Little Joe

James Holdom, formerly of Innocent Bystander in Healesville, now an owner and head chef at Warburton's renowned pizza restaurant Little Joe had to be strong-armed into devising a breakfast menu, says co-owner Greg McMahon, founder of Cicciolina. Like most chefs for whom food has become an artform, Holdom was loathe to spend his mornings cooking eggs any which way with a customised selection of sides.

"Chefs would rather create the dish," McMahon explains. "There's more scope to work with at dinner. But this is about where we are. Warburton is no metropolis. We're open four days a week and we need to make the most of those four days".

Thankfully, Holdom was persuaded by his fellow restaurant owners, who include his and McMahon's partners, Amy Bliss and Madeline Reilly (the four met working at Innocent Bystander), to do morning fare his own way.

The result is a strikingly original and heavenly breakfast/brunch menu, which includes perfect bacon and eggs on Turkish bread ($16), with a selection of strictly three extras: mushroom, chorizo and asparagus.

The crisp, whitewashed interior of the gutted former Polish restaurant, with elegantly simple decor including a magnificent piece of Turkish embroidery, wooden sculptures and a vintage wooden child's sleigh, glows in the morning light. The wood-fired oven and majestic mountain views are visible from every table.

It's a luxurious spot to enjoy such dishes as delectable sweetcorn fritters with pancetta and rocket ($15); roast mushroom and mozzarella toastie with salsa verde and rocket salad ($14); and Little Joe's signature breakfast, Middle Eastern flatbread with chorizo, haloumi and a fried egg ($17).

Everything, including the jams, granola, muffins and pastries (divine lemon and cinnamon doughnuts and Portuguese tarts, $4), is made on site, save for the gluten-free bread, which is supplied by boutique bakery, GoGF, in Clayton.

The smallgoods, rich in flavour and superbly textured, all come from a small artisan operation called Istra in Musk, near Daylesford, where the Jurcan family continue their Croatian parents' tradition, using Western Plains pigs bred free-range near Ballarat.

The finishing touch to a good breakfast is a caffeine hit, of course, and the coffee here is faultless. The beans come from a roaster in nearby Chum Creek who is apparently as particular about his product – and how it will be served – as the chef. McMahon says he had to demonstrate his barista skills to Chum Creek Coffee Company owner, Greg Liney, a former viticulturalist of Yarra Valley vineyard, before Liney agreed to do business. Little Joe is one of half a dozen establishments so far approved.