A bowl of morning delight at Nunam

Breakfast is easily my favourite meal of the day to dine out and about. But as I munch my way through Perth and beyond, it's getting harder and harder to find places that truly impress and delight in an unexpected manner. Recently the boy and I had a knock out dinner at Nunam (previously known as Nahm Thai) which left us completely raving about the flavours, the dishes and the service we experienced. Hearing that they have recently started offering breakfast, we decided we'd return soon to try it out.

While most breakfast places won't let you book on the weekends, Nunam actually accept bookings so I jumped on Dimmi to secure a spot after picking a date with my boy. When we arrived we passed the giant line outside Sayers Sister, but to my surprise Nunam was only about half full. Our waitress did tell us that they do tend to get quite busy on Sundays though so it may have been symptomatic of the hot weather.

We take a seat in the airy and bright back room, immediately kickstarting our meal with a drink each. For the boy, it's a flat white ($3.80) which he tells me is really good - smooth with just the right amount of bitterness without getting a burnt flavour. 

I order a fresh squeezed orange juice ($7.50) which is light and frothy. The oranges used aren't very sweet but I guess that can be hard to predict. I know at home it's easy enough for me to adjust by adding in some berries, but when it's plain oranges, you're at the mercy of the produce. Either way, I still enjoy it and it's just what I need to cool me down on this searing hot day. 

The breakfast menu at Nunam is really exciting at first glance. There's definitely some interesting and diverse dishes on offer, and I find myself completely torn on what to order. Everything sounds great! It seems to have a Thai influence but have a strong east meets west style.

Jeremy is quick to choose, immediately taken in by the fried eggs, spring onions, chillies, lap cheong, lime-soy, shallots and bread crisps ($14.00). I had thought he'd choose this since he's such a big fan of lap cheong and the flavour profiles exhibited in this dish.

When it comes out it looks simple but I can see there's more to it than you'd first suspect. What I particularly like is that they've given three eggs instead of your normal two, which has allowed them to fry them all together into a circular shape. It's crispy on the edges, and singing with flavour from the soy, spring onion and fresh herbs. He uses the provided lime and squeezes it over the top, which he tells me doesn't just make it taste citrusy, but actually heightens all the other ingredients and flavours used.

Choosing my breakfast item came down to two different dishes. The son in law egg - caramelised deep fried eggs, seared scallops, crispy coconut rice cake, and grilled watermelon sounded like heaven on a plate to me, with so many delicious ingredients. It was a close call, but in the end I went for the rice congee, 63 degree eggs, crispy bacon and hollandaise ($16.00). 

Growing up with a Taiwanese mother, congee has played a huge role in my food journey. It's been my saviour when I'm sick, a comforter when I'm sad, and even a celebratory meal when I'm happy. In particular whenever I travel I seek it out since it goes down so easy and brings me so much relief. 

When Nunam's version came out to the table I have to admit I was a little taken aback! It looked more soupy than versions I'm used to. I watched in silence as my eggs were topped with hollandaise and crispy bacon for me; analysing the dish. I was feeling a little unsure just because of the soupyness, but I pushed that to one side in my mind so I could dive in and try it out. 

One spoonful in and I'm so happy that I ordered this dish. The rice underneath the soup is fluffy and has soaked up the soup which is bursting with layers of flavour. There's slivers of young ginger and slices of spring onion, which work well with the slow cooked eggs which burst when I make contact with them, spilling forth the perfect flow of yolk. 

I really like the bacon which has been deep-fried and is sinfully crunchy. Is it possible that bacon is the key to every person's heart? I think so! And in this case, it's not just yummy, it's the ideal counter texture to the soft and toothsome rice. 

I would have loved some more hollandaise in the dish since my soup lapped it up and I lost some of it, but what I did taste was delicious! I'm such a fan of this rich, buttery sauce so it was probably the final element that sent me over the edge in ordering this dish. And yes, I cleaned up every last mouthful in that bowl! 

Well as expected, I loved my breakfast at Nunam, as did my boy who has gone so far as to claim it to be probably his favourite breakfast he's had in Perth. Big words! But I'm not surprised because I too felt that this place was extremely strong in their offering, delivery and all aspects in between. I love having dishes that you aren't seeing anywhere else in town, ones that are offering a real point of difference. It's meals like this that delight me so much - and have me preparing to return soon to try more of what's on the menu. See you soon Nunam!