Our Breakfast Club

Opal Café, Northbridge

Not just another Northbridge breakfast

So once again the breakfast club found themselves in need of a breakfast face stuffing. It was late morning and we found ourselves wafting around Northbridge in the search of breakfast goodness. Alas Northbridge, where is the love on a Sunday? It took us a good twenty minutes to assess our options (aided by a nature documentary in the Piazza), and at last we ended up a little off James Street at Opal Café, situated at 134-138 Aberdeen Street. For those playing along at home, that’s directly opposite Crack Den Park.

On entrance to this Northbridge eatery there is an explosion of white… in your face. Not entirely unpleasant, akin to a cafeteria in the future with some strategically placed wicker lighting features which resemble spaceships. Opal is the kind of place you feel clean and in control of your life, ‘good on me’ you may think, ‘you are on the right track’.

Upon entering the staff were friendly and helpful, quickly serving water. We were famished and ordered with haste. Here’s what we ate:

• 1x Cinnamon porridge w/ honey and caramelised bananna – $6.50
• 1x Scrambled eggs + mushrooms – $9 + $3
• 1x Opal veggie breakfast – $18.50
• 1x Ham & cheese croissant – $7
• Soy flat white, long mac, latte, long black – From $3.80 to $4.30

Sarah’s scrambled eggs were extremely bland, the mushrooms were also a little salty. David’s cinnamon porridge on the other hand was a tasty winter warmer, the caramelized bananas were a treat, the serving size was large and he didn’t get all the way through. The other breakfast bloggers helped with their forks and spoons. The milk didn’t come separately, which might not be some people’s cup of tea if your picky as to how much cow you want on your oats.

The vege breakfast was shared between Michelle and Natalie. This was a filling option for two people and had some exciting additions compared to a regular vege breakfast. These came in the form of fried haloumi, which was delicious and a great idea, and a deep-fried vege sausage, not so delicious, floury, and strange looking. When tofu goes wrong…

Opal has a ‘blend of the day’ coffee gimmick. We were not quite sure how to feel about this, as you never really know what you are getting. However on slurping them down there were no complaints and our original worries about the coffee quality were quickly thwarted. Interestingly the coffee machine has an LCD screen on it, which flashes advertisements.

Our adventure to Opal was a pleasant, if not slightly plain experience if your name is Sarah and you ordered eggs and mushrooms. If you are looking for a healthy breakfast on the go and find yourself in the west end of Northbridge, we totally recommend.

Stay away if you’re looking for free wifi with your coffee/meal, they charge.

Highs: Surprisingly good coffee, quick service, tasty oats, friendly staff
Lows: Plain scrambled eggs and mushrooms, salty mushrooms, strange tofu sausage
Our Breakfast Club’s final score: 5/10 coffee mugs