Cheese Factory Cafe

There’s really nothing like a good cooked breakfast on a chilly morning, and we certainly found the perfect one at the Robertson Cheese Factory Cafe, in the Southern Highlands of NSW. Recovering from an epic night of dancing at a fabulous wedding the night before, a group of us hunkered down over coffee and juice and awaited our food. Some waited longer than others – it’s a small kitchen – but my big breakfast (sorry, forgot to note the price) came out relatively quickly and was huge! With two pieces of toast, roasted tomato, avocado, bacon, fried mushrooms and fried eggs (with still-runny yolks), it was exactly the energy-boost I needed for the drive home. Each element was delicious – the tomato was perfectly blistered but still juicy; the avocado was nicely salted and fresh; the mushrooms had tonnes of flavour and were probably the highlight; and the runny egg yolk brought everything together. The bacon was a little lacking in crispiness for my taste, but wasn’t unpleasant by any means. We stayed and chatted in the lovely cafe space for a while, before browsing the gift store full of gourmet delights. Definitely a great breakfast stop if you’re in the Highlands.

Cheese Factory Cafe, 107 Illawarra Highway, Robertson NSW, http://www.robertsoncheesefactory.com/

A. Baker

I haven’t been to A. Baker for quite a while, so when I had to pick a venue to meet a friend about to move overseas, I took a risk and went for it. Luckily, the standards at A. Baker have remained high, leaving my foodie reputation in tact. We both ordered the slow cooked eggs, served with local mushrooms, smoked ricotta, soldiers and lemon ($17), and I added avocado ($5). Firstly, the bread here is fantastic, and the three soldiers were an utter delight to eat – they were also quite filling. This dish is all about the mushrooms, which were plump, fresh and full of flavour. I kept getting these hits of saltiness from what I presume was the pan juices from the mushroom, which went perfectly with the creamy ricotta, although I found the smoked flavour a bit subtle. I had expected the eggs to remain runny when slw cooked, but the yolks were soft but not runny. The crumb on top added great texture, and I really enjoyed the added avocado. I also ordered a fresh orange and apple juice, which was exactly what I wanted at the start of the day. A perfect setting to wish my friend bonne chance.

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

Bowery to Williamsburg

Latkes? What are latkes? I usually try to order the unusual things on a menu, and this drew my eye for sure. I met an old friend for breakfast on a Saturday morning and we holed up along the long communal table at Bowery to Williamsburg, where you’re practically part of the kitchen. The Lox & Potato Latkes ($20) was a great side to a good catch up, with two perfectly poached, runny eggs, spears of asaparagus, a slab of cured salmon and latkes with horseradish. The mystery was solved on first bite – latkes are potato pancakes, and these were spiked with zucchini – they were filling and tasty and delicious with the kick of the horseradish. I’m generally not a huge fan of fennel, but pickled the way it was, it brought a great flavour contrast to the latkes. The cured salmon was more subtle than smoked, which was appreciated that early in the day. The asparagus was cooked nicely and had just the right amount of bite, without being stringy. This was a fun introduction to New York food for me – enough familiar elements to be comfortable and enough new things to be exciting.

Bowery to Williamsburg, 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne VIC, no website

7th and Bake

I’m not the most outgoing person, but I was really looking forward to meeting Bec from Inexplicable Wanderlust in person, after months of reading one another’s blogs. We had breakfast at 7th and Bake, which was drenched in autumn sunlight despite the chilly air. Perusing the menu, I landed on the Hot Smoked Salmon ($19.90), served with smashed avocado, a hash brown, poached eggs, watercress and a honey and lime dressing. The plate was beautifully presented, and we both spent a good few minutes photographing our food unashamedly, as only food bloggers can. The salmon was indeed hot, although the heat seemed to mask some of the smoked flavour. The meat was perfectly cooked, flaking into soft pieces, and the portion was quite large, making it great value for money. The eggs were poached perfectly, and ran nicely into the crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside hash brown, one of my favourite breakfast things. The avocado was the only disappointment, tasting more like a lemon-drenched avocado dip than fresh avocado, but otherwise I enjoyed every bite of this meal, not to mention the great conversation. Worth a visit – I hear their pastries are excellent too.

7th and Bake, 144/41 Eastlake Parade, Kingston ACT,

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/

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/