Best of the Gold Coast: Top 10 eggs benedict
EGGS Benedict is the breakfast dish that either makes or breaks a cafe and there’s some beauties on the Gold Coast: Here’s the 10 best as voted by you.
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EGGS Benedict is that breakfast dish that either makes or breaks a cafe. Chefs need to somehow walk the fine line between staying true to the classic recipe without being boring and shaking it up enough to stand out without completely disrespecting 70 years of tradition.
Here are the 10 best Gold Coast cafes doing eggs benny right, as voted by you.
10. Elk Espresso
16 Chelsea Ave, Broadbeach
5592 2888
Elk Espresso is renowned for satisfying even Melburnians’ high standards when it comes to coffee and breakfast fare and their eggs Benedict is no exception.
Elk’s latest rendition is their pork belly & kale Benedict on polenta bread with chipotle hollandaise, which Elk owner, Andrew Whiting, said “has a bit of a kick.”
While this hot little number was only introduced in winter as a part of the seasonal menu, Elk’s old faithful eggs Benny with potato rosti has been on the menu for over five years and is still a top seller.
“We go through about 100 kilograms of potato every week because we sell so many eggs Benny rosti’s,” Andrew said.
“Even though we’ve changed our menu about 20 times it’s still always a favourite.”
9. Tribeca NYC
58 Thomas Dr, Chevron Island
0421 299 358
If you’re unaware of the origins of eggs Benedict, drop into Tribeca NYC on Chevron Island for a quick history lesson, where co-owner Brandon Pollard will reveal eggs Benny is actually a New York creation.
“Because it was created in New York we had to capture the true essence, plus we’ve added it on the mini bagels to Americanise it even more,” he said.
“But the real winner in our eggs Benny is a hidden dollop of our secret relish — you’ve got so many flavours it takes you on the whole journey,” Brandon said.
With four variations of eggs Benedict served on crisp-around-the-edges mini bagels, Tribeca’s eggs Benny is as close as you’ll get to a taste of New York on the Gold Coast.
8. Yard Cafe
17 Lavarack Rd, Mermaid Beach
0487 888 170
For a touch of Texas in your eggs Benedict, The Yard Cafe has pulled pork eggs Benny.
Owner Simon Moulden gives a vivid description of The Yard’s star menu item:
“We’ve got barbecue pulled pork and we grill up a bagel, set the two poached eggs on top and lather it with hollandaise sauce,” Simon said.
“Then our trick is we finish it off with a Mexican touch — a sprinkle of Tajin — which is a Mexican combination of lime, chilli and salt.
“It definitely gives it a bit of a kick,” he said.
7. Burleigh Social
2 Hibiscus Haven, Burleigh Heads
0421 460 739
Jarrod Barnett didn’t have a lot of experience in hospitality before starting Burleigh Social with his fellow directors. So since his previous employer was Jetstar, he’s just been winging it.
But he and the team now have a world of cafe experience and a loyal following who have taken a particular liking to their eggs Benedict served up on a fresh croissant.
“We don’t ever want to become stagnant so we’re always thinking of new ways to present dishes to people,” Jarrod said.
“Our chef makes an incredible hollandaise so we wanted a different way to showcase that and it’s been a really great point of difference.”
6. MLK Espresso
2 Queensland Ave, Broadbeach
5561 4392
Sam Mustafa, co-owner and manager of MLK Espresso in Broadbeach, is tight-lipped about the secrets of their eggs Benedict and heavenly hollandaise, but let one little tip slip:
“We use ghee in our hollandaise sauce which is a clarified butter with Indian origins,” Sam relayed as his head chef, Fernanda Costa, yells out kitchen facts from the background.
If the word ghee has you scratching your head, to put it very simply it’s what is left over after butter is separated and the water and milk solids are removed.
This makes for a product that is more nutritionally beneficial to MLK customers, as it is paleo and contains significantly less dairy for those avoiding lactose.
Sam also says every eggs Benny that leaves the kitchen is poached to perfection.
“They have to be cooked perfectly — the yolk has to ooze all over the plate,” Sam said.
5. Bam Bam Bakehouse
2519 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach
5526 5218
While it’s easy to wolf down Bam Bam Bakehouse’s eggs Benedict a la croissant, spare a second to consider the time it took to put that dish on your plate.
“It takes two days for us to perfect our croissant — made with French flour and French butter,” Ursula Watts, co-owner of Bam Bam said.
As soon as those fresh croissants roll out they’re put straight on the plate and used as the foundation for Bam Bam’s eggs Benny.
“We carve fresh ham off the bone and it’s topped with two poached eggs, an incredibly light and fluffy hollandaise and fresh chives,” Ursula said.
