Fox and Bow

Oh my. I fell completely in love with this little cafe and can’t wait to go back. The menu is exciting and I couldn’t go past one of their amazing-sounding smoothies to start off. The ‘Ohhh Darla’ (love that movie!) was perfection – watermelon, pear and berries with gelato (maybe blackcurrant flavoured?) – it had great depth and balance, and lasted me nicely over the course of my lunch. The staff kindly reduced the dairy content for me too on request – great service! I went for one of the more lunch-like options and ordered the ‘Road Runner Beep Beep’. Oh my. It was amazing. The Portuguese grilled chicken was wedged between a lightly toasted bun (no crumbles, not too thick to cut! Yay!) and topped with just the right amount of jalapenos to give it a good amount of kick. The chicken itself was perfectly cooked and tender, and the guacamole was really generous, along with plenty of rocket for some crunch. There was also a serve of pickled something (cabbage? onion?) that tasted a bit like coleslaw – yum! Oh, did I mention that the sandwich came with a box of perfectly crisp, thick-cut chips? The seasoning was perfect, with a touch of rosemary. And the atmosphere was fantastic. Love, love, love.

Fox and Box, 4 Farrer Place, Farrer ACT                               http://www.foxandbow.com.au/

Self Preservation

I met a friend from high school at Self Preservation for a quick breakfast – it was a lovely little spot to catch up. We sat inside at a low table with little stools, and I ordered the bacon and eggs and a Primavera green juice, which came out in a lovely little jar. The juice had kale, broccoli, silverbeet, cucumber, apple, lime and basil – it was smooth and light, without any one flavour dominating and was a good serving size, although it started to separate if left for too long. The food was beautifully presented and I couldn’t believe how thick the bacon was! It had a scrumptious honey mustard glaze and was very sweet – such a great combination! Unfortunately the eggs were only just runny, but the hollandaise was really rich and delicious. Whilst the meal was a bit salty overall, I particularly liked the super-juicy roasted tomatoes – the skins were blistered so you didn’t lose the juice when picking them up with a fork. The staff were very friendly – apparently I reminded the waitress of her best friend in Ireland! – and the cafe itself was a perfect setting for a long natter. (Note: sadly, this particular bacon and eggs doesn’t seem to be on the menu anymore).

Self Preservation, 70 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC                              http://www.selfpreservation.com.au/

Pod Food

Pod Food is one of those lovely places I keep meaning to spend more time at – I couldn’t believe that this was my first visit this year! A friend and I just scraped in for breakfast (last orders at 10:30), excited to try the truffle-enhanced menu. I started out with a pot of earl grey tea and picked the scrambled eggs with beetroot, gruyere and olive sourdough to eat. Plus truffles. The food took a bit of time to come out, but when it did, the waitress explained that the truffle had been cooked through the scrambled eggs to enhance the earthy flavour. The eggs were light and fluffy, and the rather generous flecks of truffle certainly lifted the entire meal. I loved the minced beetroot’s tartness against the rich egg, and the olive sourdough added a nice hit of salt. I am a huge fan of mushrooms at breakfast, and this one was particularly delicious. We weren’t rushed out as we chatted after finishing our meals, which is always appreciated. Oh, and if you can, ask the waiter about centaurs. I promise, it will make for great conversation to pair with the great food.

Pod Food, 12 Beltana Road, Pialligo ACT                     http://www.podfood.com.au/

Barrio

Some places just scream ‘Instagram me!’, and Barrio in Braddon’s Ori building has to be one of them. From the hexagonal tiles to the branded high stools, Barrio is a New York-style tiny cafe that I would love to while away an afternoon  in. A friend and I went for breakfast, so I started out with a dairy-free hot cocoa, which came out in a large camping-type mug and was made with nut milk produced in-house. I expected sweet but being cocoa, not hot chocolate, it was definitely not sweet. The nut milk has a dense froth, but it was warming and went well with the food. I had the rye with avocado and togorashi seasoning – it came out on bread you couldn’t cut with the butter knife provided, but oh the flavour! There was plenty of avocado and the seasoning was very generous – lots of sesame and just a hint of spice at the back of the throat. I loved the strips of nori on top too, but what really blew me away was the olive oil. Yep, not your traditional highlight, but the quality and flavour of the oil on that bread was out of this world. Give it a try.

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

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 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

Barry

This was my second attempt to have breakfast at Barry, and I’m glad I finally made it. Barry has a lovely corner spot with lots of windows, giving it a light and airy feel. We didn’t have to line up, but not long after we were seated the queue began outside. To start, I ordered the Blended Drink #1, which is a dairy free smoothie with banana, dates, cinnamon, almond milk and cacao nibs. The latter gave a fantastic crunch to the drink (chewing required) which was surprisingly thick for something dairy-free. The banana flavour wasn’t as strong as I was expecting but was still present – all the flavours worked together perfectly. I chose breakfast from the specials menu – poached eggs with mashed peas, shaved ricotta and lime on toast. The dish came out looking like spring on a plate; it was lovely and light, and the eggs were the runniest I’ve ever had. The toast was a bit crispy for my taste, but the bread was delicious, with sesame seeds crusting the outside. The lime was a stroke of genius with the citrus bringing the whole dish to life. The queues are there for a reason – well worth a visit.

Barry, 85 High Street, Northcote VIC                           http://www.barrycoffeeandfood.com