Top 10 best-value breakfasts
Breakfast is a major part of a cheap eater’s repertoire, so here are 10 of the best dishes from this year’s Cheap Eats guide. (source The Age)
Babka
358 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, 94160091
At this breakfast benchmark for nigh on 16 years, the Russian blintzes ($9.50) are a signature. Two smallish discs are filled with sweetened ricotta and sultanas, then pan-fried in butter and soused in a tangy orange and lemon sauce. Also try: almond croissants ($4) and fruit danishes (plum, rhubarb, raspberry or apple; $4) made with whole egg custard.
Birdman Eating
238 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, 94164747
Birdman’s brekkies are still soaring. Try black pudding with braised tomato, potato hash and a fried egg ($17.50). The roma tomatoes are seasoned with chilli, garlic, cinnamon, brown sugar and white wine vinegar, then baked. The potatoes are a simple hash of grated desiree spuds with parsley and salt, and the egg comes sunnyside up. And the best bit? Breakfast runs till 5pm daily. Also try: coconut quinoa porridge with banana and palm sugar ($11.50).
Blue Dish
326 Highett Road, Highett, 99396641
The Gallic way of life is thriving at Blue Dish. Start your day with a rich croque-monsieur ($10.50) – a piece of noisette bread is layered with Dijon mustard, Virginian ham, creamy bechamel sauce and melty gruyere cheese (for $12.50, you can have it with roasted tomato and a fried egg). Also try: Blue Dish’s traditional take on baked eggs provencale ($14.50).
The Cornershop
9 Ballarat Street, Yarraville, 96890052
Glaswegian David Danks has taken his distinctive menu to the west. The signature dish is the black rice with mango, coconut yoghurt and palm sugar ($9), a zesty little number served in a glass tumbler. Black rice is cooked in palm sugar, dolloped with house-made coconut yoghurt (natural yoghurt hung with coconut milk for 48hours) and topped with mango and toasted, shredded coconut. Also try: field mushroom, garlic and gruyere baked eggs ($12).
Demitri’s Feast
141 Swan Street, Richmond, 94288659
Pull up an olive oil tin and feast on baklava French toast ($11), a Hellenic version of the classic dish with a Greek-style sweetbread topped with cinnamon-tossed walnuts, an orange honey-sugar syrup and citrusy yoghurt. Also try: semolina pancakes with rose jam, pistachios and a sprinkling of edible Persian rose petals ($11).
Fandango
97 Errol Street, North Melbourne, 93290693
It’s low key and laid back at this tiny cafe with excellent breakfasts that run all day. A winner is the nutty pesto scrambled eggs ($12) served on sourdough with roasted tomato. Also try: a triple stack of pancakes with banana, strawberries and a home-made honeyed cream cheese on top ($10).
Hardware Societe
120 Hardware Street, city, 90785992
Di and Will Keser are back with their natty cafe and superb brekkies, like the Continental ($10). It comes on a wooden paddle with a jar of tart yoghurt flecked with vanilla bean, a dish of syrupy, minted pineapple with pomegranate seeds, and a perfect croissant with real butter and house-made jam.
Service is faultless. Also try: scrambled eggs topped with salmon roe and served with a half-baguette of Tasmanian salmon ($12).
Las Chicas
203 Carlisle Street, Balaclava, 95313699
Breakfast is king at Las Chicas and four pages of its menu are devoted to the most important meal of the day. A walk-out-the-door dish is the Mexican-inspired Brekky Burrrito ($14.50) of scrambled eggs, bacon and rocket wrapped in a tortilla and topped with avocado and tomato salsa.
Also try: pumpkin and polenta loaf with baked beans, spinach and a poached egg ($13.50).
Mart 130
107a Canterbury Road (light rail station), Middle Park, 96908831
If you don’t know Mart’s story by now, then get on board, literally, at the light rail station in Middle Park.
Punters pile in for dishes such as the triple stack of pancakes, beautifully loaded with banana, Belgian chocolate sauce, toasted hazelnuts, vanilla bean mascarpone and maple syrup ($15.90). Also try: corn fritters with bacon, tomato relish, sour cream and coriander ($16.90).
Mitte
76 Michael Street, Fitzroy North, 90777379
You might have to wait for a table but the breakfasts at this back-street haunt are worth it.
Try the soft-poached eggs on Dench toast with half an avocado — it sounds pretty normal but not when it comes with a tomatoey spiced chickpea bake with Meredith feta and a sprightly herb salad ($16.50). Also try: fruit salad ($11) with banana, grapefruit, orange, kiwi fruit, lychees, mango and passionfruit.