Morning After - West End

Have wanted to try the brunch offerings at MorningAfter in West End for quite some time since seeing the amazing photos online. Last weekend we finally decided to go and check it out. Despite the rain, we walked the 20 minutes from Southbank to work up our appetite.

It was lucky we made a reservation earlier as the restaurant filled up extremely quickly after we were seated. For those who enjoy communal tables, this was an option, but we decided to have the individual tables at the back. With the rain, outside seating was definitely out of the question.

Normally its fairly easy for me to choose a dish for breakfast as only one or two dishes stand out as it contains elements I favour. In this instance, there were quite a few things I wanted and it proved very difficult for me to make a decision. 

Cold winter's days always call for batch brews. This morning we were so cold that even Adam went for the hot alternative. Hot and fruity, but not overly strong, it did the job for us.

As I was saying previously, we had a hard time deciding what to get, so instead of one each, we had three meals between two.

There was little doubt in my mind that Adam would order the peanut butter waffle, banana ice cream, seasonal berries, strawberry dust, meringue and maple. This was definitely a decadent dessert. Trying a bite myself, there was an abundance of peanut butter, both inside the waffle and outside of it. Coupled with fruity sides, it offered some lightness to balance the indulgence.

To share, we had the signature MaMuffin, sausage, egg, american cheese, spiced pickled chutney and hash brown. I had been craving this muffin for years since I first saw the photo online and it was just as good as it looks. The sausage was seasoned well and quite spicy, I like the crumbly texture which melted in my mouth and mixed well with the strong cheese. Spicy chutney added a kick to the mix but hash brown was definitely on the oily side.

My pick for breakfast was their signature Carbonara with papardelle, 63 degree hens eggs, field mushrooms, smoked pancetta and manchego. Basically, this was glorious messy goodness on a plate. The papardelle was cooked al dente, mixed in with the creamy egg sauce it was so comforting. Both the panchetta and mushrooms were fairly salty and balanced out the dish.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

Taste: 8/10
Value: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10