The Garner

Have long wanted to go to The Garner to check out its Asian Fusion breakfast and so we made a point to check it out a few weeks ago for some brunch. Situated in the old lodgings of Duo, I was fairly sad that such an institution had closed. Having said that, as it was run by the owners of Street Lab, to which I have long been a fan of, it definitely captivated my interest, and we headed off to try it out.

As alluded to, the menu consisted of quite a few Asian inspired breakfasts not limited to congee, cha siu and miso baked eggs. It also had a good range of coffee, which I was keen to try out.

Ordering at the counter, our drinks came fairly quickly. As usual, he ordered a hot chocolate, and I had a batch brew. His hot chocolate was rich and decadent without being overly sweet, whilst my batch brew was robust and strong bodied. I really enjoyed it. 

Our food came fairly quickly after our drinks arrived. 

First of our dishes was the chicken katsu sando. Comprised of rice wrapped in nori, chicken katsu and renkon chips, served with a side of Japanese Curry, it was definitely a very Japanese inspired dishes. I really enjoyed the rice in the sando, which was well seasoned. The chicken was crispy and I liked the crunch to the batter and the meat was soft and well seasoned. The renkon chips were also well battered but could have been a bit drier for more crunch.

Getting a serve of eggs and toast to share with avo and thick cut bacon. I was a bit disappointed that the toast only came as one slice, which was not quite enough for us. The 63 degree eggs were also cooked wonderfully with a runny yolk and white that soaked into the sourdough well. The avocado was quite ripe but would have went well with more salt and pepper. As for the bacon, it was thick cut when I prefer thin and crispy, I would have liked it a lot more if it was more caramelised and crispy.

Price Range: $20 - $30pp

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