitely the salmon, which shines brightly amongst all other salmon dishes. Perfectly flaked and tender, and topped with a crisp seaweed and spice crumb (amazingly good), this was a complete delight and something I would go out of my way to eat again. The radish salad broke up the rich flavours of the rest of the dish, bringing perfect balance and sending me right back to Tokyo breakfasts past.

Devon, 76 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, NSW, http://www.devoncafe.com.au/

A. Baker

I haven’t been to A. Baker for quite a while, so when I had to pick a venue to meet a friend about to move overseas, I took a risk and went for it. Luckily, the standards at A. Baker have remained high, leaving my foodie reputation in tact. We both ordered the slow cooked eggs, served with local mushrooms, smoked ricotta, soldiers and lemon ($17), and I added avocado ($5). Firstly, the bread here is fantastic, and the three soldiers were an utter delight to eat – they were also quite filling. This dish is all about the mushrooms, which were plump, fresh and full of flavour. I kept getting these hits of saltiness from what I presume was the pan juices from the mushroom, which went perfectly with the creamy ricotta, although I found the smoked flavour a bit subtle. I had expected the eggs to remain runny when slw cooked, but the yolks were soft but not runny. The crumb on top added great texture, and I really enjoyed the added avocado. I also ordered a fresh orange and apple juice, which was exactly what I wanted at the start of the day. A perfect setting to wish my friend bonne chance.

A. Baker, Unit 2, 15 Edinburgh Avenue, Acton ACT, http://abaker.com.au/

Bowery to Williamsburg

Latkes? What are latkes? I usually try to order the unusual things on a menu, and this drew my eye for sure. I met an old friend for breakfast on a Saturday morning and we holed up along the long communal table at Bowery to Williamsburg, where you’re practically part of the kitchen. The Lox & Potato Latkes ($20) was a great side to a good catch up, with two perfectly poached, runny eggs, spears of asaparagus, a slab of cured salmon and latkes with horseradish. The mystery was solved on first bite – latkes are potato pancakes, and these were spiked with zucchini – they were filling and tasty and delicious with the kick of the horseradish. I’m generally not a huge fan of fennel, but pickled the way it was, it brought a great flavour contrast to the latkes. The cured salmon was more subtle than smoked, which was appreciated that early in the day. The asparagus was cooked nicely and had just the right amount of bite, without being stringy. This was a fun introduction to New York food for me – enough familiar elements to be comfortable and enough new things to be exciting.

Bowery to Williamsburg, 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne VIC, no website

Sweet Bones

What do you do at Sweet Bones when you want both granola and a smoothie? You combine them into a smoothie bowl and have both, yay! I adore Sweet Bones’ dairy-free menu, so I picked my smoothie, the Fit Sistas Smoothie with strawberries, banana, apple juice and flax oil, and added Eileen’s granola and seasonal fruit to my order to make the smoothie bowl ($16). The granola here is unbelievably good – jam-packed full of dried fruit – apricots, cranberries and sultanas – plus more nuts than you can poke a stick at (almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias) AND sunflower seeds… Oh, and did I mention that it’s all toasted in maple syrup? Swoon. The granola was still crunchy was despite floating in smoothie, and I actually enjoyed the combination with the smoothie far more than I do granola with milk. The smoothie had great texture – not too icy, and with a nicely balances sweetness – and there was sooooo much of it! The fruit on top (oh, hello banana, Granny Smith apple, strawberry and passionfruit!) added a great splash of flavour and a mix of textures, creating a filling, wholesome breakfast that I can’t wait to order again.

Sweet Bones, 8/18 Lonsdale Street Braddon, ACT, http://sweetbonescompany.com/

7th and Bake

I’m not the most outgoing person, but I was really looking forward to meeting Bec from Inexplicable Wanderlust in person, after months of reading one another’s blogs. We had breakfast at 7th and Bake, which was drenched in autumn sunlight despite the chilly air. Perusing the menu, I landed on the Hot Smoked Salmon ($19.90), served with smashed avocado, a hash brown, poached eggs, watercress and a honey and lime dressing. The plate was beautifully presented, and we both spent a good few minutes photographing our food unashamedly, as only food bloggers can. The salmon was indeed hot, although the heat seemed to mask some of the smoked flavour. The meat was perfectly cooked, flaking into soft pieces, and the portion was quite large, making it great value for money. The eggs were poached perfectly, and ran nicely into the crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside hash brown, one of my favourite breakfast things. The avocado was the only disappointment, tasting more like a lemon-drenched avocado dip than fresh avocado, but otherwise I enjoyed every bite of this meal, not to mention the great conversation. Worth a visit – I hear their pastries are excellent too.

7th and Bake, 144/41 Eastlake Parade, Kingston ACT,

Red Brick Espresso

Not being a coffee drinker, Red Brick wasn’t too high on my foodie list, but a friend invited me there for a catch up and so off I went. The brunch menu is actually quite good, with a few breakfasty options and a few lunchy options. I chose a classic fried egg and bacon roll ($10.90), mostly because it was served with kewpie mayonnaise! We sat inside, admiring the texta-art scene drawn on the wall, showing the local shops. I also drooled a bit over the danishes and pastries at the counter, but decided to be good. This time. The roll came out fairly quickly, and I was very happy to see egg yolk oozing down the side (yay!). The toasted brioche bun was quite substantial, and I was pleased by the amount of bacon included in the serve. The bacon was a bit fatty, but there was enough crispy bits mixed in to not be a problem. Rocket is my favourite ‘leafy green thing’, particularly when paired with creamy kewpie, which brings out the sharp bitey flavour of the rocket. Overall this was a nice breakfast, although nothing particularly outstanding. I’d come back to try the lunchy options.

Red Brick Espresso, Shop 4/35 Curtin Place, Curtin ACT, http://redbrickespresso.com.au/