This is one of my favourite local cafes, mainly because they make gluten free Belgium waffles (but that is a story for another post). Symposium is very happy to cater for gluten free and if they can will change any thing on the menu to suite.
This morning we headed off to celebrate a friend's birthday for a fantastic breakfast/brunch idea - Breakfast Degustation!
The menu consist of 4 courses: Fresh seasonal fruit shot with organic yoghurt & homemade honey nut granola, Regal hot smoked salmon with hash cake, scrambled eggs & cottage cheese, Petit fry up with quail eggs & all the trimmings, Sweet brioche with poached strawberries & bourbon cream.
First up the fruit shot and yogurt.
The fruit today was mango and rock-melon and it was delicious, I think I could have had two more helpings. Unfortunately they granola wasn't gluten free so I skipped it and a few other people shared it. The passionfruit with the yogurt was very good, but nothing out of the ordinary (unlike the fruit shot. Have I mentioned the fruit shot?)
Next on the list was the smoked salmon with hash cake (and probably my favourite of the whole meal)
To be perfectly honest I'm not a very big fan of smoked salmon but I really liked this course. I think it was the hash cake that sealed the deal. I don't know I can say much more about this plate, it just seemed to work really well and I polished it off in no time flat.
The last of the savoury courses was the Petit Fry up.
Now first things first, it's name is very apt. It is a petit fry up (we added the dollar coin for some perspective). But don't think that in anyway is a demeaning. The fry up is great especially after the two courses that have gone before (and they are saving the best for last). I think it's the perfect alternative to the"Big Breakfast". It has everything you want cooked perfectly just miniaturised. I loved the grilled cherry tomato touch.
Last was the (deliciously) sweet brioche course.
Now if you're gluten intolerant don't get your hopes up too much, it's not technically brioche... It's gluten free bread treated just like brioche. Fortunately this doesn't make it any less delicious. I'm a sucker for sweet things a breakfast and this probably would have knocked the salmon off top spot except I'm not the biggest fan of strawberries (I know it's a bit strange). It's every bit as good as it looks though.
Overall it's a pretty amazing breakfast, not only because it tastes so good but also they've manage to make the portions just the right size so you're well and truly full but don't fell like you have to lie down for the next 3 hours. Symposium has a pretty relaxed and fun atmosphere and does a pretty busy trade for a Sunday morning (the only day they open on the weekend and the only day they do the degustation). It's going to be a while before I think I'll be able to top that breakfast experience.
