Breakfast at Eightysix for Canberra Good Food Month

Eightysix is usually always buzzing on a Friday and Saturday night but what about a lazy Sunday morning brunch? Coffee and some trademark unusual dishes at the shady outdoor tables on Elouera Street or a recuperative fresh juice and eggs at a banquette inside, out of the sun. That's what Braddon's original hipster restaurant is doing for the next couple of Sundays for the Canberra Times Good Food Month.

It's a bit different to see the restaurant open on a weekend morning but the outdoor tables are full and there's a sprinkling of people taking their time inside. Breakfast dishes are on the blackboard and they look good - ceviche tacos, duck folded into steamed buns, slow-cooked eggs and vegemite soldiers and quince with "cereal milk ice cream" and meringue.

There are a couple of dishes that aren't going to help with the summer diet, such as popcorn fried chicken is crusted in cornflakes and served with two crisp waffles and a couple of scoops of maple ice cream ($20). This plays into Canberra's current obsession with all things American and southern and is a disturbingly well executed dish. They really shouldn't go together, fried chicken and ice cream and waffles, but they do. The bite-sized pieces of chicken are crisp, hot and salty with a hint of sweet which works well against the creamy chill of the maple ice cream. If fried chicken and waffles don't float your boat but you're still in the market for a decadent brunch dish, there's also a sourdough french toast with a sprinkle of housemade granola, strips of candied bacon and more scoops of ice cream.

A bolognaise jaffle ($12) is a great comfort food dish - triangles stuffed with rich tomato, basil and meat and molten cheese. There's something about bolognaise sauce that makes it perfect for an afternoon snack, particularly in a toasted sandwich and this one is a worthy rival to the yabby jaffle over at Monster in NewActon. And a black pudding and egg muffin ($16) is tangy with curls of onion and a fried egg. The generous slice of black pudding lends a deep bass note to proceedings without overwhelming the rest of the ingredients.

There's coffee and tea, and fresh juices, particularly a refreshing green juice ($8) filled with kale and mint and cool breezes. It's all very civilised and a pretty good way to start a Sunday. And the food showcases Eightysix in a different, daytime light.

Eightysix is open for breakfast on Sunday, October 19 and 26, from 8am for Good Food Month. See goodfoodmonth.com