The Brunch Bunch

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Brunches - sometimes the everlasting kind - are having a bit of a moment and in Subiaco, there are some brilliant purveyors of the most relaxed meal of the day.

WORDS | Gail Williams

HERE’S A SIMPLE little recipe for happiness.

Take one chilled champagne flute, pour in some bubbles – Prosecco or Champagne – and add a squirt of freshly squeezed orange. Lift. Sip. Smile.

It’s the Mimosa way to nirvana and it’s become the perfect start to the day on a certain corner in Subi where a restaurant named after the famous drink is doing a roaring trade in bottomless brunches. Every day of the week, it’s not hard to spot. Just look out for the helium-filled balloons, tiaras, wedding veils and sashes.

Mimosa’s owners – Sarah and Sven Sander who also own Tiisch restaurant in the city – have tapped into a trend that started in major hotels in cities like Singapore and Hong Kong and it’s fast catching on in Perth.

When their Milkd cafe in Subiaco got a bar licence they decided on a complete revamp and a change of name to introduce a more restauranttype feel to the prominent corner site with outdoor seating for 28.

Add the offer of unlimited bubbles, Bloody Marys, wine and beer – along with an appetiser and main course for $59 per person - and Mimosa is onto a winner with the venue booked out solidly.

Manager Noemi Saggesie says the brunches – which include a choice of banana pancakes, braised beef cheeks, salmon and eggs benedict and avocado toast – are popular for birthday celebrations, hen's parties and baby showers. And she admits that some of the customers are so enthusiastic that the staff have to gently remind punters about responsible service of alcohol.

“We have had some people asking

TUCK IN Opposite, Mimosa's bottomless brunch is as pretty as a picture. Above and below, Be Free Organics redefines the organic brunching experience.

for three drinks at a time” she says. “We politely inform them of the rules which are one drink per person at one time.”

Mimosa’s not the only kid on the block either. Wander down Hay Street on a Saturday morning and you’ll find Hangout on Hay is also offering bottomless brunches at $39 per person with unlimited Mimosas over a 90-minute period. Food choices include plenty of moppingup foods along with zucchini fritters, eggs benedict, steak sandwiches and grilled cheese toasties.

It has been a great boon for an area in Subiaco that has seen little foot traffic recently. Kirap Sachdeva, the venue manager, says the idea has been a hit with patrons of the nearby gyms who see the bubbles as a reward for a workout.

Things are a little more abstemious at Tastings but faithful regulars don’t need the lure of alcohol to get them through the door. They rock up on a daily basis – some of them not till 3pm – to order the Big Breakfast which is cooked lovingly by the part owner George Doropoulos and is the stuff of local legend.

“It has bacon, eggs, fried tomato, onion and beef sausages,” says Bill, his brother, who is often seen waiting on tables out the front to local Subi identities such as former mayor, Tony Costa, entertainment icon Bob Maher and former football champion Bill Dempsey.

They go as much for the $15 omelettes as the Silvana coffee which many regulars say is the best in the suburb.

Like Bill and George, this place remains as unpretentious as the day it opened 23 years ago.

“We love our customers and we treat them all the same,” says Bill.

Subiaco being the diverse suburb it is, means there’s something for everyone. A legion of health fiends are also experiencing the natural high of an all-day brunch thanks to the purity of dishes at Be Free Organics.

Owners, Caillan and Alessia Richards witness many a beatific smile on the face of a customer hoeing into smashed avo on toast made from Abhi’s charcoal bread, washed down with a Big Red smoothie, kombucha or probiotic water.

“People often ask us what we do differently with our smashed avo,” says Caillan. “We don’t really

BESST MEAL OF THE DAY Opposite, Hangout on Hay (inset and this page), and Mimosa, have perfected brunch. This page, below, Tastings serves some of the best coffee in Subiaco. Right, the smashed avo at Be Free Organics is sensational.

do anything differently but it is in the certified organic ingredients. We also do a vegetarian feta which tastes better than the non vegetarian one.”

The beauty of this zen environment is that you can also pick up a few essentials on the way out. As well as offering organic skin care and body products there are fresh fruit and veg, cleaning products and non-dairy cheeses.

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