I have been a little bit slack with my posts lately.  My sister texted me a few days ago to so eloquently inform me that my last post was on the 8th of January!  Shock!  Horror!  Who would have thought?!  But seriously a girl has to work and I just haven’t been able to get a quiet minute with my laptop.  That’s not to say that I haven’t been eating out though.  On our latest quest to find a new breakfast spot following recent disappointing meals at two close-by but unnamed establishments MS and I rolled on into local haunt Caffiend.  Tucked down the arcade and facing onto the graffiti filled alley way Caffiend is cool, relaxed and very Melbourne-esque.  On a wet and drizzly Saturday afternoon Caffiend was only about half full but I’m pretty sure we arrived not long after the rush of the market-going diners.  No complaints here.

We perused both the breakfast and lunch menu since it was 12.30pm but neither of us had had breakfast as yet so we opted for the breakfast options.  Again, being a big, hungry man MS opted for the closest thing to a Big Breakfast on the menu – The Morning Glory which consisted of Two Poached Eggs, Streaky Bacon, Slow Roast Pumpkin, Oven-Dried Tomato, Crunchy Chat Potatoes, Rocket Salad for AU$17.90.  Having only recently discovered omelettes (up until about 4 months ago I thought that omelettes were horrible, nasty things full of onion and capsicum – oh how wrong I was) I chose the Basil and Goats Cheese Omelette with Roma Tomato and Sourdough Toast for AU$13.90, along with a side of Chilli Jam for an extra AU$3.  In the meantime our coffees arrived (it was goooooood coffee) and our attentive waitress bought us a jug of water and some glasses.  Our breakfasts took just a little bit longer than desired to arrive but in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t too long.  In the meantime we drank our coffees, admired the graffiti art and read the ‘Letters to the Editor’ in The Weekend Post.

On arrival of our meals we inspected the two poached eggs on MS’ plate.  More often than not I am disappointed with overcooked poached eggs.  As I have said in previous posts poached eggs should have runny yoke, not hard boiled yolk (that’s my opinion anyway).  The eggs were perfectly poached… HALLELUJAH!  The Roast Pumpkin and Crunchy Chat Potatoes provided something different to the meal and gave it a bit more pizazz rather than the usual Big Breakfast staples like Baked Beans and a greasy Chipolata.

Morning Glory – 2 Poached Eggs, Streaky Bacon, Slow Roast Pumpkin, Oven-Dried Tomato, Crunchy Chat Potatoes, Rocket Salad (AU$17.90)

The Omelette was always going to be a winner with me, mostly because it had lots of yummy goats cheese on it (my new favourite cheese) but also because it was cooked to perfection and the Chilli Jam was the perfect accompaniment.  According to the menu the Chilli Jam is made in house and although you only get a small dish of it that is all you need because it certainly has a bit of bite to it.  Much more than the Chilli Jam I knock up at home anyway.  The omelette was light and fluffy and a generous size despite how the picture may appear below.

Basil and Goats Cheese Omelette, Roma Tomato and Sourdough Toast (AU$13.90) with a side of Chilli Jam (AU$3)

Caffiend is a funky little out of the way cafe that is definitely worth dropping into even if it’s just for a coffee to enjoy with the secondhand book you just purchased in the arcade.  The staff are friendly, the coffee is made with love, the food is delish, the goats cheese is plentiful and there is a huge graffiti art of a girl with no top on right outside in the alleyway.  What more could you want with your breakfast?  A word of warning though: Be careful of the slippery floors if it’s been raining.

Caffiend

5/78 Grafton St, Cairns QLD 4870

Ph: (07) 4051 5522

Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 7.30am-2pm, All day breakfast, Lunch 12pm-2pm