Breakfast Series - Comfort at My Table

http://www.comfortatmytable.com.au/

Brisbane has to be considered as the centre of the universe when it comes to find a great place to have breakfast.  Every time you blink there is a new cafe or restaurant that is serving up breakfast and doing a great job of it.  Sometimes it's not even about new places, but discovering a spot that is on someone's list as their favourite breakfast joint.  Quite often, it's these little neighbourhood gems that provide the biggest surprise.  Comfort at My Table is one of those really popular breakfast spots that I had no idea about.

Comfort at My Table first came on to my radar late last year when SC and I were driving through Milton in Brisbane's inner west for some reason (which I can't remember anymore).  We were minding our own business driving down Cribb Street only to see the longest queue we have ever seen (maybe outside of a nightclub queue), which seemed to come from nowhere.  SC was driving so I managed to catch a glimpse of a name 'Comfort at My Table' and instantly became intrigued.  What was this place? Was it a restaurant?  Was it a homewares shop?.  A quick look on my trusty iPad and it all became clear, it was a cool little cafe and instantly went onto my list of places to visit.



I will admit, it has taken a while to get around to our visit to Comfort at My Table and it came on the back of a lateish night the night before.  When going to a popular breakfast spot in Brisbane, you need meticulous planning so you don't end up in a queue waiting.  We had decided the week before that we would get up early and be first in line to ensure we got a table inside (it's still a bit nippy in the mornings).  When the alarm went off, we almost didn't go, we were feeling so tired, but in the end I am glad we did.

We arrived about 10 minutes before opening and were actually second on the scene, so we felt comfortable that we would be seated, although we had a nervous moment when upon opening were asked if we had a reservation.  We were safely offered a seat inside on the proviso that we would be out by 9am, a feat I assured them we would commit to.  The menus were waiting at the table and we commenced deciding on an option from the savoury or sweet section.  This is an interesting way of splitting out the menu but we split our selection, SC choosing something sweet and I went savoury.

While we were waiting for our breakfast to arrive, our drinks came.  SC ordered her customary half strength latte and I went for one of the smoothies.  There were only a couple of options here but the strawberry and vanilla smoothy with yoghurt struck a chord, so I went with that.  Of all the smoothies I have had of late, this one was perhaps the best.  There was an incredibly strong strawberry flavour and the smoothy was, well very smooth, almost silky.  I really loved it, but I think I filled up a little bit too much on it before the food came.

Still feeling a little seedy from the night before, SC went for a very simple breakfast and chose the muesli with cranberry and macadamia, with rhubarb, banana and greek yoghurt.  Expecting something a little smaller, were surprise to see a massive bowl of muesli delivered with heaps of fruit piled up covered in stewed rhubarb.  SC set about mixing the concoction together and before too long there was a fruity mess mixed in the the muesli.  The fruity flavours worked really well together and textures of the muesli and fruit combining nicely.  I think SC did really well to get most of the way through this breakfast and got an inkling that the name of the cafe was reflected in the portions of the food.

Once I saw the size of my breakfast, we knew for sure that this was indeed comfort food!  My selection of scrambled eggs with bacon, thyme mushrooms and oven roasted tomatoes was huge, so large I didn't  really know where to start.  I ended up starting on the mushrooms, which had a lovely subtle thyme flavour to them, but for me lacked just a little bit of seasoning.  Undeterred by the under seasoned mushrooms, I dug into the scrambled eggs, which were a little dense but really silky at the same time, but had a wonderful creamy flavour.  The real flavour came from the tomatoes, which were intense in flavour and just perfect.  I found the bacon to be pretty standard fare but cooked just the way I like it with the fat rendered but not quite crispy yet.  The only problem with this breakfast was the size, I just could not eat it all, so lot went to waste.

Comfort at My Table is surprisingly big inside and has heaps of seating outside too, so I wondered how the big queues could form here.  Sure enough, we had only been seated for about 10 minutes before the place went mental, with practically all of the seats filled up inside and the seats outside rapidly disappearing.  The staff did a great job in seating everyone and they seemed to be run like a well oiled machine.

Service was relatively rapid and we were seated, orders taken, drinks and food delivered, finished and paid for within 30 minutes.  This is not a place where you feel comfortable lingering and I think it's probably a place where you might even feel guilty lingering, especially once the large queues formed.  This forms a bit of an oxymoron with the name of Comfort at My Table, because we were not there long enough to feel comfortable.

The interior of Comfort at My Table is extremely 'girly', with lots of pinks and flowers, with each table having a beautiful little floral arrangement, so in this respect there is a comfortable feel inside.  I find an interesting juxtaposition with Comfort at My Table, with a comfortable feel inside and comfort food delivered, but during a very busy day lingering would not be an option and therefore, maybe not so comfortable at my table.

@FoodMeUpScotty

Special board gave an extra couple of options

SC found her half strength latte to be full strength, but she probably needed it 'cause she was so tired

Flowers everywhere, which really added to the feeling of comfort inside.  Perhaps a bit to pink and girly for me!

Each table had a little floral arrangement

This is so true!  Still lots of flowers an pink everywhere

Perhaps this wall was an homage to minimalism and was for the boys?

For options on the go

I wondered about this pile of apples by the door?  Were we supposed to take one?

Lots of cute little pictures and murals around the interior

Leaving after half an hour and queues were not far off!