Race, Brunch, Repeat

Brown Sugar, Bondi Beach (3 May 2015)

Monday, May 04, 2015

What makes a post-run, 4-egg generously seasoned omelette with a tantalising dribble of smoked fish on top so special? Make-able at home and best enjoyed on the couch in track pants.

This is why I left Brown Sugar mildly disappointed - restaurant prices for DIY comfort food. My stomach was satisfied, my card balance was not.

Today's lesson is beware the devil in eggs on toast - it carries many disguises. At least this is reinforced by fresh vegetables and cured proteins. Four at the table means good scope for dish swaps.

I reason that sharing a Mixed Platter gives excellent diversification benefits. Minimal dud order risk.

Breakfast platter - vegetables, quinoa, hash, eggs on za'atar toast

$22 for a single, $40 for double ... retail selling 101 and by the wife's shopping logic, this is a buy one get the second 20% off! A relative bargain, so to speak.

A highly enjoyable royal rumble of six quality elements. Quinoa stands tall and cute bits of cauliflower roasted in spice plus crunchy almond flakes will turn any meat lover.

Pickled red cabbage was delicious

Produce is not overworked; so important. Maccas worked out long ago that fried potato is a crowd pleaser; the kitchen does well to copy this mantra. 8/10 effort but not worth dwelling upon.

Onion and Mushroom Bialy - a dyslexic mouthful.

Onion and mushroom bialy with smoked trout, poached egg salmon roe & lemon butter - $18

Ultra thick succulent mushrooms with smoked trout drenched in egg yolk is powerful indeed.

Call it what you want, but this is a premium bagel juiced up with steroidal use of trout. The visual reminds me of a queen sized blanket covering a single mattress.

Smoked trout with perfectly poached egg

In 2012 I accidentally ran the NY Road Runners 18 mile race, I merged a free giant bagel at the finish with store bought salmon. This combo was eaten on a bench in Central Park Manhattan - net cost $3 plus 2.5 hours running pain. My benchmark experience, pun intended!

Today's bagel delivered similar happiness but cost 6x.

Lorie's poor choice in Asparagus & Parmesan Eggs undermines 8 years of hard earned respect from me and one week of miserable packed lunches.

Asparagus and parmesan eggs wiith jamon serrano on toast - $22

Jamon serrano was a bore: dry, no-value add and remarkably similar to the Domino's pizza topping. Here we have a $22 standard-issue eggs on toast oiled up in pancetta and four asparagus spears. Wow.

My fanatical pursuit of value reflects a tasty yet forgettable feed.

- Food - 8/10 - loved the use of oils, spices and smoked meats to enrich egg-brunch staples.
- Value - 6/10 - unacceptable prices with a score reflecting my view on Bondi property prices.

- Other - 7/10 - highly efficient staff, fairly long-wait.
- Overall - 7.5/10 - hard to ignore the value drag.

Brown Sugar is not worth a visit for non-locals. It's the same owners as my #3 pick Lox Stock & Barrel but the bistro-feel makes this the ugly sister. The killer is the deadly combo of menu name over exuberance, silly pricing and wait times.