A night to remember

Tilleys in Lynham, ACT
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!

Cream Restaurant Civic

22 August 2010

On a cold and windy Canberra morning, any restaurant would be a good port in a storm. But today, Cream managed to lure me in despite the incredible throng that surely indicates good food, not just being seen, no?

Bench seat looking out onto Canberra's finest winter fashion, and not surprisingly, there are magnificent variations on how not to wear Lycra. Nonetheless I am not here for the scenery.

Within a minute of sitting down, my mug of latte appeared. Perfect temperature and great taste! The electronic wireless communications certainly add to the speed of delivery. Menu says big breakfast so no issues so far.

The atmosphere here suggests at any moment the lights will dim and the music will find a few more decibels, despite being 10 o'clock in the morning. Very Sydney. I say Sydney because if it was Melbourne, the place would need to be a whole lot darker!

But wait, here comes breakfast! Five minutes flat. Now, on first appearances, this is not the biggest breakfast. Two poached eggs on one piece of thick toast, mushrooms, diced fried potato pieces, bacon, half a sausage and two tomato halves. But then the fun starts.

The mushrooms were small button mushrooms cooked in butter but I suppose any time the mushies are good, there's never enough of them. The sausage, although only a half, was a rich and flavorsome slice of meaty meatness with a hint of meat! Could have had two of those! Having the sausage before the bacon was probably a mistake as the flavor of the bacon never really had a chance. Don't get me wrong, the bacon was ample with no mistakes, but the sausage was excellent.

Let's get the tomatoes out of the way. You know by now texture overrides flavour and these two halves were a little like soup in a skin. Probably tasted superb, but...

I looked not once at the fried potato pieces before they were gone. Great choice and a little more healthier than the hash brown - nice touch. And then there were the eggs. They were poached to perfection but what made them even more memorable was the bread. Thick toast with light crunch on the crust but soft and fresh in the centre. A delightful piece to finish on! Would consider asking for four eggs next time just to enjoy it twice.

For the usual desert I was surprised at the time taken from ordering to receiving, given their previous record. But then when the orange juice turned up, wow! Large is large. Freshly squeezed and just amazing. Probably blended a little too long as the tell-tale fruit flesh was not as prominent. Still a refreshing surprise.

Well, the noise and the flow-through of clientele has not abated, but it is not a painful noise. Great coffee, fast AND efficient service, and good food to boot! A very enjoyable experience.

Gus' Cafe - Civic

In a new city in a new country there's not that much that is old, except Gus' Cafe in town. It remains very much the centre piece of the City Cafe scene, and the standard of longevity by which all others are measured. Nonetheless, it's breakfast time and despite the heritage of the place, you need to know what the big breakfast here is all about.

Delight always appears on my face when the restaurant doesn't mix it's words and has the item 'big breakfast' on the menu. The only item required to add as an extra was for me the hash brown. Of note, smoked salmon and minute steaks were both options which I avoided with difficulty.

The mug of latte arrived in good time. The coffee was perfect, the waitress was polite and knew her menu very well.

When the breakfast arrived, there were immediately sounds of angels singing in choirs as I spied with my little eye the huge fresh mushrooms cooked with butter and some delicate herbs. Furthermore, the side order of hash brown arrived as three hash browns. Perfectly poached eggs with no bitterness on a light rye toast and the whole tomato in halves completed the meal. The bacon was cooked with tenderness keeping in all the right flavours and maintaining a texture that was only let down by a blunt knife. With the rind removed in kitchen, the bacon was first to go. The hash browns were lightly cooked which made them appear healthier, but this meant they fell apart on contact with the cutlery. However, still quite tasty. The sausages were a little disappointing particularly given the carnivorous nature of the menu item selected. Foo-foo nutmeat with a hint of minty freshness does not sit well with the remainder of the plate let alone my usually un-fussy stomach. All that said, they soon followed the bacon into oblivion!

Plate clean, it is time for the usual desert of breakfasts, the freshly squeezed ojay. Very nice but a little too much space taken up with ice.

Ambience, well what do you expect from such a cosmopolitan little cafe. I must say though, despite it's reputation in Canberra, it does attract those who are still learning how to dress and I don't mean children. Big ladies should not wear white let alone in the style of bicycle clothes for Olympians. But I'm not here for the fashion...well not today!

The proximity of the other restaurants near by gives you a sense of being on a yatch at the start of the Sydney to Hobart yatch race with everyone looking into someone else's world right next to them, wondering how they will each fare. Well worth the reputation Gus' enjoys, this is a can't-lose choice for the big breakfast, just pick the sausage of your choice!