Eighty Twenty

Another new Canberra breakfast place – I can’t quite keep up! We went to Eighty Twenty (which is named for the balance of healthy foods vs treats you’re meant to have in your diet… oops!) for a pre-work breakfast. Despite being new on the block, the cafe was buzzing by the time our food came out. Two of us couldn’t go past the sweet potato rosti, with pesto, poached egg and cherry tomatoes (which I wouldn’t recommend sticking your fork into… Lesson learned). It turned out to be a good choice – the rosti is soft (clearly not fried) and the pesto tastes fresh and very basily.  The egg was perfectly poached and the portion size was just right for breakfast. I also had the ‘Glow Pro’ smoothie (rejoice, dairy-free smoothies are a thing here!) with raspberry, blueberry, acai and coconut flesh. It was light, refreshing and a great match for the meal. As the weather warms up  the outdoor seating is definitely going to be popular. I’ll be back to try the dukkah spiced eggs and possibly the lunch menu… And some more smoothies.

Eighty Twenty, 18 Lonsdale St Braddon, ACT, no website

Local Press

Getting up for breakfast in a Canberra winter is hard. You know it’s sub-zero outside, you know your car is going to be a touch colder than that and you know you won’t be able to feel your fingers by the time you arrive at your breakfast venue. But in this case, totally worth it. Local Press is on the Kingston foreshore, and actually colder than other places, being so close to the water. But the cafe is so light and airy and, the staff so welcoming that you don’t notice the frostbite setting in. The breakfast menu has some exciting points of difference and I couldn’t resist trying the ‘smoothie bowl’ – muesli served with a strawberry smoothie instead of milk or yoghurt – genius! The muesli had whole macadamias and the most beautiful crispy toasted bits, and the smoothie had a strong berry flavour. I ordered the kale, spinach, mint, celery and apple juice (yep, I was feeling adventurous!) and it was lovely – well balanced, with apple and mint being the dominant flavours. Bonus – the waiter told me I could keep the jar it came in (which I now use as a flower vase)! Worth braving the cold for.

Local Press, 128 Trevellian Quay, Kingston ACT     http://www.localpresscafe.com.au/

Bang and Grind

Canberra is a cold place. Cairns is not. On arrival, it was a bit of a shock to the system. Luckily, we’d scoped out Bang and Grind as a way to arm ourselves with nutritious… ok, who am I kidding, we just went out for breakfast, no excuse needed. I ordered the eggs benedict with bacon, wanting to see how they do this classic in the tropics, along with a fresh orange and apple juice. The juice came out first and was huge – great value for $7, and obviously fresh with froth on top. My friend enjoyed his coffee and ended up going back several times over the next couple of days. The eggs took a while to come out, but were presented beautifully when they did. Unfortunately they were overcooked when opened – one partially runny, the other completely solid – and the bread was far too tough to cut for my liking, but the hollandaise wasn’t chemically and the bacon was delicious. The serving size was generous and whilst the decor was simple, it is clearly a popular local haunt.

Bang and Grind, 8/14 Spence Street, Cairns QLD, no website

Tree Eighty Three

Here goes another breakfast post! Tree Eighty Three isn’t in your standard breakfast location, secreted away in Bailey’s Arcade, but when it’s -3 degrees at 7am you don’t mind hiding indoors. I went with friends for a pre-work breakfast, and was impressed with the large space the cafe has across the arcade. There was only one guy behind the counter, and despite there being three orders our food came out together and still hot – that’s some impressive multi-tasking! I had poached eggs on toast with caramelised beetroot and onion, tomato and parsley.  The beetroot was what drew me in, I’m a sucker for beetroot. Overall the meal was tasty, although the onion was a bit strong for a pre-work feed. The beetroot didn’t disappoint and the fresh cherry tomatos popped with flavour. They avoided my bugbear of too-thick, overly-toasted, too-hard-to-cut bread, which got lots of points. To be honest though, I did have order envy looking at my friend’s big breakfast, complete with asparagus and hash brown. Might have to go back for that one.

Tree Eighty Three: 143 London Circuit, Canberra ACT          http://tree83.com.au/

Elk and Pea

I love that Elk and Pea has picked teal as their colour. The ‘pea’ is all about peacock, the animal and the colour, and it really works. I met friends I haven’t seen since Christmas (oops) at Elk and Pea for brunch – winter in Canberra isn’t a good time to sit outdoors, but Elk and Pea has a lovely covered outdoor area that is well heated to the point where coats aren’t necessary (yay!). I felt like a more traditional breakfast, so went for the avocado/mushroom/eggs option, which was much bigger than I expected! The eggs were perfectly poached, the mushrooms had so much flavour, and the basil and goats cheese worked really well with the whole meal. I couldn’t quite finish all of my bread, which was nicely toasted but a bit hard to cut, but it was nice to eat a big breakfast slowly while catching up with friends. Yes, it is a busy place where you may not be encouraged to linger on a weekend, but the food and atmosphere are worth a trip. Don’t forget to grab a pretty teal business card!

Elk and Pea: 21 Lonsdale St, Braddon ACT                http://www.elkandpea.com.au/

The Cupping Room

Eating breakfast out is one of life’s real pleasures. I’m not a big breakfast person at home, but when someone else is doing both the work and the dishes, bring it on! Canberra has a lot of breakfast options. I mean, a lot. But many of them have the same thing on their menus – eggs benedict, something with ‘smashed avocado’, museli/porridge, and maybe a big breakfast. The Cupping Room bucks that trend. The menu has more Spanish on it than you can poke a stick at. A wintery pre-work breakfast choice for me was the Hogo Botoga, which is ‘Central American meatballs, cheddar cheese, a fried open-range egg & sourdough toast‘ according to the menu. The result was a hot, comforting bowl of meatballs, red sauce and cheese. Yes, I was in a food coma for much of the morning at work, but that’s not going to stop me from ordering it again. And again. And again…

The Cupping Room: 1/13 University Ave, Canberra ACT  http://www.thecuppingroom.com.au/