Breakfast or dinner? I don’t know what your preference is, but I find myself torn between a weekend breakfast out or going out for dinner.

During summer, there’s nothing better than dragging your weary self out of bed to gobble down some pan fried mushrooms, poached eggs, ricotta pancakes, corn fritters and a shameful serving of butter filled hollandaise sauce- especially if the eatery has a sun filled courtyard. Plus unlike a dinner, you may choose to dress down- jeans, thongs and a t-shirt is my preferable attire.

Oh, and I tell you what! That first sip of caffeine infused milk somehow makes everything okay, even for a just a few minutes until the aftermath of your Friday night comes back to haunt you with a karma like filled nauseating vengeance. In this instance, go easy on the baked beans.

During my precious holiday, I spent the whole week catching up with my non 9-5’r cubical renegade friends for brekkie. Lucky bastards. Despite our giddiness after caffeine overload, it was such a liberating feeling knowing I was stuffing my face silly on a daily basis living up the café life. It was glorious- good company, sun,  no pointless emails, no deadlines, hardly any traffic and sleeping in of course.

As a result, my monthly Food Battle comes extra early this month! Of course I have to share my pig out experiences with you all. Out of the seven eateries, here were the top three contenders:

Contender #1 Porgie + Mr Jones

Details: 291 Auburn Rd Hawthorn, 3122 Victoria Phone: (03) 9882 2955 Website: http://www.porgiemrjones.com.au/

Surroundings: Rear courtyard welcomes us with a perfect corner spot under the sun.

Mains: “….my tongue is smiling” quoted at the top of the menu page made us feel all warm and hungry whilst we were browsing through their Summer 2010 selection. The philosophy behind Porgie + Mr Jones is use as much organic, free range and local produce as commercially possible. What’s most exciting is that you can really taste the freshness of the ingredients from the fire engine red ripened tomatoes to the bright orange yolk of the ‘happy chicken’ eggs. They even grow their own herbs. Like Erykah Badu, my eyes were green because I ate a lot of vegetables.

From the classics, I went for the Mr Jones folded scrambles with fresh herbs and holy goats cheese with an extra side of Tom Coopers Salmon. Like P+MJ’s, I love it too! Whether it was the full cream milk added or the fact that the eggs were organic, but the scrambled goodness were dreamy c-reamy indeed.

I’d decided on two timing on my beloved flat white ordering the cappuccino instead. It must be the chocolate dust atop the velvety froth that had allured me. Caffeine cravings should be  resolved here with no problems at all- silky smooth golden brown froth.

Poached eggs, slow roasted tomato served on multigrain toast. Pictured are the ripened tomatoes I was telling you about. They literally burst with sweetly warm juices making me salivate when harkening back memories of that first bite. I’m no smoker but I need a cigarette!

Next came the P+MJ – eggs, bacon, slow roasted tomato, avocado + thyme buttered mushies. This must be their big breakfast huh. Best babies here were the tomatoes of course and the buttered mushroom or as they call the ‘musshies.’

Dessert: Leaving room for dessert for once, we’d ordered the Lemonade scones only to be told they had run out! We were mortified!

Bring a date here? Hell yeah.

Brunch with friends here? Ahuh.

Service: Friendly.

$$$: Breakfast starts at 4.90 – 18.90.

Food Rehab Verdict: Sent me to food rehab (book this place now! Wowzer) – Greenlight

Contender #2 Mr Tulk

Details: 328 Swanston St Melbourne CBD 3000 Phone: (03) 8660 5700

Named after Mr Augustus Henry Tulk, the Library’s first chief librarian- the place is definitely welcoming and continually buzzing with university students (being adjoined to the State Library and RMIT), professionals and professors. On our left side we had a study group on the communal table and on the right, a client breakfast meeting.

Surroundings:

My friends and I agreed that we walk to the city to burn off all this food we’ve been eating during the week and earn our meal to come.

Mains: You know me and my slight obsession with meatballs in tomato sugo, so I didn’t hesitate on getting the Tomato Sugo Meatballs with cheese served on flatbread. As you can see below, the melted cheese amongst the sweetly tangy sugo and herbed meat certainly had my tongue smiling. Still full from the night before at the Blogger Dinner, my stomach was doing its best to reject the meal.

Topped with a generous amount of chocolate dust, the cappuccino here is also great- not so bitter and full bodied with that hint caramel aftertaste.

Dessert: errr…hell…no.

Bring a date here? Ok, take me

Brekkie with friends here? Yes

Service: Slightly slow on the table service- we waited 15 minutes until our SOS for an order was noticed. Thankfully, the meal was good.

$$$: 12

Food Rehab Verdict: Sent me to food rehab (book this place now! Wowzer) – Greenlight

Contender #3 Snow Pony

Details: 95 Whitehorse Rd, Balwyn 3103 Victoria Phone: (03) 9816 8911 Website: www.snowpony.com.au

Chef and entrepreneur Jason Jones, of Porgie + Mr Jones decided to open up another delectable shop at Balwyn. I didn’t know this until I saw that the breakfast menu was exactly the same. Remembering our horror at Porgie + Mr Jones for running out of Lemonade Scones, we immediately hurled at the friendly staff and ordered these at once. No déjà vu was to be had here! Hell no!

Mains: Not in the mood for using cutlery during this weary morning, my strength only allowed for something small and easily handled.

The answer to my coos? English muffin stuffed w/ ham off the bone, emmental cheese + creamy dreamy scrambles X 2. I’d describe them as the king of the throne where the McDonalds McMuffin’s are the servants. If the Swiss cheese rightfully melted to gooey perfection wasn’t enough but in the middle of fluffy scramble and juicy ham- Dang! If only I could grab one these babies on the way to work everyday I’d be more productive but gaining a few kilos as a result so luckily not.

Like P +MJ’s, the golden brown coffee is generously topped with chocolate dust

Dessert: Lemonade scones w/ bon maman jam + Chantilly cream. At last. It was as if it was brought down from the heavens. I think it was fate that brought us to Snow Pony for this sweet dough. Fellow foodies say that adding lemonade to scones make them more fluffy.

Breaking them open and smelling the aroma had put me into a brief trance that only the first bite clad with dollops of cream and jam made me snap out of.

Bring a date here? Of course.

Brunch with friends here? Take me please.

Service: Very friendly and attentive.

$$$: Breakfast starts at 4.90 – 18.90.

Food Rehab Verdict: Sent me to food rehab (book this place now! Wowzer) – Greenlight

Although breakfast wasn’t to be  had-  see below pics from Snow Pony, Mt Buller during our ski trip. Mind you, we did leave with many bruises! Skiing is not my forte.

Pumpkin soup in the snow. Is there anything better?

More meatballs!!!

And the winner is…

I actually enjoyed them all but overall, if I really had to choose, the crown goes to Snow Pony. The hospitable and friendly service, location, eating space, atmosphere as well as those heavenly Lemonade scones had won us over.  I’ll be back very soon. In fact by the time you read this, I may have already been.

Say goodbye to late night rendezvous with my pantry, my stomach now belongs to breakfasts. For now…

Still undecided?

I’ll make it easy for you, just click on the “Happy Toastie” below and you’ll be taken to all my breakfast adventures. BOOM!

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Keep eating,

Adrian

Where do you go for your ritual weekend breakfast?

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