places for breakfast – Sunshine Coasting

There’s something about Woombye. It feels a lot like Bangalow (in the Byron hinterland) did before it was Bangalow and got all quirky hipster fashionable. (As an aside, I still love Bangalow). Anyways, Woombye, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, feels a little like that – full of potential and possibility. As if it’s yet to be discovered.

As we’re sitting down eating our breakfast on a Saturday morning, a couple of horses (with riders) go clomping up the main street. It’s all part of the charm of this town.

Speaking of charm, Winnie has it in spades. Operating out of a simply white-washed shopfront, fabulous breakfasts are somehow produced from what looks to be the smallest kitchen in history. I’m exaggerating, of course, about the kitchen size, not the fabulousness of the breakfasts.

I was torn between the avo smash, the Japanese style cabbage pancake, and the black rice porridge with ginger syrup, grilled bananas and hung yoghurt. Waiting at the counter to order the avo smash I saw a plate of the black rice go out – and changed my mind on the spot.

Hubby stuck with the sourdough and home-made jam (which he declared was excellent), but we’ll be back to try more. Update January 2018 – yep, back again…this time had the avo with radish, feta, micro herbs on sourdough. Just how pretty does it look?

Oh, and the name? Winnie is named after the owner’s son, Winston. They also have Little Boat at Marcoola (on my list to try) – which is named after her other son, Otus, or Oatey Boatie. Too cute…as are the straw umbrellas – which I’m now coveting.

Where:

13a Blackall St, Woombye

When:

Weds – Fri 6.30-2.30 /Sat & Sun 6.30-1.30

How much? $

All dishes are below $20. The smashed avo is $15.

Licensed?

I don’t know about you, but if I’m going out for breakfast I want something a little, well, different to what I’d get at home – and I say that acknowledging that my husband makes a flipping good brekky and an even better avo smash. I don’t want overpriced avo smash, or, worse, overpriced avo smash that’s been smeared rather than piled onto the bread. Speaking of which, I don’t want overpriced, smeared avo smash on badly toasted, ordinary bread. Nor do I want my eggs rubbery, the decor sterile or the menu boring.

No, when I have breakfast out, I want breakfast the way that it’s intended to be: somewhere a tad quirky, served with a sunny smile-up, and a menu that has you considering your options. It’s even better in a place that only locals know about. See how I just slipped that in? Even though we’re still officially summer people, we will be locals in just a few weeks…

Anyways, The Velo Project is all that with a side of vintage and fabulous coffee.

There’s a lot to look at here – something in every corner. If you can drag your view away from the bits and pieces, the menu – presented in vintage encyclopaedias – is worth consideration over a cup of excellent caffeine presented in the type of china I’m trying to get rid of at the moment.

‘See,’ my husband said, ‘vintage china is really in at the moment.’

‘Perhaps, but do we need that much of it?’

‘We threw out the souvenir teaspoons, didn’t we?’

The thing about vintage china and nik-naks is that they look great in a semi-industrial space (this used to be an old mechanics/ garage) in a place where nothing matches, nothing is trying to match, and everything (including the menu) feels young and vital. In any other circumstance, it just looks old. Here it works.

As for the food? I somehow managed to resist the urge to try the eggs benny (next time – although with four different varieties, I could try a different one each visit) and went instead for the avo smash – as did Ms T. Served on good ciabatta, the avo is mixed with fresh red onion, roasted garlic, corn, lemon juice and piled high with fresh herbs – I suspect from the garden out the back. At $17 it’s a little pricier than some, but kept us going through a harrowing morning of real estate agents and open homes.

Hubby went for house made toasted banana, macadamia and date bread served with mascarpone and orange cardamon syrup ($10.50). It looked beautiful and tasted even better than that.

This place gets super busy on weekends, but there are some tables out the back too – where the herb garden is. The menu is also jam-packed with smoothies, enough varieties of coffees and teas to make even a Melbourne-ite proud (turmeric, ginger & honey brewed on coconut milk or dandelion latte anyone?) and plenty of options for the too young to drink coffee crew.

The Velo Project is located off the Esplanade, a few streets behind Mooloolaba Beach at 19 Careela St. It’s open 7am-3pm 7 days a week and is well worth seeking out…