Byron Bay
Bay Leaf & Fish Heads
Breakfast with a view
Breakfast: 7.00am – 12.00pm
Coffee: Giancarlo
TCB is off to an unusual start this morning, finding itself south of the border in sun kissed Byron Bay. You may be wondering why there are two restaurant names in the header, but like all aspects of TCB, we assure you it makes infallible logical sense.
Bay Leaf piccolo
While the gentler sex ready themselves for the day, a process that apparently takes place in the land that time forgot, the men folk decide to brush off the dust of the night before, and head down to Bay Leaf for a coffee, Byron’s own brew house and roastery.
Bay Leaf double flat
TCB are told that the beans used by this tiny alcove of a cafe are grown locally in the surrounding paddocks, and roasted just across the road. The confusion that is the Byron Bay populace is truly personified in Bay Leaf, as the beautifully strong beans, and perfectly prepared coffees draw a mixed crowd of shoeless hippies hoping off the archaic push bikes, and wealthy cafe scenesters, unloading their families from luxury German people movers. While Bay Leaf was not fully taken care of, you have to take TCB at our word that while there may not be a numerical rating out of 10, sitting on a ply wood box, basking in the soft August sun and enjoying a truly magnificent coffee is a fantastic way to start the morning.
Giancarlo Cap
On to breakfast. Given the warm and windless conditions, TCB decide to take advantage of the sunny outlook granted by the balcony seating of Fish Heads. Joined by the full accompaniment, the stock standard menu is perused, and standard staples of the big breakfast, field mushrooms and the eggs Benedict, with salmon and bacon, are selected across the board. For those who did not indulge in the first round of coffees, the service is dramatically slow. Once the Giancarlo coffees arrive, the moans and groans of the crowd are silenced, and while Giancarlo is TCB approved, they pale in comparison to the unique Bay Leaf brew.
Big Breakfast
After a considerable wait the food arrives, but is portioned admirably. Across the board, the eggs are all poached reasonably well. Reports from across the table rate both variations of the eggs Benedict as very good; and the field mushrooms with haloumi as excellent. The big breakfast, made up of the standard eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomato and sausage, was executed well, with the highlight definitely the charred and gamey lamb sausage.
Field Mushrooms with Haloumi
Sitting on a sunny balcony, looking out at the waves gently rolling into the sand, the tropical palms swaying lightly in the breeze, a full belly uncomfortably encroaching over the belt: it creates a perfect postcard image of a place you’d rather be (awaiting copyright infringement case from Corona).
Coffee: 8 Menu: 6.5 Food: 8 Service: 7 Ambience: 9
Reviewed by AMac
Eggs Benny
