Smashed and smoothied at Piccolo's Corner, West Leederville

When it comes to the weekends these days, brunch tends to occupy my mind, heart and soul. Don't get me wrong - I still love dinners and lunches, but there's something rather special about dining out for breakfast. Especially during this time of year before it starts getting a little too rainy to venture out for food without a booking - who wants to stand under the rain first thing in the morning (not me)! 

My boy and I have both been flat out lately so we decided to put some time aside in our busy schedules to get up early one Saturday morning for a breakfast date. Without any discussion I immediately knew where I wanted to go - Piccolo's Corner in West Leederville. I've heard rave reviews, seen way too many beautiful photos and yet somehow it took me this long to get there! I'm slowly but surely chipping away at my food wishlist.

Arriving not long after they open it was already busy but we managed to snag a couple of seats at the long bench out the front. I'm not the biggest fan of sitting on stools on flat ground, let alone on an angle but we made do (though I think Jez and I are both too tall for stools haha). 

The inside of Piccolo's Corner is really cute and kitschy. Think an eclectic mix of retro decor with funky graffiti writing and an array of flowers everywhere. It's small, squishy but it all adds to the vibe. They were definitely bustling behind the counter non-stop. We place our orders then relax outside and wait for our food and drink to arrive. 

The drinks take about 20 minutes to come out which is a little longer than I would have thought but we may have hit the busy period. Either way it wasn't a big deal and we were happy to dive straight into them. My orange juice is cold, light and definitely freshly squeezed, but wasn't quite as sweet or sour as I'd hoped - but considering we're outside of orange season I should have expected as much. Either way though it was still a tasty drink and a nice way to wake up tastebuds up.

My boy's banana smoothie is made with the addition of oats, yoghurt and honey. I love the serving bottle and the flavour - it's thick, creamy and filling. The use of the honey and oats adds to the banana taste and rounds it out as a really nice smoothie. He definitely was pleased with this order!

Our breakfast dishes come out about 15 minutes later and immediately I'm taken with the adorably mismatched vintage plates. It all adds to the overall theming they have here - no wonder it's so fiercely loved by locals and breakfastphiles. 

Jez's dish is the smashed avocado and lime with chorizo, balsamic glaze and poached egg ($18.50). Piled high but neatly on toasted ciabatta, it's a really simple but pretty looking dish. The chorizo is meaty, lightly grilled and slightly spicy. I really liked the flavour of the avocado which is citrusy but still  creamy, ticking all the boxes. Very tasty! 

I think for me, I would have liked more avocado on the dish - it just needed a bit more in the serving size to go with the amount of bread accompanying it. But this is a common thing I find with avocado dishes - they're an expensive fruit these days so many breakfast places tend to be pulling back on the serving... something I find a little disappointing. 

My breakfast dish of choice was the smashed pumpkin with wilted spinach, Danish feta, pesto and poached egg on toasted ciabatta ($17.50). It's a deliciously and purposely messy pile, showcasing the ingredients proudly. I held my breath as I cut into the bread... it was soft and fluffy (no chainsaw required here). And then again when I tentatively poked my poached egg - only to let loose a torrent of vividly orange yolk. Cue satisfaction!

The pumpkin is tender and sweet, working well with the creamy and decadent feta and punchy pesto. I thought the dish was clever and a nice variation on standard breakfast menus while still staying simple. While I thought all the ingredients complimented one another, I did find the dish a little bit on the sweet side because of the plethora of pumpkin. Perhaps a bit more seasoning would have solved this easily. That said though, I can see why this is one of their most popular menu items, it was very enjoyable.

All up I thought Piccolo's Corner was a sweet and charming breakfast venue. It's very simple, but their flavours work well. I do think that the wait for drinks and food was a little on the slow side - especially as I noticed the couple next to us didn't get their coffees until halfway through their meal (they ordered before us). But beside that it was a nice little neighbourhood spot and a place I can see myself coming back to again.