This morning I very unexpectedly had the best low FODMAP breakfast I’ve eaten so far at a little cafe in Balmain/Rozelle called Hangry.
Their menu has a bit of a Middle Eastern slant – breakfast tagines, dukkah crusted items, falafel, etc. I was actually expecting to just order some kind of regular breakfast fare, and ask for it without bread. Lo and behold I see the Vegetarian Breakfast on their specials menu. Instead of bread, it was on some baked olive polenta – win! It included poached eggs with dukkah, sautéed spinach, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, feta and pesto oil. I opted to swap out the mushrooms for some bacon.
Look at it! I can eat all of it! (Sorry for the crap Android quality photo – I wasn’t expecting to be doing a cafe review this morning!)
I was quite impressed with the fact they changed up the presentation to stack the bacon with the rest of the meal, rather than just chucking it on the side like a lot of places would do. The only thing you can’t see is the polenta at the bottom of the stack. I was actually in two minds about that – when I have baked polenta, I much prefer it crispy/crunchy, sort of like a giant beer-battered chip. Because this was on the bottom of the stack, it was more on the soggy side.
Other than that small criticism though, it was perfect. The eggs with the dukkah were a fantastic combo (note: dukkah is made using pistacios which are a no-no food, so it should be eaten in moderation – I’ve actually made my own version of dukkah before using almonds, sesame seeds, peanuts and cashews – really great as a crust on a lamb fillet – I should make it again and do a post about it – ANYHOO). I’m a massive sucker for tomatoes, feta and pesto together. The bacon was cooked perfectly – I’m a fan of crispy bacon, and the strips were all crispy.
I wish I had taken a photo of the menu, as their website is currently under construction, and I can’t remember if any of the other items were completely low FODMAP friendly. I’m pretty sure most items were served with ‘crusty bread’, so perhaps you could make a special request to swap it with the baked polenta. Although considering the polenta was part of the ‘specials’ menu, this may not be possible. Hey, Hangry, if you read this, make the Vegetarian Breakfast Special a permanent menu item!
Will definitely return if I’m in the area again. From the other reviews on Urbanspoon, it seems they cater to lots of different diets – gluten free, vegan, vego, etc.
