Melbourne breakfasts are 
some of the best in the world. Why? Well, believe it or not, it is a subject I have given considerable thought to as we work our way around the world indulging ourselves in great food, and I have three reasons: variety, originality and freshness.
There is some serious thought and effort that goes into breakfast menus in Melbourne. Fusion, which is a food description I don’t use often, is a big part of what makes breakfast so good. Using that multicultural influence from all over the world, Melbourne has taken some classic global breakfast (or “brekkie” as Australians like to shorten it to) favorites and made it their own.
Looking for a good bagna couda sauce with brekkie? Try Proud Mary’s in Collingwood. How about a great potato rosti with poached eggs and salmon? (Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder) A twist on baked eggs? How about baked eggs with sweet and sour roasted peppers and black pudding? (Demitri’s Feast, Swan St, Richmond) What about grilled kippers with horseradish butter, poached eggs and leafy greens? (Birdman Eating, Fitzroy) You get the picture!
And it’s not just Australians that think this about Melbourne breakfasts. Check out this article from the New York Times about how Australian cafes are making an impact in New York.
Well one of our favorites, and a classic Australian brekkie is avocado smash with poached eggs. It is pretty common on the menus of Aussie cafes. When we were in London we were wandering by a cafe, looking for a good coffee, on the way to the Tube and we passed a cafe with a chalkboard outside advertising avocado smash! We were there! Sure enough it was owned by an Australian, the coffee was great too. And we had to laugh as there were a lot of Aussie expats in there too! They even served the Australian breakfast classic, vegemite on toast. (We’ll come back to vegemite in a minute.)
We recommend trying the goat’s toast (goat’s curd, roasted beetroot relish, avocado smash, a poached egg and green herbs on seeded toast) and if that’s not enough you can order an optional side of bacon. This is available at the Farm Cafe at the Collingwood Children’s Farm. It is an excellent version of avocado smash to try during your Melbourne visit.
Before we move onto our version of avocado smash, let’s talk about vegemite. You may have heard of it in “Land Down Under” by Men at Work, you know the line “give me a vegemite sandwich”. Vegemite is a spread used on bread or toast. It is a very dark brown/black color, salty, savory in taste and made from the brewer’s yeast remaining after the making of beer (very high in B Vitamins). Sound good?
Australian’s love it, most visitors hate it (but I know at least one American that absolutely loves it now)! Some tips, if you try it, use it sparingly. Butter the bread first and let that melt, then thinly and sparingly spread the vegemite. You can order it with melted cheese as well and this helps “soften” the taste for first timers! Try it, you might like it! Anyway, Australia has a ton of other breakfast options if it is not to your liking.
So back to avocado smash. We love this breakfast and it is a staple in our house, even when we travel. It is gluten-free, paleo friendly and overall pretty healthy. You can make your own version to suit your own taste. Use our recipe to get you started, then experiment.
More Gourmet Breakfasts
If you are looking for some more gourmet breakfasts to try from different parts of the world, here are a few that might get your interest:
Swiss potato rosti makes a very classy breakfast. Simply grated potato cakes which you can eat plain or topped with your favorite breakfast ingredients.
Strapatsada, Greek scrambled eggs is an easy one pot dish featuring tomatoes gently cooked in olive oil. Food in Crete was a delight and this dish exhibits why.
Another one pot dish for those with hearty appetites is Turkish poached eggs. One of our go-to breakfasts featuring spinach, feta and sausage.
| Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time |
| 2people | 5minutes | 4minutes |
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2people | 5minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 4minutes |
- 2 slices sliced bread good quality (if not paleo)
- 1 clove garlic halved lengthways (if not paleo)
- 2 tomatoes thickly sliced, seasoned with salt & pepper
- 4 eggs fresh and at room temperature
- Avocado Smash
- 1 avocado ripe, cut in half, seed removed
- 1 tsp salt, ground sea
- 1 tsp black pepper, ground
- 2 ozs goat's milk feta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp LSA crushed linseed (flaxseed), sunflower seeds and almonds, optional*
- 1 squeeze lemon juice or lime juice
|
Ingredients
Servings: people
Units:
|
- If your eggs are refrigerated, take them out to warm up to room temperature at least 30 minutes before poaching. 2/3 fill a deep pan with water and bring to the boil.
