Breakfasts

March 1999

What are our eating habits in Melbourne? Are they Asian, Anglo-Saxon, Euro?

Probably the real test is what we eat at breakfast. Not so much at home, where opening packets or popping toasters may be the rule. But when you have breakfast out, something which more of us do as the options grow, what do you eat?

Eggs all ways are probably the most popular. And there is now a breakfast place where they are done Asian style.

At Meera Freeman's Kin Kao, in Cato St. Prahran, a Thai style stuffed omelette with fish sauce and jasmine rice priced at $8.50 is a filling start or get a high energy boost from sweet sticky rice, fresh sliced mango and coconut sauce $7.50 . If your system needs soothing, consider a gentle bowl of chicken broth with rice, fresh coriander, a little meat and a touch of fresh ginger, $ 5.50. Sitting slurping this early in the day and you could be in Asia. That is unless you are looking across the road at Colts Gymnasium and watching the bodies working out. Clearly a different culture when you ride a bike to get fit rather than to earn a living. But gym customers are big fans of Kin Kao’s stack of pancakes with sliced bananas, whipped butter and maple syrup, which is served for $6.50 from 8am daily except Sunday.

As well as the style of food eaten at breakfast, also important is whether it's done alone, with a newspaper in front of you, or around a family table.

When eggs are with bacon, or mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, sausage, onions and eaten with toast, it's certainly Anglo Saxon territory. These combinations, often called the "Big Brekkie" or " with the lot" or Gluttony’s "First Class". At The Groove Train in Richmond you can take "The Whole Hog" sizzling bacon, Italian style sausage, grilled tomato, mushroom, onion marmalade and two large eggs on toast for $8.50 or a restrained house made muesli, ricotta hotcakes or The Hearty Vegetarian of homemade baked beans, spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms on toast for $7.50. Platefuls like this are especially popular for leisurely weekend breakfasts.

Some places where you can enjoy that style and take the kids with you are Dundas & Faussett, Dundas Place, Albert Park or, across the Yarra, Clifton Hill’s Red Sage and Tinpot in St Georges Rd Nth Fitzroy, where traditional, gourmet and vegetarian breakfasts are offered all day. And, a big hit there amongst the adults is Bloody Mary frappe.

Turtle Cafe Rd Elwood is another popular place to take a pram or for toddlers to be entertained by the turtles. The menu is very simple, fruit so fresh that you have to wait for it to be cut to order but no eggs and bacon.

Coffee and not much more is the true European breakfast but by the time you have been tempted by the excellent pastries at

Laurent (Camberwell, Como and City); Frenchy's in Toorak Rd and

Il Fornaio in St Kilda (where well-known chef patissier, Louis Vaussenat, has recently taken over) can finish up making quite a substantial breakfast. At Laurent, Chocolate crème patissiere beignets and almond croissants are in constant demand.

As the name would suggest you can have a bit all ways at The Globe, from Moroccan sweet couscous with poached nectarines and yoghurt to a provincial French dish of frisé lettuce with Kassler and poached eggs.

On Saturdays the Rainbow Food Store, Brighton Rd, Elwood, does a good cooked breakfast and is a handy place to pick up a take-away dinner for the weekend.

If you enjoy going out for breakfast to see the world as much as for sustenance then try one of St Kilda's new cafes, Jackie O. With a comfortable outside area set on the corner of Barkly and Acland Streets, it is prime people watching territory. Breakfast is served from 7.30am and the menu includes muesli, pancakes and all the egg dishes. Other popular breakfast spots nearby are Espresso Bar, Greasy Joe's and Cafe Axis, all on Acland St.

On the other side of town in Kensington, Bellair Street boasts half a dozen cafes within half a block. Sitting outside the Blue Door or Purple Heart or Cafe del Mar or Drouls under the old style verandahs, with the leafy trees opposite, making way for the passing parade of pushers and dogs is a good way to start the weekend. Weekdays and weekends, Babka’s in Fitzroy and Brunetti’s in Carlton, both award winners in Mietta’s Eating & Drinking in Melbourne are still amongst the most popular and reliable brekkie places in Melbourne. The French Toast and oven baked fruit, both at $6 are regular favourites at Babka and people drive from the other side of town for Brunetti's ricotta cakes, juice and coffee.

Beyond the city, enjoy the Beachcombers Breakfast (a combination of eggs anyway with bacon, tomato, mushrooom and sausage with toast, coffee/tea and juice for $9.95) at 38 degrees South. Located at the car ferry terminal, Queenscliff, you can take in stunning views of Port Phillip Bay out through the rip and Point Nepean. It can get very busy just before the ferry departs but the friendly staff cope well.