Little By Little Ben

It takes dedication to drive for three-quarters of an hour to eat breakfast. Our love of this meal is extreme and there are good reasons, especially when you live in the best breakfast city in the world. All we needed for inspiration was the suggestion by Chayse from O.My that this place is top quality and it was immediately on the list.

Little By Little is not on the prettiest patch of dirt in Berwick with a dilapidated car park disguising a little house that has been turned into a café. A local in Berwick told me that originally an application had been made to demolish. While I don’t always support heritage restrictions, in this case it has worked well because the café that came about is a terrific vibrant meeting place for locals.

The main room in the café has plenty of light filtering in through the windows, and although packed, has a comfortable open feel. We are near the back door that in summer would provide a cooling breeze, but today when it opens it is like walking down the freezer aisle! Catherine has already been sussing out what the best offerings on the menu are, and naturally is in a much better position to order than I am.

French Cassoulet

The Little By Little Ben is basically eggs benedict, but with pork. It didn’t grab me on the menu, but when it came out for Catherine it was glistening. Each element is quality, especially the hollandaise and the incredibly indulgent shredded pork. As a combination we all know the usual Benedict it is a classic, and this one is brilliant.

My dish of French Cassoulet has a variety of beans and chorizo sausage, again with perfectly poached eggs on top. There is plenty of flavour in the casserole and it is a solid dish, great for winter. The coffee is well made here, and I’m pretty sure I ended up trying three to make sure. There is an excellent range of treats so the last coffee was joined by a Portuguese tart with nice thick custard and a denser base than usual.

Yes it is a long way to go, but the drive is well worth it. Sitting here lingering over some excellent food and coffee, with nice enthusiastic service, feels like we actually are away from it all. It is a feeling that is difficult for inner city cafes to achieve.

Post script:

Catherine was back with a group of friends again (Saturday 25 July 2016) and had another excellent experience. Her Chai Panna Cotta dish was delicious, and is presented in spectacular fashion, and the hot chocolate is decadent, as it should be.

Chai Panna Cotta – served with granola, dark chocolate soil, cinnamon meringues, dehydrated orange and fresh fruits