A merry little breakfast at The Merrywell

Going out for breakfast on the weekends can be such a treat, especially when it's with my boy. Being in his first year of a paramedicine degree and working weekends with St Johns means he's usually up early on Saturdays and Sundays off at work. Last month and this month he's on night shift though which means we had some time to go out for a breakfast date! After deciding we'd go out on Saturday, he suggested we go down to The Merrywell to try their breakfast menu which was launched in July this year. 

Arriving around 10am I was surprised to see how quiet the restaurant was, with the main customers being rather hungover looking couples or groups. I guess most people aren't aware that The Merrywell is doing breakfast, which benefited us since we wouldn't have to wait for a table. I'm too used to the likes of Sayers or Mary St Bakery where you're committed to a decent waiting time before you'll be eating. And here I was feeling nervous that we'd arrived later than I usually like to go out for breakfast!

The breakfast menu is comprehensive and varied in offerings. They have some light options like muesli or bagels, diner style offerings, sweet tooth items like waffles or french toast, and a section with "sam-thing different" - a cute play on words. There were quite a few menu items that I was tossing up to order!

After a bit of discussion we decide on our orders and go up to the counter to order and pre-pay. I quite like that about breakfast in that you pay before you eat so when you're done you can move on at your leisure instead of trying to wave down a waitress.

We both order from the sam-thing different section for our meals, plus a jar of orange juice each ($6.00 each). It's not freshly squeezed but it's sour and refreshing, with a good amount of ice to keep it chilled throughout the meal. I was a bit unsure whether I would regret ordering this given the price and the fact that it wasn't fresh, but the size was decent and I enjoyed it.

Jeremy's order of the New York Egg Sandwich ($15.00) comes and looks incredible. I instantly have order envy even though it's so simple. A fluffy toasted brioche bun is filled with two sunny side eggs, bacon and melted provolone cheese, served with a side of tater tots. 

It's really, really good. The bun is just a little crunchy on the outside, the centre so soft, soaking up the gooey egg yolk that spills out. The full flavour of the provolone cheese offers some richness in each bite. I love the use of tater tots as the side in this dish - they're like potato gems, fluffy inside and crisp outside. Very moorish!

My order of the huevos rancheros ($19.00) is startlingly big when it comes to the table. Immediately I have a pang of regret and wish I'd ordered my my initial choice of the croque madame pops. Ah well, there's always next time!

Atop a mountain of tomato sauce laden corn tortilla chips sits black beans, pico de gallo, avocado and two sunny side up eggs. It reminds me of a breakfast version of nachos - and kind of tastes like it too!

When it comes to eating nachos there's two camps - one who likes their chips crisp and hard, and one who likes their chips saucy. I am firmly in the first which meant that the huevos rancheros dish at The Merrywell wasn't to my own personal tastes in terms of texture.

The generous serving has a great flavour from the black beans and salsa which has tomatoes, red onion, jalapeños, coriander and lime juice. The avocado is perfectly soft and fresh, offering some needed creaminess and freshness. The eggs are fantastic, definitely the highlight of the dish - yolk porn to the max with the centre unctuously runny, the whites only just set in place.

Trying out Burswood's resident dude food restaurant's American style breakfast was a nice change to our standard breaky offerings in Perth. The prices are decent, and the serving sizes are generous. If I were to do it all over again I'd personally order a different dish more suited to my preferences but after trying my boy's dish I can see that they have some delicious offerings available! Definitely looking forward to going back and trying their famed french toast or that croque madame which was calling my name longingly, only to lose out on my order at the last minute.

So if you're looking for a new breakfast spot that doesn't come with the wait, definitely give The Merrywell a go. And if you're a fan of American diner style coffee you'll find you can order bottomless servings, or indulge in a wicked Bloody Mary cocktail. Good times on tap indeed!