Manchester Press

This is exactly the kind of place I wanted to eat at on my visit to Melbourne – a little place hiding on a narrow laneway, but full of life, funky decor and good food. I actually stumbled across it by accident on my laneway wanderings, and quickly decided to come back for breakfast the next day. The cafe is large and airy, with huge communal tables and lovely indoor plants dotted around the place. Whilst Manchester Press is mostly about the coffee, their food menu is all about the bagels. After much consideration, I opted for the fruit and nut bagel, which was served with mixed berry marscapone, fresh strawberries and crushed pistachios. After ordering, I was given a letterpress wood cut out ‘U’ as my table number, which was a nice touch to the Press theme. When the bagel came out I was amazed by the generous amount of marscapone and pistachio – the bagel was dense and nicely toasted, and the texture of the pistachios contrasted the smooth marscapone and the juicy strawberries perfectly. It was a great way to start the day, and the kind of place that sums up all the good things about Melbourne.

Manchester Press, 8 Rankins Ln, Melbourne VIC, no website

A. Baker

I do love a good weekday breakfast, and that is exactly what A. Baker in the New Acton Pavilion offers. The menu appears fairly traditional, but has a sophistication that is evident in the presentation and flavours. We sat along the charred wall, which has been retained from the fire that ripped through the building in 2011, and whilst I’ve heard mixed things about the service, our experience was that the staff were prompt and friendly. I started with a fresh apple juice – made with granny smiths it came out in a good sized glass and with just the right amount of froth. For breakfast two of us chose the poached eggs, which were beautifully presented – I added avocado and it went with the artisan bread and warmed butter perfectly. Let me just emphasise, the bread was heavenly. One of the two eggs was perfectly poached, the other had just gone a touch too far and was partially solid, but the whipped fetta and dukkah really made the dish, both being served in just the right proportions. This is a classy breakfast that I will be coming back for.

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

ETC

If there was one place that can claim to have started my love of breakfast, it is this one. ETC (East Terrace Continental, for non-Adelaideans) is one of the first places I went to for breakfast back in 2008, when a friend of mine and I started going on ‘breakfast adventures’ in the city. Since then it hasn’t changed a bit – they’re still serving breakfast all day and doing it superbly well. ETC has a cozy feel to it – wooden floors, tables and chairs make it inviting in both summer when the doors are opened and winter when it’s windy outside. They offer both breakfast and lunch, as well as a specials board which often includes the best bits. Whilst their eggs benedict is my usual staple, this time I decided to try their ‘chill bar’, a traditional Turkish breakfast with poached eggs, garlic yoghurt, paprika butter, mushrooms and toast. As always, the eggs were perfectly poached and oozed into the yoghurt/butter bowl. The mushrooms had a little bit of bite to them; the toast had just the right amount of crisp and tasted of sesame (yum). ETC is a go-to for reliably good food and atmosphere, any time of year.

ETC, 6 East Terrace, Adelaide SA                                              http://etccafe.com.au/

Lo and Loud

Lo and Loud was my local breakfast place for the two days my colleague and I spent in Ankara. Within walking distance of the hotel and stocked with incredible, mouthwatering pastries, it was no hardship to pop down for breakfast in the mornings. Turkey seems to run on tea (çai), and I had my first taste of it here. As someone who usually drinks black tea, I quite enjoyed the brew with one sugar to counteract the bitterness. We tried a variety of savoury pastries across the two days, although never reached the point where I knew their names. Favourites included a slice that was filled with meat and potato (served warm), and a glazed bread topped with black sesame seeds – simple but tasty. We were lucky enough to meet a Turkish gentleman who spoke fluent English on the first day, and he graciously talked us through the pastry options and then ordered for us – hospitality is flawless in Turkey. We were delighted to see him again on the second day, where he repeated the favour. Obviously Lo and Loud was his local too, and I can understand why.

Lo and Loud, Barbaros Mh., 06700 Ankara, Turkey, no website

Blackfire

I have been eating in Braddon a lot lately. I think I’m close to trying them all (this has become a Pokemon-like quest). Today’s adventure was Blackfire, a brunch catch up with good friends. I slept in and didn’t have a pre-brunch snack, so was pretty hungry when I arrived. How to address this? Order the big breakfast, of course. It’s called the ‘Blackfire morning’, and comes with grilled mushrooms, avocado, asparagus, eggs your way, ciabatta, black pudding, rosemary potatoes and bacon. Again for me, having bread that was crispy but not hard to cut was a huge winning factor of this breakfast, and I was excited to have black pudding served on a breakfast plate. The mushrooms and potatoes were excellent, and the only thing that stopped me from finishing the plate was the fact that I was completely full (I got very close to finishing though). The staff were very friendly taking our orders and we sat comfortably for a good half hour after eating without feeling pressured to leave. The decor is upmarket, with modern wood panelling on the walls and iron chandeliers. After this, I’ll be adding it to the dinner ‘to eat’ list.

Blackfire, 45/38 Mort Street, Braddon ACT http://www.blackfirerestaurant.com.au

Wharf One

I was pretty excited to discover that Wharf One did breakfast – I’d had icecream there on the waterfront and admired the view, thinking, this would be a great breakfast place. They were way ahead of me. I came back the next day and ordered the ‘broken eggs’, not entirely sure what that meant but excited to have avocado, and a classic banana smoothie. The smoothie came out first, while we sat enjoying the sunshine and light breeze, and it was exactly what you want a banana smoothie to be – sweet and obviously full of fresh bananas. Mmm. When the broken eggs arrived I was intruigued by the colour – the egg white seemed more cooked than the yolk, making it something in between scrambled and poached. It was actually just the right consistency, and when combined with the avocado served on another piece of toast it was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in a long time. The seats are nicely spaced apart for privacy and the open structure is designed to allow maximum enjoyment of the weather and the view, both of which were just as lovely as the food!

Wharf One, Wharf Street, Cairns QLD, no website

Sushi Zanmai

Not everybody is a ‘sushi for breakfast’ person, but if we’re talking Sushi Zanmai, I absolutely am. I dragged my colleagues out to Akihabara bright and early, promising that sushi at 7am was something they wouldn’t regret. Sushi Zanmai is open 24 hours and you are always met with a chorus of ‘irashaimasen’ to welcome you. Here, seating at the bar is best, so you can watch the sushi-san work and have a chat. The staff are super friendly and are always happy to give you their recommendations. On this occasion, we were the only people in the restaurant, and had a sushi-san to ourselves, so we started the nigiri feast with salmon, followed by tuna, mackarel, scallops, and unagi (eel). We tried the ootoro (top grade fatty tuna), but all found it a bit too fatty for our tastes. The highlight was the aburi tuna, which had sprigs of spring onion on top and just melted in your mouth. I’m pretty sure that piece alone managed to convince my colleagues of the wisdom of eating sushi at 7am. A must visit for a real Tokyo experience – although not necessarily for breakfast!

Sushi Zanmai, 1F Yodabashi Camera building, Akihabara Tokyo     http://www.kiyomura.co.jp/ (Japanese only)