Patissez

There should be a special category of foodie award for people who get out of bed and manage to successfully leave the house when it’s -6 degrees outside for the sake of food. Just saying. Four brave souls, this one included, met for a 9am breakfast at Patissez on an icy Canberra morning. I started with a soy hot chocolate (probably sits around the middle of the Canberra pack, needed a bit more chocolate flavour) and picked the ‘Porky’ sandwich to eat. I’d heard the portions were big, but I wasn’t prepared for the GIANT BURGER that turned up. The brioche bun was quite crumbly so I ended up eating with cutlery. The overall flavours were great – super morish bacon jam, fried egg, fresh rocket and tomato sauce – but the pulled pork itself was a little disappointing (it didn’t have a lot of flavour). Unfortunately my meal arrived long before the rest, and my friend who got her meal last then had to wait another 5 minutes for a spoon to be able to eat said meal, which dampened the otherwise warm and friendly service experience. With a few tweaks this could be an excellent breakfast destination.

Patissez, Shop 2/21 “The Lawns” Bougainville Street, Manuka ACT, no website

The Cupping Room

I am a firm believer that we eat with our eyes. As a general rule, I try to avoid eating sweet things for breakfast, especially before going to work (hello food coma!), but on this visit to The Cupping Room, I really couldn’t go past the incredibly beautiful ricotta hotcakes. If a plate looking like that went past you, would you be able to resist it? I didn’t think so. I was blown away by the flavours on this plate. First up, the burnt honeycomb was to die for – it added a sweet but burnt flavour with an almost sticky texture, which helped cut through the sweetness of the rest of the dish. As did the pomegranate seeds scattered atop the hotcake pile. I particularly liked the fresh strawberries and would have liked more to enjoy with each mouthful, but the stewed rhubarb was a nice addition too. Down to business – the hotcakes were incredibly light and fluffy, although surprisingly filling. The creme fraiche was a bit much for me, but I loved the citrus syrup drizzled over the top of everything (more please!). Overall, I would suggest eating this only if very hungry. But eat it. It’s delicious.

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

Elemental

This was my second visit to Elemental in Braddon, and I was even more impressed on this visit than last time, not least because… the bone broth was available! Yay! I think they must use chicken bones, as the flavour was far lighter and less rich than I was expecting – in fact, it tasted much like my first (and only) homemade attempt at making ramen from scratch. Whilst it wasn’t quite what I was expecting/hoping for, it was still hearty and warming on a chilly day. I picked the quesadillas for something a bit different – they were delicious! There were two of them served with a fried eggs, fresh guacamole and harissa. The flavour inside the quesadillas was more what I would expect from a curry – the ‘spicy chicken’ lived up to its name, and I didn’t end up using much harissa as it was spicy enough for me. The flavour was fantastic though – the chicken combined with a lime leaf jam and coconut cheese was heavenly, and the fried egg oozed perfectly over the top. I was particularly taken with the guacamole (cubed not mushed) and was really impressed with the friendly service. Elemental is going from strength to strength.

Elemental, Ori building, 30 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT elementalcafe.wix.com/elementalcafe

Kinfolk

Kinfolk has been on my list for a while, and on a whirlwind visit to Melbourne I ducked in with my colleague for breakfast. We got a perfect seat in the window where we could watch the world go by. I started with a fresh orange juice – it was served with ice in a large jar, and was a bit diluted for my taste, but was still good value for the size. I wasn’t super hungry, so ordered the granola. It came out on a beautiful serving board with each element in its own jar – the granola looked lovely and toasted, with milk, yoghurt and bloom plum compote presented neatly. The granola itself had a fabulous mix of crisp, golden macadamias, cashews, almonds, walnuts, oats and pepitas. The compote was what really sold me on this – a good granola needs something to stop it being dry, and avoiding dairy as I do, the compote was it. Whilst there wasn’t a huge amount, it went quite far, and had a beautiful tangy tartness that contrasted the overall sweetness perfectly. The whole meal was quite filling and I would happily order it again.

Kinfolk, 673 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC                                                kinfolk.org.au

The Merchant

Meeting my friend on the Kingston Foreshore for lunch, but having skipped breakfast, I was very excited to discover that The Merchant offers breakfast until 3pm. I started out with a soy hot chocolate, which was large but tasted like soy with a hint of chocolate – I wouldn’t order it again. After much deliberation (the pizetteas sounded so tempting!) I used my friend’s excellent food philosophy of ordering what you feel like (scrambled eggs), rather than what you think you should have (pizza). So the ‘bacon & egg pocket’ it was – I ordered it with a side of avocado. The pocket itself was a huge ciabatta (my favourite), packed to the brim with bacon, scrambled eggs and a small amount of tomato relish. The quantities were perfectly balanced – any more relish and it would have been too sweet, a little less and it could have been dry. The eggs were beautifully fluffy and exactly how I like them (on the soft side), and the bacon was nicely (not overly) done. I was disappointed in the tiny amount of avocado – $5 for that measly portion? Never again – but overall the meal was incredibly filling and tasty. So, like last time, the verdict is tasty, but still room for improvement.

The Merchant, 3/2 Trevillian Quay, Kingston ACT         http://www.themerchant.com.au

Pearl Cafe

Pearl Cafe was recommended as a good breakfast spot by a friend – sadly on my weekday visit the lovely interior was booked out for a function, but the staff happily set me up on an al fresco table outside. The menu has some delicious-sounding options, but I only wanted something light given the humidity. I started with a glass of fresh orange juice and ordered the eggs and soldiers with caviar. Yes, you read that right. Pearl Cafe’s menu has some serious class, and this stylish twist on a classic was the proof in the pudding (or the eggs, as the case may be). The toast was a gorgeous rye with that amost sweet nutiness that really dark bread has. Each finger was dense and filling, and both eggs were perfectly soft-boiled with runny yolks. But the highlight was the pop of saltiness with a hint of the ocean from the caviar – I know it sounds like an odd combination, but every bite with it was divine. The only shame was that there wasn’t more to mix in for the bottom half of each egg. A highly recommended local favourite with friendly staff and style to boot.

Pearl Cafe, 28 Logan Road, Woolloongabba, QLD

Bean & Grain

I do love a good pre-work breakfast, and that’s what my friends and I found at Bean & Grain. I couldn’t go past the breakfast burger, with bacon, spinach, fried egg and potato rosti – mmm, rosti. My soy hot chocolate come out first – it was served in a glass but didn’t come with anything to stop me burning my hands, so I had to wait a bit for the glass to cool before drinking it. The chocolate was nice although I could still distinctly taste the soy, so probably not the best soy hot chocolate in town, but warming and sweet for a chilly morning. The burger came out on a lovely round plate and when I cut it in half the egg yolk oozed everywhere – perfection! There was plenty of bacon, although I would have liked more of the tomato relish that sat in a tiny dollop on top. The rosti was a bit soggy and the grey colour looked a bit offputting, but it did add to the overall flavour, even if it wasn’t as visually appealing as the sweet potato rosti my friend got with her mushroom stack. We left very full (I couldn’t quite finish my meal) and warmed through.

Bean & Grain, Fyshwick Markets, 12 Dalby Street, Fyshwick ACT                            http://www.beanandgrain.com.au