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Canberra Today 27°/29° | Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Dining / When eggs go amiss

THE buzz around the Kingston Foreshore continues, with new food places opening up in steady succession. Recently? La Rustica and Local Press Wholefood Café on The Promenade and, underneath the Dockside development facing Eastlake Parade, Paleo Perfection Espresso Bar and Mrs Sackville.

It was a Saturday and off we went to Mrs Sackville for breakfast.

Wendy Johnson.
Wendy Johnson.
The décor is eclectic, with a range of furniture that crosses decades, including a grey laminate table circa 1950s, and a peculiar assortment of decorating items scattered about the place. There’s a huge stainless steel fridge to the left as you walk in (which made me wonder if I was in a takeaway joint), kids toys and other paraphernalia that all up looked, well, just messy. It’s an oddity in an area that prides itself on being pretty upmarket and hip.

The menu at this “tea room” isn’t extensive and we took straight away to the blackboard specials of Spanish eggs and chorizo ($16) and organic ham hock hash topped with a free range egg ($16). All eggs and chicken are free range at Mrs Sackville and the bacon and egg organic, lightly smoked and nitrate free. It sounded like a good beginning.

After ordering coffees (note: this is a light blend of organic fair-trade coffee so if you need some kick in the morning, as I do, best to order a double shot) we ordered our meals and watched the world go by.

The ham hock dish was smoky and a generous serve. It was piping hot and the combination of flavours intense and interesting.

One serve of Spanish eggs hit the mark. Mine missed terribly, however. The eggs were not cooked – indeed, were partly raw when served – and had to be returned. After waiting another fairly long time they came back to the table overcooked, with hard yolks, one egg an unattractive dark brown on top, and the whites rubbery. It was too frustrating to cope so I gave up, returned the dish, and concentrated on the toast instead, gently refusing the offer of substitute poached eggs.

Other items on the breakfast menu include English-style scrambled eggs, which you can order with black pudding, smoked salmon, bacon or tomatoes (start at $12). French toast is available ($12), as are rosti and eggs ($14), beans on toast ($14) and a homemade toasted muesli with Greek yoghurt and fruit ($9).

The staff are lovely at Mrs Sackville and earnest in approach. There were a lot of apologises for what went wrong, which is fine, and staff accepted the refusal to pay for my meal in the end, which is fine. What isn’t fine is that I had to come home for breakfast.

Mrs Sackville takes cash only.

Open Wednesday to Friday for breakfast and lunch (till 3pm) and on weekends from 9.30am to 3pm. 21 Eastlake Parade, Kingston Foreshore.

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Wendy Johnson

Wendy Johnson

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