i made a slight detour to little peacock in brunswick the other morning on my way to work. the café commands an expansive and open space on the ground floor of an apartment building just off sydney road and close to brunswick train station. the interior is gorgeous and open – with beautiful timber panelling, fresh flowers, a substantial front counter and a communal bench that makes an envious mobile-office space.

the menu offers an enticing selection of weekend brunch items including ‘smoked salmon + herb omelette, charred corn, bacon + poached eggs on sourdough’, a ‘medley of sautéed mushrooms, pumpkin puree, cauliflower rice, sesame oil + soy beancurd crisps’ and a drool-worthy ‘pulled pork, potato rosti, semi-dried tomato, creamed spinach, poached eggs, hollandaise + sourdough’ combo that… if it had been closer to midday than 8am, would’ve been calling my name.

alas, given it was early and the fact that i needed to be able to concentrate rather than nap from a food-coma, i opted for the:

creamy coconut millet porridge with pistachio, palm sugar caramel + spiced poached pear

this is exactly what you want a porridge to be. humble, wholesome + hugely delicious! the poached pear was rich with cinnamon +  cardamom spices and the palm sugar wasn’t overpowering. i quite like the texture you get from a millet porridge – nicer than a quinoa and just as creamy as an oats.. and bonus that it is also a gluten-free alternative. my only observation would be that i would’ve loved a small jar of milk or cream, or a dollop of mascarpone on top to make this just that extra bit creamy.

little peacock serve up where’s marcel coffee – a blend i’m familiar with from their flagship lonsdale st store (thanks to my addiction to oregano scrolls). my flat white was on point and perfectly poured.

service was consistent throughout the morning – friendly, attentive and customer-focused. overall, an exceptional experience. their facebook page boasts a focus of ‘simply good food and good coffee’. i think with a focus like that, you can’t go wrong! i definitely need to come back to try a few more dishes… thanks so much for having me guys!

verdict: trying only one dish is not enough! revist definitely required!
find: https://www.facebook.com/littlepeacockbrunswick?fref=ts

(n.b. inlovewithbrunch dined as a guest of pepe saya and little peacock, however all thoughts are honest and genuine)