Coffee Breakfast

Dukes: Perfect poached eggs and amazing bacon at this great Melbourne venue. Photograph: /Anna Spargo-Ryan

Thirty years ago, Melburnians in search of a weekend breakfast that wasn’t Vegemite on toast or nanna’s soft-boiled egg would open their pantry doors and start cooking. Today they're just as likely to open their front doors and leave the cooking to someone else. The city's breakfast and brunch lovers are part of a crowd that has grown so large and excitable – or has such a short attention span – it warrants new cafe openings every week. And not just in North Carlton. This tendency to breakfast spreads far and wide.

Melbourne has long had an affair with iconic food. Based on the wistful stories of those looking back through a fug of nostalgia, in the 1940s children lived primarily on South Melbourne market dim sims, hot jam donuts and drunken kebabs with extra garlic sauce. When my own children were born, a man in a black turtleneck immediately served them a single origin piccolo. And there are clear differences between the­ compass points. South of the river (“the posh side”), we like rosti and smashed avocado. North of the river (“the side with couches outdoors”) we like vegetarian stacks and beetroot relish. As with most things in Melbourne, breakfast is complicated.

Now, in 2013, civilised people are often forced to wait an hour for a table at their local brewhouse. So why do we do it? For most of us, breakfast is a social experience. We take our mates along to our favourite places, and we brag about how we were the ones to discover them. We huddle over a golden crema with our multiple scarves and jackets and we bond in our secret pre-9am world.

In my travels around town for the breakfast blog I share with Robyn Box, I’ve eaten duck liver, blood pudding and eggs cooked at exactly 62.5 degrees. I’ve flirted with baristas, battled tiny plastic stools and cried into inhumanly wonderful pancakes. These are my standouts.

Dukes: a triumph of textures in this avocado, egg, bacon and dukkah breakfast. Photograph: /Anna Spargo-Ryan

What’s better than bacon baked in honey and sugar? Nothing. Much as I pretend to deliberate over the menu, I know full well there is only one dish for me: avocado hummus toast with poached eggs, honey-candied bacon and dukkah. Texture is the star here: smooth avocado puree, eggs round like moons, shimmering bacon, sandy dukkah. The quality of ingredients is excellent: dark yolks, chewy bread and fresh greenery. All in a space that feels welcoming without being too cosy. Long may it continue.

Don’t let the homonymous name fool you – this place is rich in deliciousness and spirit. The menu is darling. Dishes are named with hilarious puns and have intriguing mixtures of flavours. If you’re the protein-grubbing type, choose the deep fried poached eggs with chorizo and feta and have a mouth party. If you sit on the vege side, opt for the Smash and Grab – bruschetta of smashed avo, marinated Danish feta, rocket, slow roasted tomatoes and balsamic reductions.