But heed Ursula’s warning, fresh-baked croissants means numbers are limited.
“We’re known to sell out they’re that good, so get in quick,” she said excitedly.
4. Caffe Republic
Bronberg Plaza, 1/138-162 Slatyer Ave, Bundall
5539 3060
If you’ve never had bubble and squeak eggs Benedict, you’re missing out. Bundall’s Cafe Republic offers a number of eggs Benny variations, but owner and chef Peter Dufty says the bubble and squeak is the most popular.
“It’s basically a mash up of plenty of roast veggies under the usual poached eggs and hollandaise,” Peter said.
If bubble and squeak isn’t your cup of tea, you can also have your eggs Benedict with crispy bacon, ocean trout, paleo pulled pork or mushroom and spinach.
Caffe Republic is renowned for its socially conscious food, so you can find paleo options on the menu and even twists on the hollandaise, such as switching out the butter for coconut oil.
But overall, Peter likes to keep his offerings faithful to what a good eggs Benny really is.
“Eggs Benny is such a classic, you don’t want to muck around with it too much,” he said.
3. Blue Olive Cafe
1/38 The Esplanade, Paradise Point
5529 5850
John McCabe, owner and head chef of Blue Olive Cafe at Paradise Point, said when it comes to a good eggs Benedict, the trick is to keep it simple.
“There’s no real secret to it, just stick to the key ingredients and make sure they’re high quality,” he said.
John has a knack for sourcing the finest ingredients and a dedication to serving his loyal customers nothing but the best.
“We use fresh, free range eggs — you can really tell the difference between caged and free range eggs — it’s not just because we like the chickens they actually do taste better,” John said.
“We also use high quality Pendle Ham Bacon cooked both cured Aussie style or a dressed, crispy bacon.
“People are choosing crispy bacon a lot lately, they tell me it’s because it’s a bit healthier because the fat has been rendered off.”
Both John and his partner Lynda are thankful to everyone who has played a part in the Blue Olive’s journey so far.
“Our staff are great — they even put up with me,” John laughed.
“But most of all thank you to all our customers and everyone who voted.”
2. Espresso Moto
2/1389 Gold Coast Hwy, Palm Beach
5535 9820
Palm Beach’s Espresso Moto know what a good eggs Benedict is all about, so they’ve made it better with a medium cooked sirloin steak.
Co-owner Jordan William Stubbs said it’s “not for the faint hearted.”
“Our chef Glen Burnett has free reign in the kitchen, because he’s amazing,” Jordan said matter-of-factly.
The team at Espresso Moto are still offering eggs Benny classics, if steak for breakfast isn’t your thing, so you can still grab salmon, bacon and field mushroom renditions.
“We’re not following a fad, we’re not making our menu gluten-free or anything, we’re just making good food,” Jordan said.
1. 42fifteen
9 Davenport St, Southport
0423 307 425
Three years ago Peter Batley and Julie Rogers built 42fifteen and haven’t looked back since.
“Basically there was nowhere good to get breakfast in Southport and we got sick of travelling for good food, so we pretty much just decided to do it ourselves,” Peter said.
With their goal being to provide Southport locals and beyond with high quality, consistently good food, Peter says the trick is personal touch.
“We both come from a chef background and we would never serve anything we wouldn’t eat,” he said.
“We really, really care about everything we do — every egg we poach, every piece of toast — it has to be perfect otherwise it doesn’t get served.”
As for their eggs Benedict, there’s something in the sauce that keeps locals coming back for more.
“The hollandaise is definitely the champion of the dish,” Peter said without hesitation.
“We make in here, fresh and from scratch, every single day and it’s got a bit of orange zest which just adds that awesome tang.
“We definitely get a lot of comments about the hollandaise, especially from people relieved it doesn’t come from a packet.”
That hollandaise comes with a range of eggs Benny options: take your pick from cider glazed ham, smoked salmon, American bacon or truffled mushrooms paired expertly with top-of-the-range ingredients.
“All of our eggs are organic, free-range eggs that are usually no more than three days old, and then we’ve got artisan sourdough and fresh baby spinach,” Peter said.
“People come in and say we’re a bit hipster but we’re not hipsters,” he laughed.
“We just want people to come in and feel a bit inspired by the decor and enjoy some laid-back, old fashioned family service.”
A Southport cafe success story needs a sister, and that’s exactly what’s next for Peter and Julie.
“We’ve stuck with the Southport theme and called it SoPo,” Peter said.
“It’s a lunch and dinner spot inside the new Metro centre — it should be up and running within about eight weeks.”
If the locals’ love for 42fifteen is anything to go by, SoPo will be a smash hit.
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