Breakfast is probably my favourite meal of the day, particularly when it comes to dining out. There’s something about the potential of a breakfast. Sweet, savoury, or something in between. You’ve got eggs, the possibility of bacon, a sprinkling of feta, great bread paired with great coffee and, of course, the wonder that is avocado. In my case, with my little friend on board, the coffee is decaf, but everything else is just what I’m looking for. Finding a great breakfast place doesn’t just make a morning, but an entire day, and that’s exactly what we uncovered at Basil’s Farm.
I really have to thank my friend J for introducing Basil’s Farm. We were in the area – Queenscliff – for her birthday celebration, and she had done the hard yards and found Basil’s Farm amidst the many dining offerings in the region. While we were here to enjoy the breakfast menu, Basil’s is actually a winery and offers a fantastic lunch and a cellar door as well. Being pregnant, I don’t have much of a use for wineries, so I’m just here to talk about breakfast.
Basil’s Farm is really just the most beautiful location. A winery with a productive farm from which many of the food options are actually sourced, there’s a choice of inside and outside tables. Inside there’s a rustic cottage with lots of white and windows, and outside you can dine amidst the beautiful garden setting. Seeing as the sun was all around us, we picked the garden and even did away with our umbrella so as to properly bask in the sunshine.
My breakfast choice on this particular day was the pea and avocado smash. There were peas, smashed avocados, spinach (or was it kale?), hazelnuts, feta, and a poached egg all served on top of a delightful piece of bread. To say it went down a treat would be an understatement. In fact, I don’t think I looked up a moment between bites to converse with my breakfast buddies, so intent I was on the task in front of me. The service was fast, and even the decaf coffee was delicious (you’d be surprised how often it isn’t). For me, Basil’s Farm delivered on all accounts.
An unexpected highlight, following our lovely sun-kissed breakfast, was a close encounter with a pair of llamas (I’ve done my research, and I’m fairly sure they were llamas and not alpacas). We spotted them at a distance from our breakfast table, and wandered through the rows of produce and down the slope to the edge of the fence where we were able to tempt them over with some fresh green grass (better apparently, because of its out-of-the-way location). Dean, ever the confident adventurer, was quite happy to feed the fluffy camel-like monoliths out of his hand. As he was reaching over the fence, I was suddenly struck by a fact about llamas spitting at people, and so took a few cautious steps back. Thankfully, for all of us, nobody was spat on and the llama feeding was quite a success.
I feel very grateful to have access to places as beautiful as this one. Basils Farm, and really the entire Queenscliff area, put on a proper show for our little visit. A weekend by the sea, with the sun shining almost all the time (nearly unheard of in my experience) and lots of great food and company.
Well, what else can a person ask for?
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