Blond Coffee - Angaston, South Australia

You'll find Blond Coffee situated at the corner of Murray Street and Sturt Street in Angaston, directly across the street from the Angaston Hotel.



Step inside to find plenty of space and seating.



Walk up to the counter to place your order. There's certainly no shortage of hot drinks to choose from, including coffees, T2 teas, chai lattes, and a variety of hot chocolates.



On our most recent visit, Darren went with his usual Cafe Latte (large - $4.90).



I went with the White Hot Chocolate ($4.40). I especially enjoyed the amazing froth with bubbles that continued to burst for a few minutes after arriving at the table. The flavour was impressive too, very smooth and creamy as a white hot chocolate should be.



The breakfasts at Blond are brilliant. Darren's favourite is the Blond Big Breakfast ($21.50). Seems a little pricey for breakfast but the quality and quantity is all there so it's money well spent. You get Rosie's free range eggs cooked the way you like, Mount Pleasant bacon, breakfast sausages, spinach, mushrooms, tomato & sourdough toast.



If you're looking for something smaller, go for the Scrambled Toastie ($10.50). It's filled with Rosie's free range scrambled eggs, Mount Pleasant bacon, tomato and cheddar cheese. I usually get strange looks if I ask for scrambled eggs in a breakfast sandwich, so I was delighted to find this sandwich on the menu. The cheese helped hold the egg in place so there were no problems with anything falling out.



On another visit, I was lucky enough to find this special on the menu - Blond Potato Hash, Chorizo, Cheddar Cheese & Spring Onion, topped w/a Poached Egg. The dish was delicious and refreshingly different from the usual standard bacon and egg breakfast. Specials change depending on the day so keep your eye on the specials board.



Before you leave, be sure to also check out the shop at the back of the cafe where you can buy gifts, T2 teas, and local produce such as Rosie's free range eggs and Mount Pleasant bacon.



Blond Coffee is definitely my pick for breakfast in the Barossa Valley.

L'Espresso - Ballarat, Victoria

L'Espresso in Ballarat is my absolute favourite breakfast spot in Australia. We stay in Ballarat every time on our way to Melbourne just so we can wake up and go straight to L'Espresso.



They're in one of Ballarat's cool heritage buildings on Sturt Street and there's always some smooth tunes playing from their wall of CDs. The chalkboard to the left of the entrance shows a list of new arrivals in their music collection.



This is a real cafe with all the good stuff including a coffee machine made by Faema, Italy’s number one professional espresso machine manufacturer.



The coffee, according to my cafe latte drinking hubby, is superb. Just like what you would find in some of Europe's best cafes. Smooth and delicious.



If you aren't a coffee drinker, I recommend the fresh squeezed orange juice. There's minimal pulp and the taste is absolutely perfect.



And here it is, my favourite breakfast in all of Australia! It's the Free Range Eggs (scrambled) with Bacon Tomato and Toast ($14.50). The eggs are silky smooth and perfectly cooked. The bacon is lean and tasty. The tomatoes are a deep red colour, not that pale supermarket crap, and nicely grilled with a beautiful pesto on top. The toast is fluffy turkish bread with a slight toasted crunch on the outside and soft in the middle. And oh the butter!



Or here's the Eggs Benedict ($16.50) with those grilled tomatoes, poached free range eggs, grilled ham and hollandaise sauce on an English muffin.



There are plenty of other options for breakfast too such as fritters, pancakes, lamb's fry, muesli, toast, croissants, etc. I'm sure you'll find plenty to love. L'Espresso is also open for lunch everyday, serving up traditional Italian fare like pastas and open focaccias. They're sometimes open on Friday and Saturday evenings for dinner as well. If you're in Ballarat, don't pass up the opportunity to visit L'Espresso!

Caffeteca - North Adelaide, South Australia

We've recently discovered a great little cafe hiding in Tynte Street, North Adelaide called Caffeteca. It's across the road from Perryman's Bakery.



