Sunday funday with Mrs S

My first try at Maylands beloved brunch spot Mrs S was last year when I finally introduced my boy Jeremy to one of my closest girlfriends, Linda. It had been a long overdue meeting and the venue offered a great location for the three of us to relax over some corn bread, poached eggs and mushrooms.

Since then I've watched as Mrs S has continued to dominate urbanspoon and blogger's posts, with Perthians all raving about how great it is. And after seeing a pulled pork sandwich online, Jeremy and I decided to head there for an early Sunday brekkie, braving this blistering winter weather.

We arrive just after 9am, joining the line outside for about 20 minutes before finally making it into the warmth of our table. It always surprises me just how willing people are to wait for breakfast as opposed to other meals.

The inside of Mrs S is adorably kitsch; childrens tale books with menus pegged inside; and little Peter Rabbit cartoons adorning the blackboard wall that lists the drinks available to order. The vibe is warm and eclectic; the counter covered in a smorgasbord of delicious looking baked goods.

Jeremy and I pick our dishes quickly though I'm a little torn in my decision and then make our way up to the counter to order. A few minutes later our hot chocolates come out to our table ($4.50 each) - both steaming and accompanied by a single marshmallow and a jug of pouring chocolate to mix in. I'm pleased that they have the option of skim milk for my drink which means I won't have to suffer too much later due to my low level of dairy tolerance.

The drinks are frothy and delicious; the chocolate that you mix in bittersweet and allowing you to choose how rich you'd like your drink. The greedy child in me wants more marshmallows but Jeremy is nice enough to give me his - he's much too nice to me!

For my meal, I have to admit that I struggle a bit in my choice. Last time I had the corn bread with bacon and poached eggs and while it tasted good, it was heavy and tricky to eat. I note there's a Pumpkin Hummus with Raddichio, Greens, Labneh and Saffron Honey on Rye ($19) dish which sounds good but I know my own personal tastes would prefer something hot for breakfast given this frigid weather. I consider adding scrambled eggs on the side but in the end opt for the dish as is in the hopes that the pumpkin will be warm.

Unfortunately the dish is cold and though there's some great flavours and ingredients, this doesn't quite hit the spot for me. The pumpkin hummus reminds me more of mashed pumpkin than anything - though it is sweet and subtly spiced. The raddichio is bitter as usual, which is why I assume they decide to add the saffron honey, but the effect is a very sugary result which takes away from the freshness of the vegetables. The rye bread is hard to cut into with my butter knife but the taste is all there thankfully. A wholesome and dense slice that works well with the items on the plate.

The star of this dish for me is the labneh. It's creamy and moorish and tastes ever so zingy. I like that they give you a decent amount in the serving and the sprinkling of the black sesame seeds on top adds a different textural dimension.

All up I have to say I wouldn't order this dish again for breakfast this time of the year. I could see myself enjoying it (with a couple small changes) for lunch in the summer, but as a winter's dish, it didn't offer me that sense of warmth that I crave. Sadly on this instance, I ended up abandoning it halfway.

For Jeremy's breakfast dish, he opts for the Corned Beef Reuben ($18.50) which is an open sandwich of corned beef, pickled cabbage, mixed greens and a fried egg.

This dish is right up his alley and he charges in, enjoying the salty corned meat which is tender and melts in your mouth. The egg on top is lightly crisp on the edges and gooey in the yolk's centre. A nice addition that lifts the entire meal.

He finishes it off with a nice smile on his face; a happy and sated expression. While my breakfast on this occasion was not to my own personal tastes (I'm sure others would love it) and left me feeling lacklustre, it was nice to see that he really enjoyed his. That makes the eating journey worthwhile in my books!

We consider going up to buy a couple baked goods on our way out but the line to order food is huge and so we opt out of that way of thinking. A bit of a shame because I'd been eying the lemon curd cupcakes sitting prettily near us!





When we leave Mrs S we walk past Smoult Continental Deli, which is a deli that boasts a great selection of cheeses, meats and other continental deli staples. They have the most amazing smell of sausages wafting out and as we close in we realise that they're grilling sausages and selling hotdogs for a very reasonable $6.50. There's wagyu beef, pork & fennel and duck & veal to choose from.

Hot dog

Though Jeremy's eaten enough, I'm still craving something hot so we decide to share a duck & veal hotdog with sauerkraut, corn relish, tomato relish, fried onions, jalapenos and chilli sauce. I'm happy to report that is fantastic - the sausage so juicy and flavoursome; the accompaniments enhancing the flavours. Delicious! And just the thing I'd been wanting to round out our breakfast date.

While we wait for our hot dog to be made up we wander around the deli and note that make up fresh picnic baskets as well as have some delicious looking meats. I think we'll be back here soon!

If you'd like more information on Smoults Continental Deli, visit their website here.