Monday, November 30, 2009

To begin with...everything

What do I love about breakfast?

To begin with... Everything.

I love the atmosphere of shared hangovers and glare, of days that only start with the first sip of coffee, of the anticipation of steaming hot poached eggs that ooze yolk so deliciously.

I am a breakfast addict.

So naturally over time, I've come to appreciate some breakfasts more than others, some venues more than others, and some service more than others. Usually my company is pretty good :)

What cemented that I should really do this was Breakfast Experience # 1 at The Bean Counter in Fairfield, a chic cafe populated with all of the Fairfield cool kids and young trendy families. It's a fairly serene setting - barring the train station opposite - and ivy clings to the external walls and it has all the hallmarks of a good cafe.

KB (we'll introduce her later) and I were Hung Over. (Perhaps I should also give a HO rating to each of these meals?)

And we were hungry. The place was packed, and we had to wait to sit, which in my opinion is always a good sign and I'll never complain. Coffee service was instantaneous and it certainly was good coffee.


And yet during the 50 minutes we waited for our meals, it dawned on me that this was nothing at all like our favourite breakfast haunt, P********* (you don't think I'd give that away just yet, do you?). No service with a smile, no pzaz in the menu, and anywhere that charges $3.50 for wilted spinach earns an immediate no.

When our meals finally did arrive, the cardinal sin of Breakfast occurred. No I would not like HP!, there is no substitue for worcestershire sauce!

And so I decided, dear reader (well I'm pretty sure I'll make Waz read it, so I can say that with confidence), that there was nothing for it but to catalogue my exploration of mid-morning (ok, sometimes it's mid-afternoon) breakfasts so that others may celebrate in the delights and manoeuvre through the pitfalls I uncover during my expedition.


And the meals? The Veg Brekkie (I had) was O.K., but the serves were small and the real value adds (home made baked beans, mushrooms) were extras, obliterating the seemingly cheap and cheerful menu. The eggs though were poached and perfect, and the ceremony of the Cut indeed led to a Run of delightful yellow gooeyness that I spread all over the bread and cheerfully indulged myself in.

The Corn Fritters that KB tried were underwhelming, tasting more like fluffy corn pancakes and slightly limp, certainly nothing like the crisp flavourful delight we'd anticipated...

The outdoor area also was perfect, and I can definitely imagine trying other brekky meals there with Noah as it does have a cute little area for him to play and destroy things.

Overall, I will give it a 6/10. I have high standards for my breakfast people!

Next week I'll be enjoying breakfast on Sunday with some of the Boys, and indeed the smallest one, my son. Where should I go???

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