Macleay Street is really getting its culinary groove on of late. And not just for dinner.

Yes, Billy Kwong will pack up its woks and steamers and set up on the street later this year. And Cho Cho San, from the crew behind The Apollo, opened this month, with its focus on Japanese fare. But weekend brunch also pulls a crowd at the likes of La Buvette, Zinc and relative newcomer Yellow.

The latest dining venture from the team behind fine diner Bentley Restaurant and Bar and wine bar Monopole, Nick Hildebrandt and Brent Savage, Yellow opened in October as the bistro in their stable. Located in Potts Point’s historic Yellow House, by night, the likes of oysters and beef tartare are on offer. But by day – on weekends at least - the brunch offering is a short but sweet list of morning-appropriate items ranging from health conscious to hearty.

As to be expected from a chef with Savage's resume, there are a lot of twists on traditional breakfast fare. Forget banana bread - at Yellow, it's a jet black, cake-like liquorice bread, still warm and served with housemade butter. And porridge, well, who needs oats? Here, it’s made with quinoa and is quite marvellous. The quinoa is cooked in coconut milk, retaining a little of its seed-y crunch. Golden jubes of poached persimmon add a delicate sweetness and a sprinkle of dried fruit provides crunch. It’s pretty, a great combination of textures and vegan-friendly.

Much has already been written about Yellow’s 63-degree eggs, recently declared by Good Food to be Sydney’s sexiest brunch dish: three quivering slow-cooked eggs swimming in a charred onion consommé. But other egg bases are covered off too, fried, scrambled and our choice, baked. Two still-runny eggs arrive at the table nestled in a thick, smoky tomato sauce, with chorizo aplenty. It's a pretty rich mouthful until the lightly spiced yoghurt is swirled through. 

At 11am, late risers score access to the lunch menu too which includes a couple of mains, some small dishes and sandwiches. The scrambled egg toastie is brunch-worthy, paired with slices of jamon and a side of harissa-spiked aioli.

A flat white using Vittoria’s Cinque Stelle blend is smooth and strong and gets the morning going. But it’s the mandarin-iced tea that has us ordering seconds. A reminder of summer in the middle of winter, it is sweet and refreshing with a delicate blend of tannin and citrus.

Brunch at Yellow does have the air of a special occasion to it, and while the food and surrounds meet that expectation, the prices make it affordable for local regulars. This is reflected in the crowd during my visit – tables of baby boomers gathering for a catch-up, Gen X couples reading the newspaper in comfortable silence and a cluster of Gen Y trios, all sitting out the front catching some winter rays. 

The service is friendly and eager to please but pretty under the pump.  We never feel neglected but coffees, despite being ordered first, arrive at the same time as the food. Basic questions about dishes can’t be answered on the spot, but are followed up. In short, everything happens a few beats later than expected. 

I’m still thinking about that quinoa porridge. May the likes of Yellow and Woollahra’s Pinbone continue their foray into weekend brunch, and cheers to other restaurants of their ilk that follow suit.

THE LOW-DOWN
THE PICKS QUINOA PORRIDGE; POACHED EGGS WITH CHARRED ONION CONSOMMÉ; LIQUORICE BREAD; SCRAMBLED EGG AND JAMON SANDWICH; MANDARIN ICED TEA
THE COFFEE VITTORIA
THE LOOK INDUSTRIAL CHIC
THE SERVICE FRIENDLY BUT A LITTLE FLUSTERED.