Sausage passes muster, but chips flaccid and forgettable at Market Cafe.

Standard breakfast at Market Cafe

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For the average Zimbo, however, time to plan and prepare breakfast may be limited by hours spent queueing for fuel and standing in line to reach the till at the supermarket; there may be no alternative to gulping down a cup of coffee and a cold samoosa before heading to the office.

But sit down to a breakfast bowl of oats, some yoghurt and a banana, and you’ll maintain energy levels throughout the day, avoid mood swings and remain relatively serene as parallel market rates tumble and soar; by mid-morning, less well-nourished colleagues will send out for doughnuts or sausage rolls to calm their nerves and to stave off hunger pangs.

Having eaten a nutritious breakfast all week, being mindful of blood pressure and associated evils, come the weekend a full English fry- up or an umami-fest of avo and bacon on toasted sourdough bread becomes a priority for the dedicated foodie. While a number of cafes and restaurants have closed pending prevailing economic uncertainties, many remain open,their hastily adjusted menus showing relative price hikes. A few Sundays ago, George and I visited the popular Market Cafe in Sam Levy’s Village, in time for breakfast.

Waiting for a table to become free, we sat back on a blue sofa on the verandah, observing shoppers pushing their trolleys to Food Lovers’ Market or heading for the Sunday flea market a few metres away. Family groups, couples, the old, the young and the middle-aged make up the clientele at Market Cafe. A large group of bikers togged out in leather jackets and goggles were gathered for breakfast, an impressive array of Suzukis, Yamahas and Kawasakis parked outside.

Eventually a table was available, and a friendly young waiter brought us the menu. Standard breakfast of two eggs, bacon, sausage, grilled tomato and two slices of toast ($7.99) arrived promptly. Given the choice of soft, medium or well done, I asked for medium poached eggs. The generous portion of bacon was crispy and well cooked, but the poached eggs were under done and barely warm. The sausage passed muster, but the extra chips ($2.00) were flaccid and forgettable. Cappuccinos ($2.99) were watery and tepid, and tasted no better after being taken for re-heating by the obliging waiter.

Other breakfast choices included muesli, oats, waffles with bacon and bananas, avo on toast with fried eggs, and a selection of toast stacks. Anticipating a flavour hit of oregano, cumin, garlic and chilli powder, George ordered Mexican toast with mince, fried egg, cheddar cheese and coriander salsa. At the punchy price of $9.99, this had to be good. In the event, the coriander salsa was invisible, the mince tasteless, while the baked bean and melted cheese topping gave the dish a distinctly dubious and unattractive appearance.

A number of restaurants offer competitively priced breakfasts, whether for early birds on their way to work, for business executives meeting to clinch a deal or to plan strategy, or for those with all the time in the world to simply enjoy a well-made cup of coffee and a croissant in congenial surroundings.

Market Cafe comes across as a great place to meet friends, enjoy breakfast, and get the day off to a good start. In better times I’ve eaten better breakfasts at Market Cafe, but if last Sunday’s offering is as good as it gets, I’ll be stocking up on oats and bananas to eat at home. –  A Matter of Taste Charlotte Malakoff

Market Cafe
Next door to Food Lovers Market
Sam Levy’s Village, Borrowdale
Open daily
Tel: 04 853045
Comments to: cmalakoff@gmail.com