The breakfast dishes you should be eating now

Pork Bolognese on brioche

Gauge, Brisbane

Served on toasted house-baked brioche and topped with a buttery fried egg, this is definitely not your nanna’s savoury mince on toast. Sobrasada and ‘nduja give grunt to a rich, slow-cooked Bolognese-style pork sauce which is loaded with a little extra chilli for good measure. Fermented red cabbage brings a burst of swweetness to balance the spice. Gauge, 77 Grey St, South Brisbane, Qld. (07) 3638 0431.

Za’atar manoush with labne and pickles

Gerard’s Bistro, Brisbane

Sure, you could opt for the shakshuka, the celebrated cumin-spiced Baghdad eggs, or even the smoky egg with full medames – but then you’d miss chef Ben Williamson’s version of a traditional Lebanese breakfast where manoush flatbread, still warm from the oven, is served with a za’atar fragrant with sumac and thyme, pickles and creamy labne. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication after all. Gerard’s Bistro, Gerard’s La, 14-15 James St, Fortitude Valley, Qld, (07) 3852 3822.

Sakana gozen set

Chotto, Melbourne

One of three Japanese breakfast sets, the sakana gozen at Chotto brings together charcoal-grilled fish, a timber bowl of fortifying miso soup, crisp nori, rolled omelette and a bowl of fluffy short-grained rice. You also get to choose a couple of sides from a list that includes a gorgeous potato salad with cod roe, and Brussels sprouts with miso vinaigrette. Leave feeling serene, virtuous and replete. Chotto, 36 Smith St, Fitzroy, Vic

Octopus head Scotch egg and ink sauce

Saint Peter, Sydney

Stuffing octopus heads with eggs was a no-brainer for Saint Peter’s Josh Niland. “I looked at the head and thought, I could put an egg in that quite easily”, he says. The Tasmanian octopus head is cooked in a stock with native thyme, stuffed with a soft-boiled egg, crumbed, then deep fried until crunchy on the outside yet soft and gooey inside. Saint Peter, 362 OXford St, Paddington, NSW, (02) 8937 2530.

Sardine crackers

Berkelo, Sydney

We knew the gang at Berkelo bakery could ferment, but who knew about their dehydrating smarts? Let the sardine breakfast be your education. Two plump Port Lincoln sardine fillets sit proudly on crackers with tomato, pickled onion, fermented chilli and herbs. The dehydrated cracker is made using grains soaked in fermented beetroot juice, sprouts, and vegetables that were destined for the bin. Berkelo, 8 William St, Brookvale, NSW, 0429 531 251

Morning bun

Pigeon Whole Bakers, Hobart

The honey and spice in Pigeon Whole Bakers’ exquisite croissant dough-based morning bun make a heady mix. The cardamom’s savoury hit is transporting, but the sweetness of local honey grounds it nicely. Expertly coiled, it’s great eating – a seamless trip between softness and crunch. Pigeon Whole Bakers, 32 Argyle St, Hobart, Tas

Duck crumpet

Sweet Brew & Co Dining Room, Darwin

This is a fancy bit of crumpet, indeed: slices of smoked, but still-pink duck breast sit on two golden crumpets, capped by a pair of poached eggs wallowing in a sunny hollandaise. It’s all very lazy long weekend – and a frill of crisped kale adds a pleasurable hit of bitterness and crunch. Sweet Brew & Co Dining Room, 45 Stuart Hwy, Darwin, NT, (08) 7978 8638

Yoghurt panna cotta with watermelon

Archie’s All Day, Melbourne

Not everyone knows about Archie’s strong breakfast panna cotta game, but its vanilla yoghurt number shows they have plenty of points on the board. The panna cotta’s yoghurt notes are given substance with watermelon, fresh pomegranate, mint and rosewater, while pistachio and quinoa clusters add a great textural and nutty punch. Archie’s All Day, 289 Gertrude St, Fitzroy, Vic, (03) 9417 0066

Anzac granola

Saga, Sydney

Granola inspired by soft-serve? You’ll find it at Sydney’s Saga, a café run by former Hartsyard pastry chef Andy Bowden. Shards of Anzac biscuit are joined by airy yoghurt, peach jam and rosemary, along with warm peach roasted with muscovado and rosemary, slivers of raw peach and a peach vinegar for bite. Saga, 178 Enmore Rd, Enmore, NSW, (02) 9550 6386

Breakfast board

Rye, Canberra

In line with Rye’s relaxed Scandi-cool, the café’s breakfast board keeps things clean and simple. The spread comprises a soft-boiled egg, charred ruby grapefruit, cheddar and Three Mills Bakery rye sourdough, along with citrus jam and house-churned butter. The cheese and butter bring the salty, the jam the sweet. Rye Café, 9 Lonsdale St, Braddon, ACT, (02) 6156 9694

Oeuf á la coque

Greenglass, Brisbane

Why stop at buttery toast soldiers for your soft-boiled eggs when you could dunk toasted smoked salmon and nori finger sandwiches in them instead? Greenglass, level 1, 366 George St, Brisbane, Qld, 0403 966 671

