Ladro

Unless you are in your early 20s or the star of a Judd Apatow bromance film, the concept of pizza for breakfast might sound a little low rent, but the south-of-the-river branch of legendary pizza purveyors Ladro have elevated the idea above mere dude food. For a start, they are serving hot pizza, a class above the congealed pieces you left in the box at 2am.

Ladro recently started opening from 9am at weekends, serving Italian-style brunch, a world away from standard mid-morning options. There's not a chia pod or Bircher muesli in sight on this menu. Forget your worthy quinoa porridge and get your carbs on.

There is a lot here for the sweet tooth, in most cases the hardcore sweet tooth. Try the sugary breakfast bombs, Italian doughnuts filled with Nutella and praline (three for $9.50), a nice heart-starter to accompany a Market Lane coffee, as are the house-made cannoli ($4.50) and the Italian morning cake, baked daily and served with berry compote ($8). There's also the Allies french toast, egg-dipped panettone with cassata ricotta, rooftop honey from the building's hives, and comb ($14).

The famous wood-fired oven is also fired up at this hour, and the colazione, the breakfast pizza, is worth getting out of bed for, even if or maybe especially if you are hung over.

Buffalo mozzarella, organic egg, speck, cherry tomatoes and basil on Ladro's famous rustic base ($16) are light and tasty, and do not feel anywhere as wrong as eating pizza before 10am rightly should.

There are lighter savoury options as well, such as gravlax, beetroot-stained house-cured trout with horseradish mascarpone, watercress, radish and ciabatta ($15), Italian green eggs and ham - poached organic Josh eggs (from cute tween entrepreneur Josh Murray, who runs his egg business from his parents' farm, Seven Hills Organic in the Kerrie Valley) on grilled ciabatta with speck and salsa verde ($16.50) or wood-oven eggs, a choice of peperonata, with sugo, Persian feta, salsa verde and ciabatta ($17), or cacciatore, with sugo, cacciatore salami and kipfler potatoes ($17).

The baked eggs are good, but really you should be coming here for pizza. It's Ladro after all.

Brunch drinks include seasonal blends of Market Lane coffee, Storm in a Teacup teas, fresh juice and slightly terrifying-sounding hot chocolate - solid chocolate (dark or light) steamed with milk ($5). Or go the whole way and have a glass of Dal Zotto Prosecco ($10) or the Bloody Ladro Mary, made with vodka, tomato juice and puttanesca garnish ($12).

Even more enjoyable on a Sunday morning when the area is bustling with Lulu Lemon-bedecked types hurrying to their yoga classes.