brunch 🍳

Loved the smoked flavours in Primal ($15+)! The chimchurri spices complemented it well. However, the brisket was waaay too fatty with barely any meat and the wrapping was soaked with oil from the chimchurri. Would have liked more peppers to balance its heavy flavour profile!

Was really looking forward to TMBH, but it fell a little short of expectations! Each portion is evidently smaller than before, and the all-sorts bagel we had was rather dense and stale. Enjoyed the creaminess of the ricotta and the savoury tomato relish in Bobow ($12+)! It was rather one-dimensional in terms of texture, so I’d probably opt for something else next time.

Oberworks ($18) is your typical breakfast set. 2 eggs are in a style of your choice - the scrambled we chose was of a good consistency with a runny centre, but lacking in seasoning! Strong flavours from the spiced sausage and bacon thus complemented the eggs. The portion of mushrooms wasn’t big but it was certainly well sautéed! The brioche toast was a nice addition. I wouldn’t pay full price for this, but it’s certainly worthwhile with burpple beyond. Business has certainly picked up this week with Shopback’s boosted 35% cashback - it was crowded at lunchtime, even on a weekday!

Ordered the croissant with scrambled eggs ($11) during a return visit! There seems to be great variability in their scrambled eggs - I enjoyed it during my previous visits, but found this one too watery and sorely lacking in seasoning. Quite a pity given that the eggs are a feature point in this dish! The croissant here is however, one of my favourites. Perfectly crisp and glazed on the outside, with fluffy buttery layers inside!

The All-In Brekkie ($19) features an assortment of ingredients! I particularly enjoyed the scrambled eggs, which were fluffy and perfectly seasoned. The chorizo was good too, with hints of smoky spiciness! Otherwise, I felt that the portion didn’t really justify the price. It’s still great value, especially with burpple beyond’s weekday set!

Samvo ($14) features sourdough rye spread with smooth avocado! It is topped by smoked salmon, which I found a tad too salty, and two eggs of your choice. I picked the scrambled option, and they were perfectly done and well seasoned :-) could have done without such a large portion of salad, but the pesto sauce came in handy there!

Got the pulled pork eggs benedict ($14) too! Thought the Hokkaido brioche could have been lighter, but the pulled pork was richly flavoured and tender. The poached eggs were pretty well done with a runny yolk :-) The pinto beans and salad offset the heaviness of the dish!

Rookery doesn’t strike you as a brunch place, but they do a mean Big Breakfast ($23++)! It would have been better with some greens, but I loved the variety on the plate. The sausage surprised me with its juicy savouriness, distinctly unlike most. The sourdough was a huuuge win for me, perfectly crispy at the edges while retaining its crispiness!

Snagged a 1 for 1 using Shopback! This bowl ($10) comprises sourdough topped with mashed avocado. The toast was too dense but the spread was great!! Lightly flavoured and very generous with its portion. Accompanied it with sautéed mushrooms, mixed bean salad and egg cocette. A highlight was the salsa verde - a tangy tomato sauce with a spicy kick!

Am surprised that so little has been said about Grain Traders’ breakfast options - snagged two bowls for the price of one ($10) using Shopback! Picked sourdough for my base but was disappointed to find it very dense and hard (not at all airy, and a lot more like rye). Paired it with house made ricotta cheese and vegan avo hollandaise! Also had broccoli kale spinach (little bit strange for breakfast oops) and scrambled eggs. Super worthwhile for its price but I could probably have done better with my selection of ingredients!

Am really pleased that the updated BB deal includes the all-day breakfast selection! This hearty breakfast set ($25++) features a large spread. The sourdough was crisp and light, pairing well with the dense sausage and salty prosciutto ham. It also came with baked beans, sautéed mushrooms and eggs (of your choice) flavoured with truffle! Plus points for the addition of halloumi cheese, which definitely ups its flavour profile :-)

Am still on the hunt for a decent shakshuka! This had a regular tomato base, slightly tangy. I don’t usually like to mix my eggs in, but did so for this and was happy to find that the sauce was then thicker and more flavourful! Enjoyed the slices of chorizo that added texture, but was disappointed that the bread was more a baguette than sourdough.