Brisbane’s best brunch spots on the Southside

LOOKING for a top notch breakfast spot in Brisbane’s south? Here are our picks for the perfect weekend breakfast or brunch experience.

LOOKING for a top notch breakfast spot in Brisbane’s south? Here are our picks from our Top 50 Queensland brunch spots for the perfect weekend breakfast. For all the super foodies out there, remember to lock in July 21-22 to experience the 10th annual Regional Flavours Festival.

Be sure to check out the full list of Queensland’s 50 best brunches in this weekend’s edition of U on Sunday in your Sunday Mail.

U on Sunday Magazine July 15th 2018 issue

Billy Kart Kitchen, Annerley.

Billykart Kitchen

1 Eric Cres, Annerley

3392 9275

Wed-Sun 6.30am-2pm, Wed-Fri 6pm-late

Instagram @billykart

Ben O’Donoghue’s Aussie Asian Eggs (pictured) have graced the breakfast menu since Billykart opened in a converted corner store in 2013. The signature dish comes with thick slabs of smoky bacon, jungle-sized tiger prawns and two eggs poached then finished in a fryer atop a nest of noodles. A lighter touch applies to the chewy housemade crumpets topped with honeycomb butter, caramelised with a blowtorch. Coffee comes from Campos, tea from West End Tea Co. and The Rabbit Hole, hot chocolate is made on 54 per cent Callebaut and smoothies, frappes and iced teas change seasonally. The service is sharp, knowledgeable and friendly and the 80-seater restaurant retains much of its old-fashioned, corner-store charm. O’Donoghue and wife De-arne Wicks also run Billykart West End with some menu variations.

Bruno's, Tarragindi, Potato and cheese hash with poached eggs, chipotle aioli and grilled chorizo. Picture: Belinda Seeney

Bruno’s

212 Cracknell Rd, Tarragindi

0408 911 028

Mon-Fri 6am-2pm

Sat-Sun 7am-2pm

Instagram @brunosbne

Bruno’s does a roaring trade in morning coffees with locals fuelling up and grabbing a still-warm muffin from the counter or a light grab-and-go breakfast. Another 10 menu items provide more sustenance with the cafe experimenting with dishes such as ricotta hot cakes, kimchi fried rice and breakfast gnocchi since opening in late 2016. The simply named “potato hash” (pictured) aligns three spheres of cheesy hashed potatoes with two poached eggs on a smear of zingy chipotle aioli. Carnivores can added a side of bacon or a peppery, smoky chorizo, split lengthways and fried. Coffee is king at Bruno’s with blends and single origin beans sourced from multiple roasters. The converted corner store incorporates some of its original features within its slick modern design to exude a homely feel.

Cafe O-Mai, Annerley, Beef pho. Picture: Belinda Seeney

Cafe O-Mai

15 Cracknell Rd, Annerley

3255 9778

Tue-Fri 6.30am-3pm, Sat & Sun 7am-2pm

Instagram @cafeomai

Cafe O-Mai’s intriguing menu reflects the owners’ Vietnamese heritage, draws a little on the country’s French influences and adds some Western twists. Omelets are stuffed with prawn and pork mince, baked eggs arrive in pots filled with tamarind sauce with either lemongrass tofu or pork sausage, and there’s a dozen variations of banh mi. The corner cafe is renowned for its steaming bowls of pho (pictured). Traditionally made on beef broth, O-Mai also serves chicken, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free versions of the hearty noodle breakfast soup. Authentic Vietnamese drip coffees served hot or over ice with a glug of condensed milk provide a caffeine kick, as does an espresso machine pumping out Toby’s Estate coffee. A licenced drinks list includes drip coffee with a shot of Kahlua.

Extraction Artisan Coffee, Slacks Creek, White Chocolate Crumpet.

