Why settle for standard-issue breakfast when you can take your tastebuds on a brekky trek at Nomada
WHEN you wander into Nomada — Spanish for nomad — in Fitzroy be prepared to take your tastebuds on a different kind of journey that includes sangria poached pear and sweet pumpkin porridge.
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BREAKFAST as usual? Not if you’re starting your day at Nomada.
This hip 50-seater in the heart of caffeine-fuelled Fitzroy is inviting us to try sweet fried bread with sangria poached pear or grilled green beans with almonds and buttermilk or a bullhorn pepper dusted down with celery powder and lime mayo.
Not because the people at Nomada have a thing against standard-issue brekky. If you still want free-range eggs (fried or scrambled) on sourdough, co-owners Jesse Gerner (Bomba, Green Park) and Jesse McTavish (ex-Kettle Black) will oblige. Happily.
But they’re keen to share some of the sweet and savoury treats they have encountered on their travels.
So when you wander into Nomada — Spanish for nomad — be prepared to take your tastebuds on a different kind of journey.
FOOD
Is there a better way to start the day than savouring Nomada’s clacked egg ($5)? The shell, cracked open on top, is cradled in “burnt hay” and brimming with eggy potato and jamon. Sink a teaspoon into it and you’ll immediately want another.
But hang on ... Nomada’s got other $5 treats worth inspecting: thickly cut rashers of bacon with a dollop of potato puree, coal-blistered tomatoes with sherry and manchego cheese, and house-cured sardines.
Just $9 buys blue eye croquettes with fennel emulsion or feather-light churros with coffee sugar and chocolate sauce. But my money, all $15, is on Nomada’s sweet pumpkin porridge with almond milk. It is a classic winter warmer, loaded with Pedro Ximenez-soaked sultana grapes and earthily scented with maple.
Gerner calls Nomada’s cooking style “pared back and clean’’ and it’s true: nothing you taste is gussied up with garnishes.
The ceviche ($19) epitomises its approach. Every element — the sublime fish, shredded cabbage, avocado dusted with pequillo pepper — has its place, even the fried egg on top.
DRINK
Nomada’s very good coffee is sourced from Capital Coffee Roasters. Bottled mocktails include pineapple and sage iced tea. And house cordials run to things like strawberry lemonade.
Should breakfast blur into brunch, consider the Nomada Virgin Mary, spiced tomato juice with sardine and padron pepper ($9). Booze extra.
SERVICE
Terrific. We felt welcome right from the get-go, and unusual dishes were clearly explained.
X FACTOR
Nomada’s graffitied facade suggests the split-level interior may be just as tattooed. Not so. Think bell-shaped cane lanterns and faux fur, hand-pressed tiles and baskets of greenery. Framed ’60s-era photos show McTavish’s surfer dad riding some whopper waves.
BANG FOR YOUR BUCK
Invited to build breakfast the way you might order tapas, its easy to get carried away. Two to three dishes should suffice.
VERDICT
If you’re seeking a breakfast adventure, this is where you need to be.
NOMADA
412 Brunswick St, Fitzroy. Ph: 9416 4102
FOOD
Spanish-influence cafe
HOURS
Wed-Sat 8am till late, Sun 8am-5pm
CHEFS
Jesse Gerner and Jesse McTavish
BOOKINGS
No
TIME BETWEEN ORDERING AND EATING
Six minutes
PERFECT FOR
Tapas-style breakfast
DESTINATION DISH
Ceviche of seasonal fish, cabbage salad, fried egg, avocado, lime and pequillo peppers
NOISE LEVEL
Cool-as
ONLINE
nomada.com.au
IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU’LL LIKE THESE
SOUTH
Wilson & Market, 163-185 Commercial Rd, South Yarra
Destination dish: Seaweed pancake with smoked salmon
EAST
Coombe Yarra Valley, 673 Maroondah Hwy, Coldstream
Destination dish: Lime, coriander and avocado smash
WEST
Rudimentary, 16-20 Leeds St, Footscray
Destination dish: 5 grain porridge
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