Birdman Eating, Fitzroy

Experimental. Quirky. That's the menu at Birdman Eating which rethinks common breakfast dishes and transforms it into something delicious, drawing from influences around the world. Want porridge? Try it with coconut and quinoa, banana and dark palm sugar. Feel like toasted banana bread? Try it with a chocolate hazelnut emulsion. How about French toast....which will be served with kaiserfleisch, a type of German ham and orange pekoe, a type of black tea? Interestingly, the baked eggs for the day was a Thai chicken with bok choy! A huge difference from the mainstream tomato based sauces for baked eggs these days!

Walking into Birdman Eating was like stepping back in time to an old school yet familiar bar. Old wine bottles adorned the walls, cleanly matched with the dark wooden tables.

I decided to be a little adventurous and ordered the 'Gran Cerdo' Black Pudding, wishing to try how dried pig's blood might taste in a sausage! I mean, pig's blood is a common dish served at yum cha restaurants as a jelly with chives. I guess I just wanted to taste the difference in cooking style and see which one works better! The portion size of this dish was generous and came accompanied with poached eggs, apple and tomato chutney and 'bubble and squeak' (aka traditional British dish of shallow fried leftover vegies after a roast dinner). Black pudding was a surprise to my tastebuds - it was slightly gelatinous and sticky, probably because it retained the property of blood but the same time incredibly rich in flavour and comforting to eat. I still prefer how the Chinese cook their pigs blood maybe as the texture doesn't resemble blood as much! The highlight though of this dish was the delicious apple and tomato chutney that is made onsite! It was tangy and sweet and went beautifully with the toast! The 'bubble and squeak' consisted of cauliflower, potato and onion which were all beautifully caramelised and cooked perfectly - an excellent accompaniment to the bold taste of the blood sausage.

'Gran Cerdo' Black Pudding with poached eggs & 'bubble and squeak' $17

My friend had the ricotta hotcakes, ideal comfort food for a cold day. The hotcakes were fluffy with a nice balance of sweetness. Good combination of texture too with the creaminess of the peanut butter, crunchiness of the roast almond, sweetness of the banana and maple syrup. She didn't seem wowed by the dish though, saying she could have made better hotcakes herself. Looking at her small dollop of icecream, I probably would've wished for more because it was the best part of the dish!

Ricotta Hotcakes with confit banana, peanut butter icecream & maple syrup $15

My cappuccino had a rich flavour and enticing aroma but comparatively not as robust as I had hoped. And if latte art is an important factor for your coffee, this coffee was not as "pretty" as other cafes!

Cappuccino $3.50

All in all, I would recommend a visit to Birdman Eating, especially for the food and for an intimate setting, perfect for a catchup with friends!

Birdman Eating
238 Gertrude St, Fitzroy
Mon - Fri 7am - 5pm
Sat - Sun 8am - 5pm