Extraction Artisan Coffee

7/3375 Pacific Hwy, Slacks Creek

3133 4667

Mon-Fri 6am-3pm, Sat & Sun 7am-2pm

Instagram @extraction_artisan_coffee

Inside a former fabric factory, this warehouse cafe has an adventurous menu that champions local producers, with milk sourced from a Scenic Rim dairy at Beaudesert, honey from Redlands and Logan bees and bacon from Beenleigh Butchery. Savoury picks are the hibiscus and blackcurrant tea cured salmon topped with a light cucumber dill sorbet and a crisp potato hash brown, which arrives with vibrant poached eggs, crab, crispy prosciutto and house-made black pepper hollandaise. Then there’s the trio of white chocolate house crumpets (pictured) adorned with banana and strawberry compote, candied almonds, coconut jelly, fig and white balsamic reduction. Coffee here is their labour of love with an on-site roastery and beans are for sale to take home.

Gauge, South Brisbane, Black garlic bread, brown butter and burnt vanilla. Picture: David Kelly

Gauge

77 Grey St, South Brisbane

3638 0431

Mon-Fri 7am-3pm, Sat-Sun 8am-3pm,

Wed-Sat 5pm-late

Instagram @gauge.brisbane

Gauge operates under the principle that fine dining should not be reserved solely for dinner. Care is taken with its all-day brunch menu, from the quality of ingredients to the juxtaposition of flavours and textures, and its presentation. Breakfast staples are given a premium makeover with macadamias and green harissa dotting a picture perfect slice of avocado on toast, and lemon myrtle infusing a seasonal fruit-topped organic oat bircher. Then there’s the more unconventional. Its signature dense slab of black garlic bread (pictured) delivers an earthy umami punch, softened by a quenelle of brown butter and dusting of burnt vanilla. Espresso, batch brew or pourover provides the coffee hit, or mimosas and Bloody Marys for an added kick.

Pearl Cafe, Woolloongabba. Picture: Bruce Long

Pearl Cafe

28 Logan Rd, Woolloongabba

3392 3300

Sun & Tue 7am-3pm, Wed-Sat 7am-late,

Mon closed

Instagram @pearl.est.2007

Pearl is the kind of cafe that respects lazy, late risers – those who prefer a sleep-in and comfort food – rather than exercise freaks demanding uber-healthy options. Sure you can arrive early, but with an all-day brunch menu that wouldn’t be out of place at a gastropub, you don’t have to. Plus if it’s after 10am you can order a glass of prosecco or add a shot of vodka to the freshly squeezed orange juice or the cucumber and basil tonic soda. Even better, the cosy restaurant with its exposed brick walls and bentwood chairs has table service. The menu is seasonal and on a chilly winter morning, it’s hard to go past the slow-cooked beef cheeks, which are given a brekky-twist with the addition of a poached egg, and the rich umami gravy is mopped up with crunchy slices of roast Jerusalem artichoke and kipfler potatoes. Or the pancakes, which are more like a deep-pan tea cake, sticky and crispy on the bottom, with poached rhubarb adding welcome acidity to cut through the side of burnt custard. Alongside the wintry European options, such as Welsh rarebit with crispy fried mushrooms, are a few Asian-influenced meals, such as the Szechuan pepper roasted pork belly roll. Smooth, nutty coffee is served with Barambah Organics milk. For a fancy brunch, book the private room upstairs.

Picnic, Camp Hill, Baked eggs.

Picnic

12 Martha St, Camp Hill

3398 6600

Mon-Sun 7am-3pm

Instagram @picniccafe

Why mess with the classics? That’s the philosophy at this longtime southside favourite, where the all-day breakfast menu features crowd-pleasers such as Canadian pancakes, smashed avocado and baked beans with eggs (pictured). Lest that sound a little ho-hum, at Picnic, those classics are perfectly executed and there’s some stimulating alternatives – nasi goreng, for example; an “almost vegan” burrito bowl (the tortilla and Japanese mayo proving to be the non-vegan interlopers); or a devilish Tim Tam waffle complete with Nutella, salted popcorn and vanilla-bean ice cream. Coffee is Fonzie Abbott’s Highside blend and there’s a daily muffin offering to complement that brew – try banana or mixed berries and dark chocolate. There’s a range of fresh juices and blends, including a milky chocolate-banana-Oreo creation that’s a meal in itself.

