Beachside brekkie bliss on the Eastern Shore
Friendly, relaxed and with a range of flavourful dishes, several of which are stylish takes on classics, this new Lauderdale eatery is the perfect spot to linger on a Saturday morning, writes Alix Davis
Lauderdale on a Saturday morning in late November feels like a quintessential Australian beachside suburb – little kids are noodling around on bikes, neighbours are chatting on front lawns, Christmas lights are starting to make an appearance and there’s a faint salty tang in the air.
So it feels fitting that the neighbourhood’s newest cafe, Brine, is situated just one block back from the beach in what used to be the local bakery and has a vibe that welcomes locals with sandy feet, morning walkers, weekend runners and cyclists, and friends catching up over coffee. I fit into none of those categories, but feel perfectly at home here thanks to the friendly welcome.
The menu at Brine is short and sweet – don’t expect your standard eggs Bennie or smashed avo here – things are a little more nuanced than that, thanks to head chef Palmy Tatum, who was previously at Restaurant Maria.
If you want to keep things super simple, head for the dippy eggs with sea salt focaccia ($13), but we’re going straight for the breakfast pasta ($24), which is a slick take on a carbonara. Chewy and dense house-made udon noodles are tossed with fat chunks of crispy-fried speck (in my breakfast book speck beats bacon any day) in a brown butter sauce. A perfect golden egg yolk sits on top of the pasta, and the whole thing is topped with a flurry of parmesan. Stir the yolk through the hot noodles, and you’ve instantly got a rich, cheesy sauce coating the whole thing. It’s simple, effective and very moreish.
The Brine plate ($22) is another stylish take on a classic – this time, a ploughman’s platter.
Fat wedges of toasted sea salt focaccia (made in-house) are paired with mortadella (still the deli meat of the moment), a soft-boiled egg, bright zucchini pickles and a bowl of relish. I fashion myself an open sandwich and dig in with alacrity. The pickles and relish are both made in-house from last year’s abundant harvest and much of the produce comes from local backyards or the garden of owners Busta Godfrey and partner Bec Sinclair.
Godfrey and Sinclair are experienced hospitality veterans, having run the Criterion Street Cafe for 11 years, as well as Sabre Catering. With Brine, it’s personal – Godfrey and Sinclair moved to Lauderdale about four years ago with their three children and quickly grew to love the location, which is also home to a number of other hospitality operators. “We live and breathe this community,” says Godfrey, “and we felt it was missing something like this.” So when the site – previously a bakery for three decades then a short-lived burger bar – came up, they jumped at it.
Shelves lined with rows of glowing pickles, relishes, jams and cordials overlook a serene space furnished with two large communal tables as well as tables for smaller groups. Fully licensed, Brine offers breakfast and brunch Friday to Monday, as well as Friday night dinners – I’m already planning my return to try the miso butter cabbage ($22) and the lamb ribs with crispy chickpeas ($34) – and Sunday afternoon collaborations with local winemakers.
Plate after plate of house-made crumpets with honey butter and rosemary salt ($14) have been paraded past our table and of course, we can’t resist. Part scone, part crumpet and all delicious, you could add a swipe of Brine jam to these as well as the honey butter. A blueberry-studded frangipane, dense with ground almonds, finishes us off in the most delightful way.
As we depart, a posse from the kitchen at Aloft descends on the outdoor seating, and the next wave of joggers, cyclists and walkers rolls in for coffee. A morning at Brine followed by a drive around the neighbourhood might just have me browsing the real estate pages over summer. See you at the beach!
BRINE
10A Bangalee St, Lauderdale
Opening hours:
Fri, 7am-9p;
Sat-Mon, 7am-2pm
On the menu:
Brine plate, $22; breakfast pasta, $24; housemade crumpets, with honey butter, $14
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