Breakfast bun

It is late morning. The weather is already quite hot and humid and in front of Melburnians is a kaleidoscope of event riches. Personally I’m off to Flemington for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, and then to the city to brave the White Night crowds to catch up with friends. Others have Soundwave, and then there are several other crowd pulling events across Victoria. There’s a great vibe.

Over ten years ago I was here, but at night, and I was eating good quality Indian on holiday. Today, Catherine and I are enjoying a short wait on the pavement, and the old Indian restaurant is now a bustling Fitzroy cafe. This is a good introduction to the crowds we expect later on, but in no time we are seated on the front window.

We probably wait longer to order food and drinks whilst sitting than actually waiting for a table but other than that the service is a fine standard. Our waitperson didn’t know the single origin which gave me the impression that the name Addict doesn’t mean it is a total focus on coffee. Not to say the coffee wasn’t very good as it was. As good was the watermelon juice – then came the food.

Single origin from Ethiopia

The breakfast bun was amazing. Every bite rich and delicious. With a beautifully formed brioche bun, plenty of flavoursome bacon, fried egg, and field mushrooms covered in gorgeous scamorza cheese. Hard to say that above all that the homemade brown sauce starred, but it was close and brought everything together perfectly. A breakfast winner.

Catherine’s poached eggs with a side of bacon and confit tomatoes, did not live up to that level. The confit tomatoes in particular were soggy and lacked punch. The waitperson apologised for the juices from the tomatoes spreading over the plate, but there was nothing she could have done to avoid that. The eggs were nicely cooked and the yolk runny, but as a breakfast staple, this is a dish that has to be close to perfect at the best cafes.

If there is one thing that acts as a factor in getting me back to a cafe, it is an exceptional dish. You need the backbone of a pleasant place, with good (read great by world standards) coffee, and quality food. But an exceptional dish (or hopefully several) is what makes the cafe popular to people living outside of the suburb. The breakfast bun met that standard, and to add to that, I have the nostalgia of that Indian restaurant.