The Gun Shop Cafe

Back to The Gun Shop Cafe this morning, after having stayed away for months. When they stopped opening on Sundays, then weekends, then the change of ownership, we thought it was all too much trouble (despite previously-awesome experiences) and gave some other breakfasts a go for a while... namely, the New Farm Deli (yum). However, we decided that today was the day to revisit an old friend.
Popped in there at about 10.15 for a late breakfast / brunch, only to find it packed and that there was a queue! Both good signs. Given a nice table inside (the ones with the bench seating loaded with cushions) which was good and warm, but not so good because of the noise. Those concrete and brick walls need a few wall hangings on them: we could hardly hear ourselves think. Problem was compounded by the Several Screaming Babies: not one, not two, but several, all squealing and screaming and carrying on in a most undignified fashion, while their screams echoed gracefully and ricocheted off each brick wall with ease. Prams were parked haphazardly across aisles, mothers gossiped to others four tables away, toddlers loudly dissected their toast crusts and lounged across other people's tables.
Very well.
My soy latte had a weird taste to it (not a soy-taste: it was more like mothballs), so I swapped it for a plain latte. This one was excellent.
Sir Baconville went for his usual French toast, bacon and maple syrup, with cream (urgh) and a side of hash cake. No, that's what I thought too, but this is apparently another name for a hash brown. What an interesting breakfast that would make...! He said that the whole thing was delicious, even if the toast could have been a little more crispy on the outside. A minor detail on an overall delicious breakfast. (About $13-14).
I ordered the potato and feta hash cakes (again that thought) with herby sour cream, spinach and tomato. And... they were fantastic! Moist, tasty, crispily-outsided, hot, spinach wasn't overcooked, tomato slightly dry but WHO CARES, it was a totally awesome breakfast. I surprised myself by eating the whole thing, and only just not picking up the plate to lick it. ($11.50).
The Gun Shop is also great because they have little saucers of Murray River pink salt and cracked pepper on the tables. They used to have Maldon salt, but the pink is just as good. Maybe better.
The guy who served us, Steve, was creepily chirpy and helpful for someone working in a busy cafe full of screaming babies. Maybe he has become immune. Or deaf. But very nice, either way.
He convinced me to set aside my addiction to poached eggs and to try the hash cakes, and I'm so glad he did!
So apart from the Infant Noise, it was great. We enjoyed our breakfast a lot.
I really like the Gun Shop's menu, as it only has a few choices for hot savoury breakfasts and a good selection of sweet breakfasts, like fresh fruit mueslis, waffles, fruit toast, ricotta and so on. Not that I would ever, ever, have a sweet breakfast. Give me savoury in the morning every time. Except at Easter, when it is everyone's duty to snack on chocolate eggs before even getting out of bed in the morning. But anytime it's not Easter, you could do worse than revisiting The Gun Shop for breakfast.... lots worse!