fizzmeup

Time is being a little bit tricksy lately (and by lately, I mean pretty much throughout this entire year), so I decided I’m going to cheat it a little and tell you about our next two brunch venues at once. Say what?! Look at me being all naughty… And right before Christmas too! Crazy.

The Great Summer Brunch Off of 2012/2013 (week 2) saw The Cat come out strong with his opening bid in the competition – The Pantry in Hawthorn. A 50′s style cafe on a luscious tree-lined suburban street with beautiful works of art on the walls and a hipster maitre d all combine to make me wonder how on earth I didn’t know about this place previously! Breakfast quesadilla’s on the specials board, delicious cinnamon spiced French toast on the standard menu, tasty coffee in my mouth, and the prettiest ever lisianthus on the counter all combine to make me wonder how quickly I can get back there! To The Cat I say, well played Sir, well played.

However…

… When someone with a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and a Certificate III in Pastry opens a cafe in North Adelaide, attention must be paid, and brunch off competitors must take heed. UR Cafe on Melbourne Street is a dear little place with exposed brick walls, a grandfather clock drawn in chalk, and colourful, modern furniture combined with rustic wooden tables. Fizz and Cat alike dove head-first into plates full of delicious baked salmon, poached eggs with hollandaise sauce, and spinach, served with a wedge of orange that made for much fun and orange smiles after the meal. It’s the small things… But speaking of orange, did I mention UR’s tangelo coffee? A finely brewed latte with a slice of orange peel in the cup to add an especially pleasing bitter edge to the drink. Not being a fan of citrus, The Cat opted for a latte that came served with white chocolate bits in the bottom. He declares that it was quite amazing – especially at the end!

Fizz – 1 + extra points for unusual coffee. The Cat – 1 + extra points for amazing art work on the walls

So we were out at a friend’s 30th last month when we got onto the subject of great places to have brunch here in Adelaide. I flicked my hair knowingly and relayed how I had recently discovered a couple of amazing new locals. He peered at me over the top of his black-rimmed spectacles and spouted that he knew of at least a half a dozen amazing places that would hold their own in a brunch off challenge, if there were ever to be such a thing. Not more than three point eight seconds after his figurative glove smacked my rosy-red cheek did we have detailed plans to meet on the very first Sunday of December to commence “The Great Summer Brunch Off of 2012/2013“.

The challenge was kicked off in magnificent style with brunch venue #1, my favourite local – Plant 13. With “mastermind/creator” Cole Thomas, who was the first person to ever levitate food at the dinner table, and head chef Chad Fedele, who has previously worked at amazing Adelaide venues such as Mesa Lunga and La Guillotine, it was nigh on impossible for my first brunch offering to be anything other than divine. The long macchiatos were smooth and velvety, his apple pie smoothie was a pleasure to his taste buds, and my “orange frothie” was both orange, and frothie! (Not to mention, delicious and refreshing). Drinks in jars with striped straws aside, my Plant 13 sampler plate was a slider-fan’s drool-worthy dream, and his order of soft eggs with ham, hollandaise, and house made crumpets disappeared in record time with much oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over the delicacy of the eggs and the generosity of the hollandaise gods in the kitchen.

The Great Summer Brunch Off of 2012/2013 has commenced!

Fizz – 1, The Cat – 0.