After being in the restaurant for a function the previous evening, someone mentioned the breakfast here was pretty good. Like I needed encouragement to eat a large breakfast. So here we are with yet another attempt to find Canberra's finest big breakfast.
Ordering from the counter rather than table service was a little different as was waiting at the counter for the coffee before I could sit down. Nonetheless, the latte in a mug arrived within minutes and I was pleasantly surprised at the appropriate temperature let alone the taste. No sugar required!
'The Lot' is what Tilleys calls its big breakfast and it too didn't take to long to arrive despite the confusion over my table number. Two poached eggs, tomatoes, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, with add on of hash browns. The eggs, while factory poached, were delivered on crusty toast with hollandaise sauce as standard. And, on consumption proved magnificent. Perfectly timed and the taste was almost country. The hollandaise sauce complimented but did not interfere with the extraordinary flavour of the eggs.
The two small sausages were appropriately sized for a breakfast without the word 'big' in it. And I was actually grateful this time, as you should be aware of my tolerance of floral snags! Nonetheless they disappeared with the usual gusto. The mushrooms, however, provided an unexpected paradox as they were superbly cooked and presented, but there was something terribly wrong! There was only two! I know, right? Oh, believe me I searched.
Three hash browns in a side dish were a welcome addition to quell the disappointment of mushroom absences. But the tomatoes remain a constant source of sadness as if they are meant to remind me of the sodden ground outside. That is not a fault of the restaurant, it's just me. Isn't it always?
The staff here were well presented and well trained, which always makes a difference. But I do note the table tops were lacking coverage, which is not by any stretch of the imagination breaking a law, but when the tables themselves have marks on them that cannot come from the delicate presentation of fine cuisine, one's mind fills in the gaps with images of table top dancing and the lack of clarity about the night before! All part of the character I suppose. Tilleys, very well done!
