Review: The Boathouse Maribyrnong

I've been hanging out to go to the boathouse for breakfast since I started running past it, and since Jamie Wodetzki reviewed it on thebreakfastblog earlier this year.

You cannot get a nicer location, unless its a sunny Sunday afternoon and you're across the other side of the river at Angler's enjoying a beer. Inside in winter is cosy and the four of us sat almost directly in front of an open fire. We received our menus immediately and a nice waitress took our drink orders promptly.

Having already scoped out the menu online, I was hoping that there might have been some kind of specials menu that..expanded on the menu contents. There is in fact 10 items to choose from, but three of these I wrote off as 'I'm out for breakfast and I'm not ordering toast, fruit or cereal (even if it is with a hazelnut crunch)'.

I'm not sure why I had such a hard time deciding, I just wasn't sure about the pancakes and although my stomach said 'breakfast pizza - YES', my brain said, breakfast - not pizza time. So in a hurry I ordered the boatbouse breakfast (with crispy bacon, your choice of eggs and wood roasted tomato). I neglected to see there was no mushroom included in that (my fault!). The man ordered the same with fried instead of poached eggs, Mum had the green eggs with ham on crumpets and Dad had an omelette with tomato, potato, onion and ricotta.

The omelette was the biggest meal, the green eggs and ham were of a size you'd expect them to be but in my opinion for $14.50, the boathouse breakfasts were...meagre.

One piece of toast (albeit very nice wholemeal bread), two slices of tomato, two eggs and some extremely fatty and definitely NOT crispy bacon. Being health concious I tend to cut the rind and fat off my bacon but this was impossible with this stuff (streaky bacon I guess). Not impressed. The eggs were very nicely poached though.

I really wished I'd ordered the breakfast pizza. The atmosphere was so cosy though. The coffee was good but again..small. Could be the cups. They could be deceptively small cups.

- Jen