Breakfast Series - Tognini's Trattoria

http://www.togninis.com/index.html

What to do on a Saturday morning when you have had a super bad nights sleep and there is no cereal left in the house and you are out of milk?  The answer is simple, just leave the house and find somewhere to defer breakfast responsibilities to someone else.  SC's been sick all week and has not had a good night sleep all week and this has impacted my sleep patterns as well, so we were both in need of a nice relaxing breakfast.

There are a heap of well known breakfast joints around town that do a fantastic breakfast, often these places are hard to get into and sometimes have long queues, we could not be bothered with any of that. The choice for where we would go was simple, heading off to the Spring Hill / Valley border for one of the more under rated breakfast menus in town.  SC and I have been going to Tognini's for many years and love the breakfast menu and the quality of the food.  More often than not, its pretty easy to get a table, especially on a Sunday morning.

Finding a free table inside, we sat down and ordered some drinks.  An English Breakfast tea for SC and a Raspberry and Blueberry combo smoothy for me.  The smoothies on the menu were single berry flavours, but I felt like a combo and the staff were very happy to accommodate the request.  My mixed berry smoothy was delivered in a huge glass and was just what the doctor ordered after a poor nights sleep.  Fresh, cold and delicious!

The menu had changed since SC and I were last at Togninis but there was still a great array of traditional breakfast offerings, along with some more contemporary options.  One thing I hate about some of the 'hipper' breakfast joints around Brisbane is the complete disregard for people who like simple fare, so I was very happy to see the mix on this menu.

I opted for scrambled eggs and a heap of extras, including sautéed mushrooms, chorizo slices, grilled tomato and of course bacon!  The eggs came out on a piece of sour dough and were light and fluffy with a sprinkling of chives for garnish.  I started on the sautéed mushrooms, which were full of flavour and delicious.  The chorizo was not a standard extras option, but after some negotiation with the waitress we were able to have them included.  The chorizo was sliced really really thin like chorizo chips and were quite tasty.  They were fairly mild for chorizo and married really well with the crunchy bacon, the two meaty flavours contrasting nicely.  Nicest of all were the grilled tomato, which had a slight balsamic vinegar taste to them which accentuated the tomato flavour.  The eggs were nice, but I think could have used just a little more seasoning to enhance the flavour.

Still feeling unwell, but having a boost from the English Breakfast tea, SC chose the bircher muesli with berry compote, honey yoghurt and toasted almonds.  There was a very large serving presented and SC thought there would be no way she would get through it all.  This was a fine example of bircher muesli with the grains lovely and soft and a perfect mix of the yoghurt and berry compote.  The toasted almonds added some lovely texture to the breakfast, so it didn't taste soggy.  The flavours of the breakfast blended well, with none of the flavours overpowering the other.  Surprising herself, SC ate almost all of the huge serving, so this is a sign that she is starting to feel a little better.

I'm not sure why Togninis is not recognised as a more popular breakfast destination for Brisbanites!?  SC and I have been eating there for years and have never had a bad experience.  The menu is ever changing and has a great mix for those who like a more traditional breakfast with those who like to be a little more creative when starting the day.

Tognini's has a couple of locations around Brisbane, one at Milton and a little cafe in the valley and is well known as a great delicatessen.  While it might not be the most popular spot in town you can always count on the local Valley / CBD regulars to give the place a respectable vibe, especially on a Saturday morning.  Togninis is a great spot and will continue to be one of my favourite spots to enjoy a lovely and low key breakfast.

@FoodMeUpScotty

English Breakfast tea - the pot didn't leak!!

Tognini's is a restaurant and bar as well

The delicatessen - lots of goodies on offer