Kiss Kiss. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Address: 1 Rocklands Ave, Balmoral
Phone: (09) 600 3076
Open: Tues-Sun, 7am-3pm; 5pm-late
Cost: $65.90 for two adults
SET UP & SITE
Kiss Kiss by night is nice enough - fragrant noodles and melty pork ribs in a dining hall-style room with tablecloths so garish they're cool and a cocktail list you read on a child's Viewfinder. It's handy to the Capitol Cinema and a rare licensed option
in the cheap eats end of town. But this is a Cinderella in reverse story. I like Kiss Kiss better by day. The tablecloths are gone, the pace less frantic. Bring a hangover, your in-laws or your kids, it's a rare soul who wouldn't be delighted by the neon-pink lighting features and the colourful wall murals. You might have to share a bench seat, but they're big and sturdy so you never feel like you're encroaching on your neighbour. You will, however, be competing with the cheap eats crowd for parking. Consider taking the Dominion Rd bus - the main Balmoral shops stop is a two-minute walk.
SUSTENANCE & SWILL
Bored with benedict? Sick of scrambled? Introducing a menu that goes so far beyond bacon and eggs we went two weekends running so we could try everything. Their best eggs are scotched; soft-boiled and wrapped in chicken mince spiked with kaffir lime, served on an exquisitely smooth and tasty pumpkin puree. The toast was thickly spread with an earthy coriander pesto and it was the most inventive $19 breakfast I've eaten all year. Our other top pick: Chunky potato-packed Thai smoked fish cakes with poached eggs and a kick-you-wide-awake sriracha hollandaise ($19). Traditionalists could feasibly build a bog-standard "big breakfast" from the list of sides that includes free-range bacon ($6) and a highly recommended Thai sausage (both $6), but wouldn't you rather step outside your comfort zone? The $19.90 Burmese pork belly curried baked beans come with a soft-boiled, crumbed and deep-fried egg. Possibly better shared - the dish is very rich and salty, and palates flagged towards the end. The coffee is good, but a peach iced tea ($5) was a better thirst-quencher.
