Breakfast Series - Pearl Cafe

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pearl-Cafe/263918873700719

I have mentioned a heap of times in my blog that I hate waiting in a queue for breakfast, which is one of the primary reasons why I had not previously visited Pearl Cafe over at Woolloongabba.  It's not strictly true that I had not been to Pearl before, SC and I had tried on a number of occasions but turned around and went elsewhere once we saw the queues to get in.

SC and I had been away in Tamworth for a few days and had taken an extra couple of days to recover from the drive back, so had a Tuesday morning spare, surely there would not be a long queue early on a Tuesday morning?  We decided that this would be the day we finally got to hear what all the fuss was about and made our way over to the 'Gabba to try our hand.  We drove over to Logan Road and easily found a park right out the front, it looked as if today would be the day!

There is a lot to love about the 'Gabba area now and it seems as if every time we head over to this little stretch of road just outside the CBD, there is something new going on and today was no exception.  There were quite a few changes that we noted, but they will have to wait for another time and post!  I have written about the area before and you can see a little more detail about this fabulous dining area here.

Amazingly, Pearl was pretty quiet and SC and I were seated immediately, menus placed in front of us and drink orders taken.  SC ordered a latte and I was pretty keen on a smoothie of some description, but alas had to settle for a vanilla milkshake.  The menu at Pearl is very contemporary with a heap of really interesting looking choices for breakfast and it took me a few minutes and a little help from SC before I found what I was looking for on the menu, simple eggs.

Time to order and I placed my customary simple order of scrambled eggs, bacon, whole roasted tomato and sautéed mushrooms.  I was informed that there were no sautéed mushrooms on offer today and substituted them for grilled asparagus.   I love to order simple fare for breakfast because there is nowhere to hide when presenting eggs et al, and I wondered if Pearl would do the simple breakfast justice.

When the dish arrived I could immediately tell that Pearl delivered a simple and stunning breakfast, which smelt and looked wonderful.  The breakfast was layered with toasted sour dough on the bottom, a one centimetre thick (yes, 1cm thick) piece of bacon, the grilled asparagus and whole cherry tomatoes covered by the scrambled eggs.  The eggs were lovely and creamy with the right amount of seasoning and were quite dense and layered, which is just the way I like them.  They tasted amazing, really good and were well supported by the little red and yellow roasted tomatoes, which packed heaps of flavour.  The asparagus was perhaps a little under seasoned and a bit bland.  The most amazing thing about the dish was the bacon, which was the thickest I had ever had.  The bacon was tasty and really nice, but I could not eat it all, it was just too big.

SC selected something with a little twist on a traditional breakfast with the bubble & squeak croquettes with poached egg, spinach, pearl providence tomato relish and lemon.  There were three croquettes made of bubble and squeak, which combined the traditional english breakfast of leftover vegetables with the spanish croquettes.  The bubble and squeak was full of flavour and the tomato relish accompanying the dish gave the whole breakfast a Mediterranean feel.  The poached egg was perfectly poached and when broken added a lovely yolky flavour, with all of the mixed flavours working really well together.  SC's only complaint about this was that it was a bit on the small side.

There are many things to like about Pearl cafe for breakfast and I am now not surprised that there are queues for the place on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  One thing that really did surprise me is how small Pearl Cafe is inside, it really does not seat that many people.  It's a funky looking little place which reminded me of the cafes of Europe, especially with the exposed brick walls, with chairs hanging to save space.  There is an alfresco area out the front, which would be perfect on a warm summer's day to sit around and watch the world go by.

I have had friends go to Pearl and had some ordinary service experiences there but on a Tuesday morning SC and I found the staff to be awesome and attentive.  There was a great little vibe to the place that I imagine would be even better with a packed room.

I would rate the breakfast at Pearl Cafe as one of the better experiences I have had around town with the food delicious and the service great.  I am left asking myself though, is it good enough to wait for 30 minutes on a Saturday morning...........?

@FoodMeUpScotty

Peal is quite intimate but has a real European feel to it

A bit early for Breakfast, but the bar is well stocked.  Cocktails anyone?

The coffee is good!

I always forget but Pearl is open for lunch and dinner too!

A cosy spot by the window to have cocktails

Alfresco dining in the 'Gabba