I’ve travelled the world, and these are the 11 greatest breakfasts

I don’t know about you, but I grew up eating cereal. Breakfast in many Australian homes and even restaurants can be a predictable affair, a bland offering of stuff with milk poured on it, or toast with things spread across it.

Only when I started travelling the world did I discover a whole new approach to starting the day, one that could be savoury or sweet, that could slap you awake with bold flavour or warm you gently with subtlety and finesse.

Breakfast doesn’t have to come in a box with a cartoon character on the front. It can be a bowl of nourishing noodle soup, a plate of fiery salsa, a spread of steamed and fried delicacies.

After many years traversing the globe and eating what the locals eat, these are my absolute favourite ways to kick off a day.

Nasi Lemak, Malaysia

Breakfast of champions … Nasi lemak, Malaysian coconut milk rice, served with egg, sambal, fried crispy anchovies, toasted peanuts and cucumber.Credit: iStock

The basics of nasi lemak would be good enough: rice cooked in coconut milk with pandan leaf, rich and decadent; dried baby anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, a boiled egg and spicy, pungent sambal to bring it together. Heaven. But then you get to add an accompanying dish, something like Malay-style chicken curry, or beef rendang, or a fried or grilled chicken leg, or even a fish curry, and you’re in absolute nirvana. Chuck in a “kopi C” – Malaysian coffee with condensed milk and sugar – and you’re set for the day.

Full English/Irish/Scottish

Artery-clogging bliss … classic British and Irish breakfast foods.Credit: iStock

I couldn’t choose just one of these, so I’ve gone with three, given they’re variations on a theme: a massive fry-up to start the day, a heart-warming, artery-clogging mass of classic British and Irish breakfast foods slapped together on a plate. All include eggs, usually fried, and bacon. A full English then has pork sausages, black pudding, maybe mushrooms or tomatoes, and fried bread. A full Scottish has a Lorne sausage, haggis and potato scones. A full Irish has both black pudding and white pudding and soda bread. All are killer breakfasts (in every way).

Mohinga, Myanmar

Myanmar’s national dish … mohinga fish soup.Credit: iStock

Imagine waking up to this every morning: noodle soup, pungent and hearty, refreshing and strong. Mohinga is the national dish of Myanmar, one that varies from region to region, though you can always expect a soup based on carp or catfish, with plenty of lemongrass, fish sauce, turmeric, garlic and ginger. That thick, fishy broth is then poured over fermented rice noodles, topped with boiled egg, coriander and lentil-flour fritters, and served for breakfast nationwide. Beautiful.

Japanese set, Japan

Japanese ryokan breakfast spread.Credit: istock

Unlike many of these entries, the concept of a Japanese set breakfast is not a formal one – there’s no prescribed set of ingredients or inclusions, and it’s not something locals eat daily or even once a week. This is special-occasion food, often served in fancy hotels, a colourful, beautifully presented spread of grilled fish, pickled vegetables, small steamed or raw dishes, tofu of some sort, egg, miso soup and rice served with sheets of nori. This meal alone is worth staying in a nice hotel to enjoy.

Pain au chocolat, France

A French classic … pain au chocolat.Credit:

Many would put the humble croissant into this entry, but unless you happen upon the perfect example I find croissants are often disappointing, even in France. Instead, I usually opt for a pain au chocolat, a crisp, buttery, layered pastry with two logs of rich, dark chocolate hiding inside. Even a terrible French coffee can’t hide the perfection of a breakfast pain au chocolat.

Pho, Vietnam

Fragrant pho bo noodle soup.Credit: Getty Images

All hail what is, in my opinion at least, the ultimate way for a traveller to begin a day. There is nothing better in the world than waking up far too early in Saigon (because you’re still on Australian time), wandering quiet streets in the crisp early morning, pulling up a tiny plastic chair at a metal table and settling in for a bowl of pho. This Vietnamese beef noodle soup is so warm and comforting, so subtly spiced and flavourful, so perfectly balanced, that I could eat it every morning for the rest of my life.

Chilaquiles, Mexico

When in Mexico ... chilaquiles are like saucy nachos.Credit: Joe Armao

You take your corn tortillas, leftover from the night before. You cut them into triangles and fry them in oil until crisp. You take fresh tomatillos, onions and chillies, roast them until they’re blistered black, blend them until smooth, and tip that liquid into a searing hot pan so it bubbles and spits. You drown your crispy tortillas in that “salsa verde”. You top with a fried egg, fresh feta-like cheese, maybe some shredded chicken, some coriander. You place sliced avocado on the side. And then you tuck into one of the world’s great dishes.

Cornetto e cappuccino, Italy

The crescent-shaped cornetto pastry pairs perfectly with an Italian-style cappuccino.Credit: iStock

Almost everyone around the world knows about lunch in Italy, and dinner. This country is justifiably famous for its savoury cuisine. But don’t forget breakfast, which in Italy is fast and relatively modest, but still delicious. Case in point: cornetti, or croissant-shaped pastries filled with sweet, flavoured cream. A pistachio cornetto with a proper Italian cappuccino, consumed at the bar of a busy pasticceria, is one of life’s treats.

Pan con chicharron, Peru

Pan con chicharron … a pork sandwich with slices of sweet potato and salsa criolla.Credit: Getty Images

I’m all for starting your day with something hearty and savoury, which is why pan con chicharron in Peru so readily appeals. This is basically a large pork sandwich: pork shoulder is braised in spices, sliced, fried crisp and then slapped on a fresh bread roll with slices of sweet potato and salsa criolla (a quick pickle of onions, coriander and chilli). This sandwich is far greater than the sum of its parts, and an understandable obsession among locals.

Masala dosa, India

Masala dosa, rice-meal crepes stuffed with spiced potatoes.Credit: Jennifer Soo

I have a golden rule with hotel breakfast buffets: if there’s an Indian option, get the Indian option. Partly because it will be incredibly tasty. But also because if a kitchen has gone to the trouble of providing an Indian option, there are probably members of the Indian diaspora in there doing the cooking, and they know what they’re doing. It’s almost impossible to choose one Indian breakfast dish, as there are many greats: idlis with sambar (steamed rice cakes with spiced gravy), appams (bowl-shaped pancakes made with fermented rice flour), and of course masala dosas, thin, rice-meal crepes stuffed with spiced potatoes and served with sambar and coconut chutney.

Dim sum, China

It doesn’t get much better than dim sum in the morning.Credit: Wayne Taylor

I admit it: I failed. I tried to make a list of my top 10 breakfasts and I ended up with 11. But come on! How could you leave any of these out, least of all dim sum, a breakfast meal that has been popular in south-eastern China for centuries, and has now taken a firm hold on the Australian psyche as well? Steamed dumplings, fried noodles, braised ribs, wobbly egg tarts … it doesn’t get much better.