Dinner for Breakfast: Ten of Melbourne’s Best

There's no single ingredient that will lead to success in the cafe business. Yet why is it that some venues have us queuing down the street just for a morning feed and coffee? Judging by Melbourne's most popular cafes of late, the secret could lie in Scandinavian interior design, succulents in old baked bean tins and logos apparently all produced by the same graphic design house.

But there's another trend emerging amongst the cafe community that has seen customers pouring through the doors: dinner items on the morning menu. None of this eggs-and-bacon or muesli business; we're talking everything from hearty breakfast burgers and burritos to sating stews, salads and souvlaki.

Shift workers and esurient eaters unite — your time for enjoying a full-on feed at sun-up has finally come.

Barry

As new kid on the Northcote block, Barry's menu manages to tick every box on the superfood catalogue. In fact, it's actually impossible to eat here without raising your energy and antioxidant levels. For those who simply can't stoop to a standard eggs benny, the cucumber and gin cured ocean trout ($17.50) should attract your immediate attention —slivers of trout are delicately draped over a pretty plate of freekeh, roasted cauliflower, pomegranate, coriander, shredded kale, and soft boiled egg.

Don't worry if you’re not a local — just follow the quinoa delivery trucks down High Street and you'll find it, no problem.

85 High Street, Northcote, (03) 9481 7623, barrycoffeeandfood.com

Tom Phat

Asian street food has little regard for our Western notion of traditional breakfast ingredients, as anyone who's adventurously attempted a morning pork sausage congee will know. At Sydney Road local Tom Phat, Uncle Ho's Brekky with grilled pork chop, crispy fried free-range egg, tomato, cucumber & rice ($16.90) serves as a saucy twist on the classic oinker-and-egg combination, taking its inspiration from a culture that refuses to play by the brekkie-brigade's draconian rulebook.

182-184 Sydney Road, Brunswick, (03) 9381 2374, tomphat.com.au

Top Paddock

Elsewhere in the world, it's not uncommon for Mexican dishes like tacos, burritos and sizzling, chargrilled meats to make up a morning meal. Back in Australia, however, we still think it's all a bit of a novelty. Nevertheless, Top Paddock have found their own trademark 'dinner for breakfast' in the pan fried local snapper with chilli-fried egg, avocado, tomato, lime and corn tortilla ($19.50). Essentially a deconstructed wrap, the dish spans the entirety of the plate like a well-seasoned performer who knows exactly how to work the stage. Extra points are awarded for the generous use of avocado, which remains refreshingly un-smashed, retaining its structural integrity.

658 Church Street, Richmond, (03) 9429 4332, toppaddockcafe.com

Third Wave

Third Wave is the kind of cafe that can be relied upon for delivering a daytime dinner. The menu is oddly comprehensive, delving into Eastern European dishes alongside American BBQ country, while still catering to the paleo crew. We're not complaining — the end result is that there's something to please everyone. Recommended: the crunchy risotto hash brown ($19.90), involving a seared mushroom and parmesan risotto hash laden with mushrooms, chorizo, tomato and poached egg.

30 Cato Street, Prahran, (03) 9510 2991, thirdwavecafe.com.au

Stalactites

The venue might not be in vogue, but Stalacities' twenty-four hour commitment to service makes it worthy of a mention. Long-time hero to hoards of hungry drunks, nurses and insomniacs, it's the kind of place where lashings of hot, spit-roasted meat are available — stuffed into a pita bread blanket — at any time of day. For breakfast it's difficult to go past the sausage souvlaki ($10.50) — a bundle of grilled spicy sausage and fried egg, wrapped in pita like a delicious gift from the Greek food Gods.

177-183 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, (03) 9663 3316, stalactites.com.au

Mixed Business

Sure, you could go for eggs any way you like 'em, but how about enjoying them as part of a Ploughman's Breakfast ($17)? This twist on the classic workers lunch combines sharp aged cheese with the acidic bite of sour pickle and the creamy, meaty savour of potted pork — all served on a platter with a soft boiled egg (which provides a token acknowledgement of the fact that this is still breakfast).

486 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill, (03) 9486 1606, mixedbusinesscafe.com

Hammer & Tong 412

What else could you expect from a cafe that employs popping candy as a key kitchen ingredient? A breakfast ramen ($15), perhaps? Comprised of confit oyster mushrooms, soy and sesame candied bacon, slow cooked egg, coriander shoots, black sesame seeds and spring onion immersed in a bacon dashi broth, this is, by all accounts, inverts typical Australian breakfast fare. Match it with a coffee from Duke's Coffee Roasters for a true breakfast/dinner mashup.

Rear 412 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, (03) 9041 6033, hammerandtong.com.au

The Grain Store

The Grain Store has secured a stronghold on the Urbanspoon popularity ranks for some time now, and for good reason. Dedicated to chemical free, organic ingredients — sourced from the cream of the crop in local producers — their dishes deviate from the typical cafe fare by a mile. For a big ballsy vegan brekkie, try cauliflower, quinoa and goji berry with pumpkin hummus, celeriac and nigella seeds ($17). Carnivores needn't be turned off by the lack of animal product either — everybody loves an ancient grain these days, and here you'll find it utilised to maximum potential.

517 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, (03) 9972 6993, grainstore.com.au

Hungry Birds

Not to be confused with the irritating (although similarly addictive) mobile game Angry Birds, Hungry Birds serve early risers with a deconstructed assembly of black beans, fresh salsa and tortillas from early morn with their chicken with mole poblano ($14.50). Interestingly, it's also Melbourne's first NBN enabled wifi cafe — so those of you who tend to spill their dinner over their laptops would be well advised to bring moist towelettes.

242 Victoria Street, Brunswick, 0401 540 872, facebook.com/hungrybirdscafe

Chez Dre

It's not the most aesthetically pleasing of dishes, but the braised mushroom ragu (19.50) at Chez Dre is a solid performer amongst those trying their best to avoid the sweets cabinet (resistance to which is futile). A medley of mushies (swiss, button and field varietals) pile atop rich, gooey parmasen polenta, finished off with a lick of truffle oil. While it could easily double as an item on the dinner menu, a poached egg is thrown in to remind us it's still morning after all.

Rear 285-287 Coventry Street, South Melbourne, (03) 9690 2688, chezdre.com.au

Barry image credit: heidiapples; Tom Phat image credit: Caroline Pankert; Top Paddock image courtesy of Sabrina and Scott from Brunch Addict; Mixed Business image credit: jasonlow21.