The Mystery Muncher joins the Wild Brunch
By the Mystery Muncher
Us proud Brits invented the Full English but don’t do it well anymore. The Italians and French gave us the lovely long lunch but don’t have the time any more. The Mystery Muncher’s current favourite eating opportunity is brunch. No, not the US original with 2,000 calories, steroid-packed meat and jam on top – I’m talking about the southern hemisphere evolution, which is a very different kettle of eggs.
NZ and Australia now have chefs who treat classics like Eggs Florentine or Eggs Benedict with proper respect, using high quality ingredients and care. You don’t have to be a great chef to do this but you do have have to cook everything fresh and not be afraid to experiment…
Dunedin in New Zealand is not renowned for its gourmet customers but the Nova Cafe in the city does brunch as well as anyone and they’re not afraid to add wild salmon or anything else that’s deliciously local. The Harbour Cafe in Sydney is another tasty place to visit at around 11am, and there are many other examples I could quote but none of them are in the UK.
One of the MM’s favourite Kiwi haunts was Nova Cafe in Dunedin
The other great advantage of brunch for the Mystery Muncher is that drinking is almost mandatory. A delightful sparking Kiwi such as Nautilus or Cloudy Bay’s finest makes everything flow into lunchtime beautifully.
Come on you enterprising English restaurateurs, ride to the rescue of good mid-morning food and join the Wild Brunch. It could be the tastiest choice on the range.
