Persillade

This eatery and wine bar, run by husband-and-wife team Aiden and Tanya Raftery - who between them have worked front of house at Rockpool, Press Club and Maha - is modelled on the French "cave a manger" concept - essentially a wine store that serves food. However, they open from early in the morning to legitimate wine quaffing hours (the comprehensive wine list is worth a look if you stay beyond breakfast, and all are available to buy and take away) and do a roaring trade in breakfast.

Persillade (the name of a French parsley seasoning) serves up bistro-style fare, but isn't strictly a la Francaise - there's not a croissant to be seen on the brekkie menu.

"The association is always drawn to being quite French because the concept is based on cave a manger, but we've always thought of ourselves as doing more of a modern take on bistro food," says Aiden. "During the day especially we've steered towards a more broad menu, with a European take on different dishes."

The recent autumn breakfast menu featured okonomiyaki (Japanese savoury pancakes) and the new winter one features a smoked trout congee.

"Bacon and eggs will always dominate any breakfast menu but in terms of the quirkier items, the congee has become a very popular breakfast dish. We all love eating it ourselves, so we thought we'd try a European take on it."

Head chef Jake Scannell, formerly of Ezard and Sydney's Quay, has created a hearty version of the Asian savoury porridge, served with chunks of smoked trout, a 63-degree egg, bacon and spring onion ($18), which is perfect for wintry mornings. Other cold-morning dishes include the equally hearty braised chickpeas with slow-cooked egg, pumpkin and fetta ($18) and its most popular item, the Big Breakfast of bacon, black pudding, chipolata, mushroom, beans and a boiled egg ($22). For a sweeter start there's Persillade's winter bircher with butterscotch sauce ($12) or the goat curd panna cotta with saffron-poached pear and granola ($16). 

Persillade's location on Wellington Parade might seem an odd one - it's a strange no man's land, the stretch before Bridge Road - but the Rafterys and their crew have found they're consistently busy at all hours.

"It's going so well we've just got planning permits for more inside seating," Aiden says. "It is a funny area here. But there are lots of offices and the Royal College of GPs is up the road, then you've got the older residents of East Melbourne and now we're getting a few younger families. It's a real mix with the hotels and serviced apartment nearby as well."

And on footy days, Aiden says things are "mental".  

Plus the food bloggers have all been in. "So the weekends are really busy, rather than just regulars. Melbourne's like that when it comes to breakfast - people will travel for it."