Caffeteca feels more like a little cafe you might find in Melbourne or Sydney. Find a table and place your order at the counter.

I was keen to try the hot chocolate and it certainly didn't disappoint. I absolutely love the rich, dark, European style hot chocolate they serve up at Caffeteca. Under that milky froth is a whole lotta chocolate goodness.

Coffees are excellent quality and hard to fault. This is the Caffe Latte (large).



They also offer some great freshly squeezed juices - Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice ($5.50) or Orange Juice ($4.50). If you don't like pulp, you might want to stay away from the OJ because it's pretty chunky. I didn't mind the pulp as I felt I was getting all of the goodness of the orange without any of the work. Naturally delicious!



The serving sizes at Caffeteca are generally on the small side, but they're still great value for the price and still leave you feeling satisfied because they're so darn tasty. The Egg and Pancetta Brioche ($7.50) is probably the smallest choice but it's delicious.



If you want a slightly larger meal, go for the Breakfast Piadina ($9.90). It comes with free range scrambled eggs, fontina cheese, and crispy pancetta inside. It's divine!



The other breakfast options include piadinas, croissants, breads, fruit, muesli, porridge and they serve lunch as well. Caffeteca is open Mon-Sat 7am-4pm (closed Sundays).

Pancakes at the Port - Port Adelaide, South Australia

Ahoy me hearties...drop ye anchors at these here lonely (plate) docks and I'll tell ye a merry yarn o' some pancake treasures.



I wasn't expecting much from Pancakes at the Port because the experience generally starts with a 10-15 minute wait in line. The eftpos machine is very slow and the folks taking the orders aren't in any hurry either. The place gets pretty busy too so don't be fooled by these photos, taken just after opening at 8am. It may be wise to book a table. But be assured, you will be rewarded for your efforts when the food arrives.



There's a good amount of seating inside, a few more tables next door, and several tables outside. Here's the view from the outside tables towards Lipson Street (we usually park on Lipson Street on weekends). The outside tables are definitely a great place to sit on a nice day. You get an excellent view of the dolphin boats, the water and the lighthouse.



Believe it or not, they serve a decent coffee here. It's no trendy microbrew, but it's got plenty of flavour and it's easy to drink. Grab a complimentary paper from the front counter and have yourself a nice start to the day before you even get started on the food.


Cafe Latte (Mug $3.80)

The classic pick of the menu would have to be the Short Stack Pancakes ($7). They come with some beautiful whipped butter and a little pitcher of maple syrup. You can also get extra pancakes at $1.50 each if you prefer a slightly taller stack. I wouldn't blame you as these are by far the best pancakes I've had in Adelaide. Perfectly fluffy and full of buttermilk flavour.



If you want some extras with your cakes, there are plenty of options both sweet (such as strawberries, apples, apricots, blueberries, chocolate) and savoury. So far we've tried the German Feast ($14), which comes with a short stack, kranski sausage, bacon, egg and tomato...



...The Canadian Feast ($13.50) - short stack, bacon, egg and tomato....



...and the Farmers Breakfast ($12) - short stack, eggs, and hash browns.



All rank among the tastiest breakfasts around. Good quality ingredients, cooked well. We love the short cut bacon without all the extra fat, the eggs are eggceptional, and the hash browns aren't oily, but have a beautiful crunch on the outside.

To make it well worth your trip, go on a Mon-Sat morning before 11:30am and you can get the Big Breakfast (3 pancakes, bacon, egg, tomato, a hash brown and a free tea or coffee) for just $13. Shiver me timbers, what a bargain!


Big Breakfast ($13 with free tea or coffee)

UR Caffe - North Adelaide, South Australia

We ventured to a new cafe over the weekend. It's called UR Caffe and it's on Melbourne Street in North Adelaide.



