Okay, this post is going to reveal how dedicated I am to this all this food blogging business. See, I have developed a fascination with a certain cafe that has a fabulous autumn breakfast menu. And I have made it my mission to work my way through it - to have everything at least once (…or twice, in some cases ;-), before they move to their winter menu. And goddangit if I ain’t gonna do it too!

So why do I keep returning? Could it be for the absolutely amazing spanish milk rice with cinnamon and orange infused raisins? Go on, look, it is pictured above. When I get this I feel like I am having dessert for breakfast And see the cute little bottle of warm milk you get on the side? I could almost coo in delight.

Beetroot is only open Monday to Friday (damn them - I want a good weekend breakfast!), and only then for breakfast and lunch. But this has its benefits. The same staff are able to work, day in day out. There is continuity. There is developing customer relationships. There is the fact that half their patrons are on a name by name basis. I like that. I hate being lost in the experience. I like to be welcomed and enveloped by one instead.

And this is what Beetroot does so well. It is the little details that make it for me. The fact that my coffee comes with a chocolate freckle or a muffinette, or that after our third visit, they know exactly what coffee EG and I order (and that I have a particular sweet tooth when it comes to breakfast). I love their faintly square coffee cups (the espresso cup is just adorable), their little jars of sugar cubes and crushed pepper. Home made jams lining the walls. Personal postcards and photos pinned up on the other. The banter is friendly, and I feel like I am in someone’s home.

The bircher muesli is one of the better ones I’ve had in this town. Rolled oats and plump raisins are made tender by yoghurt, and it is sweetened naturally with house-made poached fruits, a berry compote and whole pistachios. The actual components of the bircher changes on occasion - I guess utilising whatever is best in season. Peaches, plums, nectarines and blackberries have all had their go at playing protagonist. The pistachio nuts seem to be a regular player though, which is fine by me considering I love pistachios.

The scrambles, infused nicely with pesto, are wickedly good. I know some think it sacrilegious, but I kind of think it has become a bit of a Beetroot signature. The bacon, as you can see, was perfectly cooked - not underdone (eww), but not charcoaled to crispness either. And it was all served on a hunk of barely toasted turkish bread, which again, is up for some discussion. But I like it.

Now this is a breakfast that is up there with the best (…and leaves bills hotcakes for dead). French toast with banana, dark chocolate and vanilla mascarpone. This is the play by play. Turkish bread halved and stuffed full of banana. Dip in egg and fry in butter. Drizzle with a dark chocolate sauce. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Top with a generous dollop of sweetened vanilla mascarpone. Oh. my. god.

Okay, I’ve had this twice now. I couldn’t resist. It is THAT good (…and if I wasn’t so keen on completing the Mission: Autumn menu, I would have had it again, and again, and again…)

Now if you are wanting a healthy option - and yes, even I am prone to bouts of altruism, one can go the porridge. The toppings change regularly, in this instance it was stewed rhubarb - a nice tart accompaniment to the rib sticking oats.

And this is the baked beans infused with maple syrup and bacon. The beans are firm and bitey in the way that only good home made baked beans can get. And the infusion of maple syrup is no lie - it is quite discernable and goes so well with the bacon (yes, I did spend a little time in Canada developing a penchant for bacon and maple syrup).

You can also get plain toast (well…turkish bread or a gluten free option bread) with your choice of spreads, or the wonderful Flinders fruit loaf. They also do a range of fresh baked muffins if nothing else on the menu excites (which I assure you, won’t be a problem here).

Between EG and I we only have two more menu items to try. We’ve got this one licked…although the Winter breakfast meny is only around the corner