Avocado with furikake

Rising Sun Workshop, Sydney

Sydney’s Rising Sun Workshop has given the humble breakfast favourite of avocado on toast a Japan-via-Mexico twist. Chef Nick Smith tosses diced avo in guacachile, the lime-heavy, avocado based Mexican salsa, and dollops it on charcoal toast. He then adds pickled radishes, furikake, shiso and a soft-set onsen egg. Rising Sun Workshop, 1C Whateley St, Newtown, NSW, (02) 9550 3891

Ful medames

Cairo Takeaway, Sydney

There might be ’70s-style rattan furniture and a millenial-pink wall, but on the menu Cairo Takeaway doesn’t stray far from its traditional Egyptian roots. Take the ful medames – a recipe that owner Hesham El Masry borrowed from his mother, Camellia. The broad beans and red lentils are simmered overnight in a large earthenware pot, called a qidra, then seasoned simply with oil, salt and lemon, and served with a generous spread of boiled eggs, flatbread and chopped onion, cucumber and tomato. Cairo Takeaway, 81 Enmore Rd, Newtown, NSW, (02) 9517 2060

Baked-bean panzerotti

The Deck, Perth

There are breakfast add-ons, and then there’s the baked bean panzerotti, a warming picture of stuffed pastry happiness available every morning at The Deck, a sprawling all-day venue at Perth’s Ku De Ta. It’s a dough pocket filled with creamy beans and fried golden in a fantastic Pugliese-Australian mash-up. The Deck, Ku De Ta, On The Point, 306 Riverside Dr, East Perth, WA, (08) 6324 1100

Crab and haloumi omelette

Babajan, Melbourne

Not just a great omelette – pale yellow, airy, set but still soft – but a great omelette filled with sweet spanner crab meat and salty haloumi. Some might dismiss the snappy little side salad as superflous but the bite of kefalograviera in the dressing will change that line of thought. Babajan, 713 Nicholson St, North Carlton, Vic, (03) 9388 9814

Brioche with king prawns

Top Paddock, Melbourne

The whole lunch-for-breakfast thing is a trend we’re mighty happy about, nowehere more so than at this Richmond café where a light and buttery brioche roll is warmed and crammed with Queensland king prawns, iceberg lettuce, and a dill and lime aïoli. As a bonus, occasionally you’ll see Melbourne’s finest croissants subbed in for the bun, all thanks to Top Paddock being among a select group of venues getting the royal seal of approval from Lune Croissanterie’s Kate Reid. Top Paddock, 658 Church St, Richmond, Vic (03) 9429 4332

Breakfast banh mi

Luxsmith, Melbourne

The breakfast of champions, the egg and bacon roll is given a Vietnamese accent at mod-Asian diner Luxsmith. Robustly smoky bacon and a fried egg are tucked into a satisfyingly crisp and fluffy roll with pickled cucumber, coriander and a little fresh and pickled chilli. Luxsmith, 5 Gamon St, Seddon, Vic, (03) 9362 7333

Pinoy sausage and egg sanga

Acme, Sydney

You know you’re in for a finger-licking good time when you’re given a hot towel at breakfast. And in the case of this gooey, Filipino-style sausage and egg sandwich, a regular at Acme’s four-course Saturday brunch, you’ll need one. A crusty pandesal dinner roll encases a runny fried egg and longanisa pork sausage that’s sticky with a sweet, char siu-style glaze. Acme, 60 Bayswater Rd, Rushcutters Bay, NSW, 0435 940 884

Blue swimmer crab scrambled eggs

Whistle & Flute, Adelaide

Chef Stewart Wesson wants greater textural play to define classic breakfast dishes, so for his scrambled eggs on toast (sourdough from Rustico bakery, no less) he folds the eggs with locally caught blue swimmer crab. Crunch and chew are further amplified with a generous sprinkling of crisp shallots, bean sprouts, sesame seeds, mint and coriander, with hits of chilli and lime. Whistle & Flute, 136 Greenhill Rd, Unley, SA, (08) 8373 2490

Spiced cauliflower and eggs

Higher Ground, Melbourne

It all starts with a none-too-slender flatbread about the size of a saucer, which has the pliable chew of a potato pancake. Next comes the cauliflower purée and the soft-set eggs, more gently folded than scrambled, topped with wafers of pickled cauliflower, cumin-roasted heirloom florets and a storm of fried curry leaves. Higher Ground, 650 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, Vic, (03) 8899 6219

Bottomless Mimosa

Dead Ringer, Sydney

Orange juice and sparkling wine is always a winning breakfast combination. But Dead Ringer, sister bar to the Sydney CBD’s Bulletin Place, has raised the stakes – as part of its new brunch offering, it’s serving bottomless Mimosas for $25. Don’t expect jugs and bulk-bought juice either – the kitchen puts the oranges through a juice fountain, balances the juice with lemon, then adds pineapple juice, triple sec, maraschino liqueur and prosecco. Dead Ringer, 413 Bourke St, Surry Hills, NSW, (02) 9331 3560