- In the meantime, make the avocado smash. Scoop out the avocado flesh and place in a bowl. Add the sea salt, black pepper, goat's cheese, olive oil and LSA (if using) and lemon or lime juice. Mash with a fork until well combined. Set aside.
- If you are not paleo and desire a slice of toast, toast or grill your bread. When it is done, rub the toast with the cut garlic.
- When the water in the pan boils, crack the eggs and carefully drop them into the water. When the water comes back to the boil, turn off the heat and cook for a further 3 minutes (4 minutes if extra large). The eggs should be slightly runny.
- Place the toast on the plate (if using) and top with tomato slices. Place the avocado smash on top of the tomato and using a slotted spoon, place the poached eggs on top. Season with salt and pepper.
*The LSA gives the avocado smash a slightly, nutty taste and provides great fibre. LSA is extremely common in Australia and other countries and is starting to appear in the USA. Look for it in a good health foods store.
Howie Fox
WOAH! So super quick and easy to prepare and so deliscious at the same time. Plus low carb, for some people a must as well 😉
I like!
Editor
Thanks for your comment Howie. I think the avocado smash ticks all of the health boxes.
Lara Dunning
I so have to try this!! The US doesn’t use avocado enough-seems like its always being made into dip. I’ve been making avocado toast with coconut oil, but this sounds even better. Thanks for sharing. Looks like I’ll have lots of great choices in Australia.
Editor
Hi Lara. I agree that there is more to avocado than guacamole dip. We love it and the LSA (Linseed – Flaxseed in the US, Sunflower, Almonds) mix gives it some additional fibre and taste. LSA is sold everywhere in Australia. Here is a link to another person’s blog on the recipe to make LSA at home.
Mary
I’ve never seen an avocado smash before (although avocado toast is all the rage here in the U.S.). What a great breakfast!
Editor
Thanks for your comment Mary. Avocado on toast is great. There are just a few additional ingredients in the avocado smash.
Melissa @ Cilantro and Citronella
Love the simplicity, and I love any breakfast that has garlic in it!
Editor
Thanks Melissa. Yes the garlic is a nice touch!
Marie
Never heard of this before, but I love avocados, and this sounds like a wonderful breakfast. 🙂
Editor
Give it a go Marie. Very quick to make and once you have made it you will keep coming back to it. Thanks for your comment.
Ange
As a Native of this fair city a big hi five for your review of great brekkie venues around town!
Avocado smash is DIVINE – you must try it with a scrape of vegemite on the toast – yummy! Vegemite & Tomato and Vegemite & Avocado are my favourite combinations.
Editor
Ange, More to come all month on Melbourne. And I am going to try it with Vegemite! Thanks for the tip
Regina
I heard if the amazing breakfast or even general food choices at Australian cafe’s. My husband lives! for breakfast! We are traveling in Asia right now, but if we make it to Australia from here, Melbourne breakfast is on the list. Until then I have your wonderful recipe 😉
Editor
Regina, Lots more on Melbourne coming this month. Follow along you will learn some more about the food culture. It is one of the best cities we know for food! Seriously!
Farida
Avocado fresh is really one of the best tastes, glad you have it in Australia. In Jordan its very expensive, when I get my hand on some, I’m gonna make these!
Editor
Farida, Yes we have been amazed how expensive avocados can be some places we travel. I am sure you do some great fruit in Jordan though. We would love to visit there and learn about the food.
Sarah
This looks great! I love guacamole and any other recipe with avocados but the addition of goat cheese and a poached egg has be drooling!
Editor
Sarah, the goats cheese makes it really creamy! And poached eggs are great with anything! Making it at home is like you went to a restaurant.
Fiona Moore
Would love some sourdough with that 😉
Editor
Hi Fiona, thanks for your comment. Truth be known, we usually have avocado smash with grilled toast. Try rubbing raw garlic over the cooked toast, you’ll love it.