79 & Fine

79 & Fine has recently opened in Hobart Place, bringing a flavour of the Hamptons to Canberra. The space is warm and inviting, and I was drawn to the pastry display like a bee to nectar. Mmm. Pastries. Instead, I did the grown up thing and had a bacon and egg roll ($10), plus an orange and apple juice ($7). The staff were really friendly and welcoming, bringing over the concise menu (two breakfast options) on a board for us to choose. When my friends’ orders of smashed avo ($16) came out, I had a bit of order envy (so beautifully presented), but my roll was huge when it arrived. Served on a toasted brioche bun, the roll has “double bacon” and plenty of egg scramble, plus lashings of BBQ sauce and aioli. The ingredients are simple but they work well together in a hearty, comforting way – there’s just enough sauce without it oozing out and the bacon was cooked with the right balance of crisp and tender. I really enjoyed my juice too, with plenty of froth and a crisp, clean orange and apple flavour. I can’t wait until they add the lobster roll to the lunch menu – I’ll be back soon!

79 & Fine, 1 Hobart Place, Canberra ACT, http://www.79andfine.com.au/

Hash Specialty Coffee

I must admit, we did come to eat here after seeing how silly the line was at Hardware Societe, but this was one of the best ‘happy accident’ discoveries we had in Melbourne! Hash has friendly, welcoming staff who went out of their way to make us comfortable. Craving something lighter, I ordered the Sauteed Mushrooms ($17.5), served on toasted multigrain with pumpkin puree, chevre and smoked aioli. You guys, this would definitely be my breakfast pick of the year! The mushrooms were so cute and plump, keeping all their juiciness with the added thyme from the saute pan. The bread was delicious and absolutely slathered in pumpkin puree, which is now my new ultimate comfort food. But the real winner for me was that smoked aioli. Seriously, get onto it, it’s good stuff. A mouthful with all of the elements, including the lovely strong chevre, was breakfast heaven. They also avoided my pet peeve (inadequate toast-cutting knife) and had appropriate cutlery so I didn’t leave having undertaken an arm workout to eat my food. Unusually, their menu also lists the local provenance of their ingredients – this could definitely be a new trend to keep an eye on.

Hash Specialty Coffee and Roasters, 113 Hardware Street, Melbourne VIC, no website

Agatha’s

I went to Agatha’s to catch up with a friend from high school, and to be honest my expectations weren’t high – it wasn’t really on my ‘foodie radar’, so to speak, but I was quite delighted to discover the excellent breakfasts on offer. I ordered the ‘Hey Pesto’ ($16), with smoked bacon, tomato, avocado, rocket and pesto hollandaise on ciabatta. Pesto hollandaise? Yep. That stuff is good. Rich, creamy and still stronger on the hollandaise than the pesto flavour, there was a huge amount on top of my bread, and I was totally ok with that – it’s delicious. Combined with the serving of avocado, there was a lot of creaminess going on, but the fresh tomato and rocket cut through, along with the saltiness of the bacon. I couldn’t really tell that the bacon was smoked, but it was very crispy and particularly tasty. As a bonus, there was some sort of pomegranate molasses drizzle on the plate too, which was beautifully sweet. I love ciabatta, and this one was lightly toasted, perfect to add some crisp but still be easy to cut into. The whole thing was very filling, delicious and great value – definitely worth a visit.

Agatha’s, 1 Gawler Street, Port Noarlunga SA, http://www.agathascafe.com.au/

Little Bird

I didn’t really have high expectations of Little Bird – I’d heard the menu was limited, so I was imagining the inevitable bacon & eggs vs granola battle in my head. Luckily, it exceeded all expectations, and I ordered ham and potato croquettes with avocado and Sriracha fried eggs ($17.50) – they came out beautifully presented, with the croquettes sitting on a bed of smashed avocado, topped with lemon-drizzled rocket and two fried eggs, with a good dash of Sriracha on top. Wow. The eggs had perfectly runny yolks, and the lemon on the rocket jazzed the whole dish up and acted as a great antidote to the heat of the Sriracha. The croquettes were masterful – crisp on the outside, and full of smooth, creamy potato on the inside, with chunks of ham… I was actually surprised that I could finish them, so not as heavy as they seemed. The avocado added great texture and flavour to an already excellent dish, that I will definitely be back for again soon. The only downside was the ventilation – we left smelling of fried things, which was a bit of a shame. Perhaps sit outside to avoid this!

