Best Breakfasts of Melbourne (Part 1)

The weekend before last I had the best poached eggs in the universe, I think, at Bistrot d'Orsay in the city (at the Athenaeum in Collins St). Opposite the Regent, it's a popular place for pre-show meals & drinks, however at midday on a Saturday I was the only person there for a late breakfast. But the eggs!... Florentine (with spinach & hollandaise on toasted muffin) with an extra of bacon - everything was perfect, with the hollandaise particularly lovely, not overpowering in taste or richness and with a subtle lemony zing. The spinach wasn't too salty either, a common problem. And the eggs were neither solid nor snotty!

See the Breakfast Blog for another opinion:
http://thebreakfastblog.blogspot.com/2005/12/bistrot-dorsay-melbourne.html


Last Saturday I treated myself to the famous coddled egg toasty at Pearl, in the bar/cafe part of the posh restaurant at the bottom end of Church St, Richmond. In a little box of fried bread, bits of egg are nestled under a cap of a poached (I guess) egg, itself topped with a mustardy sauce and roe - fish eggs that pop in the mouth when eaten. While really wonderful, it's a bit precious and the sauce isn't as heavenly as a well-made hollandaise - I guess I'm just a traditional guy. But I did finish off with one of their muffins - spectacular melt-in-the-mouthy items, different flavours each time. If you're going to be evil food-wise, do it in style!

http://thebreakfastblog.blogspot.com/2005/07/pearl-richmond.html


And then on Sunday a friend and I went to the place-of-the-moment, Mart130. Mart is, of course, 'tram' backwards and this is a conversion of the old Middle Park railway station building, now light rail stop. In fact, trams have never stopped here... but I digress. It's deservedly popular, with dog-friendly tables on the platform, a 'cosy' dining hall (in the old waiting room?) and a generous back terrace overlooking tennis courts in Albert Park with the city skyline in the distance. With friendly staff, seriously good food and a charmingly haphazard payment system at the end, the emphasis is on 'casual good time'. But be prepared: with waiting times for a seat between 0 and 40 minutes, and looong waits for the food to come out of the miniscule kitchen, there's plenty of time to chatter with friends!

http://thebreakfastblog.blogspot.com/2006/02/mart-130-middle-park.html


More breakfast reports later, I'm sure (it's probably my favourite meal of the day, at least on weekends) - so I'll have to revisit some other favourites soon...*

* such as the Green Grocer, North Fitzroy, and Cafe Sweethearts in South Melbourne. Yum :)