UR Caffe is run by a young couple who recently moved to Adelaide from Sydney to start their very first cafe. It has been open for around 6 months now and business seems to be picking up. We really liked this idea of a whole wall painted black and used as a chalkboard menu. For those who prefer paper menus, they've got those too.



The guy behind the coffee machine is very serious about his coffee. He's the one who usually takes orders at the front counter as well, but those wanting to place orders while a coffee is in progress will simply have to wait. His coffee concentration pays off. Since I don't actually drink coffee myself, I got the low down from my hubby who says it's on par with the best we've had in Adelaide at Signature.


Cafe Latte (Large - $4)

Plus, they do a wickedly good White Hot Chocolate. It only comes in one size, big mug, at $4.40.



They also sell heaps of different fruit smoothies, milkshakes and teas. The owners' Thai influence comes through in quite a few areas such as: some of the drinks, the Moo Yhong (flossy pork and mild chilli jam on toast - $4.90) and the fresh fruit and salad that come with the egg breakfast meals. On our first visit the fruit and salad consisted of watermelon, lettuce, tomato and cucumber.


Bacon & Eggs ($8.90)

The Bacon & Eggs for $8.90 was a big and satisfying meal. The fresh salad and fruit also gave it a unique flair. I noticed that you can also get avocado paste spread on your toast for no extra charge. When ordering a second coffee, we also noticed a glass display case to the right of the cash register and I fell in love with the Raspberry Lamington ($4). Had to get one to go and it was divine. The sweets are all baked on site and I can definitely recommend them as a good investment.



We were impressed with the prices, the quality, and the freshness of this little cafe. We will definitely be back for more.

The Coffee Barun - Adelaide, South Australia

Our new favourite breakfast spot is The Coffee Barun on Main North Road at Sefton Park.



The car park behind The Coffee Barun is quite small and usually full so we usually park just across from it in the shopping centre car park instead. As you walk in the front door, you'll notice the large open plan kitchen/dining area and plenty of friendly staff. You can grab a bottle of cold water, the morning paper, and menus to the left of the entrance and have a seat at an empty table, or if you know what you want to order go straight up to the counter. They'll give you a white table number on a stand after you pay. You can then have a read of the newspaper and soak up the cafe atmosphere while you wait, and usually you won't have to wait long before your order arrives. There's even a small wooden train set for the kids to play with.



Coffee beans are freshly roasted on site weekly at the Coffee Barun and they're available for sale in the store along with a range of espresso machines, grinders, manual coffee makers and accessories. Coffee beans used in the cafe are rotated based on availability so you might get a slightly different flavour depending on the origin of the beans when you visit. Coffees here are consistently smooth with a good crema. Here's a Large Cafe Latte ($4).



I've had quite a few overly strong or overly sweet Chai Lattes in the past, but this one was just right. This is the Large ($4).



In addition to coffees and chai lattes, Coffee Barun also sells Belgian Hot Chocolates. This one's not as thick as the one at Bracegirdle's, but still has a nice strong Belgian chocolate flavour. It's $5 for a Large. Note: The normal hot chocolate is made with a very average chocolate powder. Definitely go for the Belgian if you want a hot chocolate here.



With a name like The Coffee Barun, you'd think the drinks would be the main attraction. However, the delicious food is what has kept me coming back. The classic breakfast of Bacon & Eggs is $11.50. Free range eggs and good quality bacon on sourdough toast. So satisfying!



Eggs Benedict fans will be pleased with the Barun Benedict ($15.50). The hollandaise sauce was slightly tangy, creamy and everything hollandaise sauce should be. The poached eggs were perfectly cooked as well.



If you're really hungry order the Barun Breakfast ($16.50). It comes with bacon, eggs, sourdough toast, sausage, tomato and mushrooms. Big and delicious!



The Coffee Barun is a great coffee shop with awesome food. The quality of ingredients and the care from staff really shines here. They're open Mon-Sat 8am-3pm and Sun 9am-1:30pm. They also serve lunch (burgers and sandwiches) from 11am to close.