Little Bird, Corner of Macquarie and Broughton Streets, Barton ACT, http://littlebirdbarton.com/

Space Kitchen

I’m calling it – puffed grains are the new trending meal topping for 2016. Catching up with the lovely Erin of Mouthless Mutters for breakfast, we both marvelled at the pretty plating done by the staff at Space Kitchen. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Breakfast ($18.90), curious to see what a coconut roesti was like (still made of potato with a coconut flavour or made of coconut?), and surprised by the lovely pile of delicious things that was put in front of me. The two eggs were perfetly poached, although I’d have prefered them on top of the roesti so that the yolks don’t go to waste (particularly when you don’t have a spoon). The smoked salmon was served warm and wasn’t as smokey as some, which worked for me at breakfast time. There was plenty of it too (yay!). I love it when you get a really good slather of avocado and this portion was also very generous, hiding the roesti (made of potato with coconut flavour), which was light and lovely. I also ordered the orange, pear, pineapple and passionfruit juice ($6.90), which came in a giant glass and tasted like summer. Great company, great meal. What more could you ask for?

Space Kitchen, Skypark, corner of Furzer and Worgan Streets, Phillip ACT, http://space-kitchen.com.au/

Barrio

The food at Barrio is never what I expect – they’re always trying something exciting and slightly off-kilter (which I mean in a whole-heartedly positive way). This time I picked their take on a potato salad, but don’t imagine it’s your usual staid boiled-with-mayo affair. No. Here, your potato is candied. What, I hear you ask? Like almonds? Not exactly – the potato is cooked but almost dehydrated, with a texture that reminded me of unknown but delicious vegetables in Japanese supermarket salads (again, a good thing). To contrast this almost sponginess are segments of fresh orange, which add a divine splash of acidity and freshness, slightly bitter green leaves and some sort of split bean/pea thing (woe is me for forgetting to photograph the menu). That’s not to mention the smattering of puffed wheat and fried shallots on top. I ordered this dish with a side of smoked salmon (the recommended optional extra), and was delighted by the three thick, not overpowering slices that brought great balance to the riot of flavours and textures in this salad. The whole thing was nicely complimented by a glass of fresh orange juice; I could have happily had a dozen more glasses as this was the real deal. Never expect the ordinary here.

Barrio Collective Coffee, 59/30 Londale Street, Braddon ACT                                  http://www.barriocc.com/

Two Before Ten

When you find yourself brunching over the course of three hours, I believe it is the joining of three marvellous things – good food, good company and a pleasant setting – to nourish the soul. My sojourn at Two Before Ten in Aranda was just that – a lovely three hours of relaxing in the sunshine, admiring the impressive vegetable garden, chatting and enjoying the excellent food. I ordered the Spiced Eggs on Toast with avocado, persian fetta, and Espelette spice (a chilli grown in France) ($15). I added a side of chorizo ($4) to liven things up a bit. The plate was beautifully presented, with the avocado served as a puree and a scattering of lettuce leaves artfully placed on top. The eggs were cooked to that perfect omelette consistency – light and fluffy, with a good kick of spice from the Espelette chilli powder. The persian fetta added some extra creaminess, and I would highly recommend the chorizo on the side, for a nice balance of salty meatiness. Unfortunately the bread fell into one of my pet hates – very tasty, but impossible to cut with the blunt butter knife provided – but that was my only complaint. The staff happily let us enjoy our patch of sunshine and while away the morning.

Two Before Ten, 68 Bandjalong Crescent, Aranda ACT, http://www.twobeforeten.com.au/