Best brekkie: The Fat Penguin

THE FAT PENGUIN
713 High Street, East Kew
9859 3252
Mon-Fri 7AM-4PM; Weekends 8AM-3PM

There’s no escaping Melbourne’s love affair with avocado at breakfast, but at the Fat Penguin, co-owner Jenny Facciolo is emphatic that the citrus avocado (served with diced feta, crispy bacon and a poached egg on seeded sourdough, $16.50) is ‘‘not smashed’’. ‘‘But it’s undoubtedly our most popular dish,’’ she says.

The Fat Penguin is in a desolate stretch of East Kew’s High Street, but once you’re inside the blue door, it’s a family-friendly affair crowded with locals.

The Facciolos have a long history in hospitality, dating back to the late 1980s, when they ran the popular Mitey Bite sandwich shop at the University of Melbourne and they have combined their talents: Jenny and husband Frank both work here, son David, whotrained at Brunetti’s, is the head barista and daughter Marina works front of house.

When they bought the business three years ago, it was the clunkily named Grazing Plates and Platters, but the Facciolos brainstormed a new name (a ‘‘fat penguin’’ is an icebreaker) and refurbished the place.

‘‘We felt it needed rebranding and redecorating and, once we changed the name and the decor and put in a decking area with heating, we haven’t looked back,’’ says Jenny. ‘‘We’re busy most days, but particularly at the weekends, as there’s not much around here.’’

Their current winter all-day breakfast runs from simple offerings such as sourdough toast and condiments ($6.50) and house-made toasted granola with poached pear and yoghurt panna cotta ($12.50) to the more substantial: mustard braised ham hock with pickled veg and a poached egg on sourdough with fresh herbs ($17), dukkah and goat’s cheese scrambled eggs on sourdough with roasted mushrooms ($15.50), and hearty potato and pancetta galette with sauteed chorizo, a fried egg and rocket and watercress ketchup ($17.50). There’s also the option of eggs any way ($9.50) and, if you sleep late enough, Jenny will happily knock up something from the lunch menu. ‘‘Our salt and pepper calamari is very popular, even in the morning,’’ she says, but it’s the avocado that still wins top billing.

‘‘Every time we change the menu, we think we’ll do away with it, but we can’t. But house-made crumpets are very popular as well,’’ she says. ‘‘They’re amazing and we serve them with strawberry labna and poached pears ($13.50). They’re a bit of a statement.’’
The fitout and the menu are modern but the atmosphere and the service are decidedly old school – Jenny and Frank know many of their customers by name.

‘‘We pride ourselves on being a regular for local business, families and older people from the area,’’ she says. ‘‘We try to make a point of getting to know their names and their coffees. It’s a family-run business and that’s an attraction among a lot of people.’’