Plenty, West End, Avo on toast with pickled eggs.

Plenty

284 Montague Rd, West End

3255 3330

Mon-Sat 6.30am-3pm, Sun 7.30am-1.30pm

Instagram @plentywestend

Busy and barn-like, Plenty somehow manages to maintain a sense of neighbourliness and its “know your farmer” ethos adds feel-good factor from the get go. All-day breakfast options include fancy avo on toast with pickled eggs (pictured), house made crumpets, creamed millet porridge with poached fruit and candied walnuts, and a hearty potato and chorizo omelet. A big tick goes to the golden-fried potato hash with bacon, eggs, kale and a sublime feta and onion cream. Plenty’s coffee is plenty good and smoothies and juices change day by day. There’s kombucha on tap, while freshly baked cakes include gluten-free brownies and a chocolate, fig and almond torte. Blessed with style and substance, Plenty knows its strengths and plays to them with panache.

Southside Bistro, Sunnybank, Smoke belly benedict. Picture: Bruce Long

Southside Bistro

Shop 49/342 McCullough St, Sunnybank

3172 5848

Mon-Fri 7am-3pm & 5pm-late, Sat-Sun 8am-late

Instagram @ssbistrobne

Among the mix of Asian restaurants and takeaways at Sunny Park shopping centre lies this casual eatery with a twist.

Offering Asian fusion at its quirkiest, diners can expect everything from the waffle-like breakfast puffle topped with whispy pieces of dried, shredded pork, steamed rice, kimchi, kewpie, pickled veg and a boiled egg steeped in oolong tea, to the overly sweet eggs benedict (pictured) with slivers of pork belly and a lychee salad. But the out-of-the-box options don’t end there. The drinks list includes offbeat choices such as taro and matcha lattes, burnt orange milkshakes and house sodas starring, perhaps, elderflower and butterfly pea, alongside your regular coffees. Complete with thoughtful, friendly service, Southside Bistro gives the adventurous eater a culinary escapade.

The Gunshop Cafe, West End, ‘Tongue and Cheek’ (braised beef cheek and ox tongue).

The Gunshop Cafe

53 Mollison St, West End

3844 2241

Sun-Tues 7am-2.30pm, Wed-Sat 7am-9.30pm

Instagram @thegunshopcafe

Since opening 15 years ago, The Gunshop has become a West End stalwart. Owners and chefs have come and gone but with its great service and innovative food, it remains at the top of its game. Classics such as potato and feta hash cakes stacked high and drizzled with herbed sour cream, or pork, apple and sage sausages with bubble and squeak, eggs and sauerkraut please the crowds, but sophisticated alternatives such as “tongue and cheek” (braised beef cheek and ox tongue, pictured), and a hot smoked ocean trout and bechamel gratin speak to the level of talent in the kitchen. The young, or young at heart, will adore the coco pop porridge with grilled banana and candied pecans. After 10am, you can sip a Bloody Mary or mimosa while the fresh juices, ice-blended “tonics”, smoothies and milkshakes are top shelf.

The Jam Pantry, Greenslopes, French toast. Picture: AAP/ Ric Frearson

The Jam Pantry

2/575 Logan Rd, Greenslopes

3158 9570

Wed-Fri 7am-2.30pm, Sat & Sun 8am-2pm

Instagram @thejampantry

Seasonality steps up a notch at The Jam Pantry with the cafe overhauling its menu each month to capitalise on local farmers’ bounties. There’s a single page of faithful brunch offerings like avocado toast and eggs Benedict but 12 wall-mounted blackboard panels reveal the menu’s real stars. The system works to a tried-and-tested formula with boards labelled “pancakes”, “cereal”, “omelet” and the like; the true innovation lying in the monthly flavour combinations which are anything but predictable. French toast (pictured) is a standout and can run from sweet rye with beetroot puree, dark chocolate ganache, roast pumpkin and toasted hazelnuts to a plant-based sourdough drenched in chia and almond milk with nashi pear, blackberry compote and almond and apricot gelato.