Le Monde

The verdict

This long standing Surry Hills café is a local favourite for a reason—it’s reliably top notch for brekkie and lunch classics. With a winning menu full of favourites (which makes selecting a meal kind of difficult) and delicious coffee, Le Monde is a great choice for brunch with friends or a mid-week lunch if you’re in the area.

We love admiring the light-filled space and the high ceilings while we’re tucking into our zucchini and haloumi fritters, complete with a poached egg, of course. The real winner here is the potato rosti, which is one of the best ways to honour this tasty tasty carb. Yes, it's shatterringly-crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside, but then it's adorned with luscious smoked salmon and a perfectly poached egg. This is brunch executed at its best.

To keep you in anticipation, the menu is regularly tweaked to perfection, with specials to grab and go for a morning pick-me-up (that doesn't just consist of coffee!). The hot cakes for example are currently tinged with matcha so you can legit eat these mid-week and feel like you're doing your body a favour. Tuck in with a freshly squeezed juice or one of their sworn-by coffees for a top notch start to the day.

Image credit: Alessandro Squadrito, Federica Portentoso