Brunch Gets Creative in Brisbane

From black garlic bread to camel milk panna cotta (yes, that’s a thing).

Sourced Grocer

Cabbage pancakes may not sound like the stuff that brunch dreams are made of but trust us on this one. Topped with a perfect soft egg, creamy goat’s cheese and charcoal-grilled broccoli, they’ll give you a whole new perspective on the most important meal of the day. For sweet tooths, coconut custard with miso-caramelised pineapple, shards of sesame wafer and brown-butter crumb is the way to go. Or stick with the simple pleasures of earthy rye-sourdough crumpets with lashings of butter and local Bee One Third honeycomb. Plenty of places bang on about their commitment to quality produce but this place is the real deal. And you can pick up supplies from the carefully curated selection of meat, cheese, bread, fresh produce and all manner of goodies at this pared-back, warehouse-style pantry-cum-café. sourcedgrocer.com.au

11 Florence Street, Teneriffe; (07) 3852 6734

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The Jam Pantry

“What is Nims Eggs?” you may ask. It’s bacon and eggs served with co-owner-chef Nims Zavackas’s amazing banana chutney, pesto, roasted tomatoes and sourdough – one of a handful of staples on the Classics menu, which changes seasonally. The creative woman behind this cute café also dreams up an entirely new blackboard menu every fortnight, built around whatever is fresh and abundant. The result is an astonishing array of beautiful, out-of-the-ordinary ways to start the day. The lemongrass-and-sugar fried bread with juicy fruit, salted honey labne and strawberry sauce is as pretty as a picture. The smoked drumstick from Sommerlad Poultry’s heritage chickens comes with poached eggs, sautéed French shallots, pickled rhubarb, kale crisps and lemongrass-and-pepper béarnaise sauce. You can make the love last by taking home one of Nims’ jams or chutneys from the well-stocked pantry shelves. thejampantry.com.au

2/575 Logan Road, Greenslopes; (07) 3158 9570

Gauge

Part of the hip Fish Lane dining precinct, Gauge is small in size but big on creativity. The signature breakfast of black garlic bread, brown butter and burnt vanilla has become almost legendary in these parts. Pair it with some very well-made Marvell St Roasters coffee and you’ve got a delightfully different start to the day.

77 Grey Street, South Brisbane; (07) 3638 0431

The Priory Kitchen

The Priory Kitchen means seriously good food in seriously slick, contemporary surrounds – however a menu that includes dippy eggs with rye soldiers alongside bubble-and-squeak bhajis is proof they don’t take themselves too seriously. When a hair of the dog is called for, the Bear Bones Espresso martini will banish any cobwebs.

4/855 Stanley Street, Woolloongabba; (07) 3162 6461

Image credit: Dylan Evans Photography

The Low Road

Everything is delightfully unconventional at this quirky little café – including the pink palm trees in The Low Road courtyard, the gregarious staff and the completely vegetarian menu. Add bacon if you please, but homely, hearty fare like smoky mushroom, roast capsicum and manchego omelette with salsa verde on sourdough is just perfect without it.

25 Eildon Road, Windsor; (07) 3161 4127

Wild Canary Bistro

Stroll through the lush plant nursery, past the abundant organic kitchen garden complete with its colony of wild bees, and settle into the Wild Canary’s tranquil courtyard, shaded by tall palms and surrounded by greenery. The macadamia granola with camel-milk panna cotta, toffee fig and honeycomb is a sweet way to start the day, but the bacon steak featured in the Gardener’s Breakfast really takes the cake.

2371 Moggill Road, Brookfield; (07) 3378 2805

Plenty

Plenty is a sprawling warehouse-style café that takes its paddock-to-plate philosophy seriously, with locally grown ingredients front and centre. Pull up a chair at the big communal table and tuck into tasty treats such as porridge with rhubarb compote or pork and bean burrito with cheddar, fried egg, avocado and coriander.

284 Montague Road, West End; (07) 3255 3330

Café O-Mai

Is there a heartier brunch than a big, beautiful bowl of pho? When it comes with Byron Bay Berkshire pork or Cape Grim black angus and house-made hoisin – probably not. Aunty Five’s claypot baked eggs are just as good. You’ll need to get up early on weekends if you want to experience Café O-Mai’s magical pork crackling, as it often sells out.

15 Cracknell Road, Annerley; (07) 3255 9778

Gerard's Bistro

On weekends, Brisbane’s favourite contemporary Middle Eastern bistro also throws its doors open for brunch. Spice up your morning with Gerard’s sand crab omelette with Persian XO sauce and Oaxaca cheese, or eggs poached in garlic yoghurt, spiced paprika butter, chickpeas, walnuts and sourdough.

14/15 James Street, Fortitude Valley; (07) 3852 3822

Morning After

Don’t be fooled by the name. There are light, healthy options such as unrefined granola with pear, rosewater jelly and local honey, and the quintessential green juice here. But if it is the day after the night before, Morning After’s sausage and egg muffin with American cheese, spiced chutney and a hash brown on the side is the way to go. The breezy, fresh forest-green and white interior is also very soothing.

57 Vulture Street, West End; (07) 3844 0500