The queen of Turkish breakfasts at Malika Bakehouse in Botany

If you've previously reached a verdict on how you like eggs for breakfast, Malika Bakehouse gives you a reason to reopen the case.

This Turkish bakery and cafe serves menemen: scrambled eggs tinted a rich red from the tomato chutney and tomato chunks swirled through the pan. There's a sweet tang that's boosted with green capsicum, while sprinkles of Turkish chilli, cumin, paprika and oregano add extra charges of flavour.

Menemen shares a passing resemblance to shakshuka, except it's entirely pan-fried instead of finished in the oven, so it has a lightness and kick to it. Swipe house-made pide through these tomato-sweet eggs and you'll jump-start your day in excellent fashion.

"Menemen is a very typical Turkish breakfast dish," says the cafe's co-owner Efe Topuzlu. "But people eat it on every occasion." (People also have strong feelings about how to prepare it. A Twitter poll asking whether it should be made with onions or not attracted nearly half a million votes in 2018.) 

While the dish is named after Menemen in Turkey's west, it's also a gateway to Topuzlu's upbringing in Istanbul – a reminder of his Sunday family breakfasts. The sucuk and eggs transport you to those mornings in Istanbul.

Try them as part of the Turkish breakfast platter, with the mildly spiced sausages prepared by a nearby Turkish butcher and presented here with herbed feta, Aegean olives, fresh chunks of tomato and cucumber and other flavours via Topuzlu's birthplace.

There's kaymak, which Topuzlu describes as Turkish mascarpone. "It always goes better with honey on top," he says, which is how it's served here.

This rewarding Turkish breakfast platter also features house-made sour cherry jam – a good companion for the creamy kaymak and salty feta.

Then there's simit, Turkish sesame rings sweetened with pomegranate molasses. Topuzlu says they're a popular street food and a lifesaver when you're running late or time-poor and their crusty dough adds to the delightful hopscotch of flavours in the Turkish breakfast.

Also on the menu are pogaca (pocket-shaped pastries) that spark memories of Topuzlu's grandmother, as well as borek, pastirma and gozleme.

Classics also get a remix, think white chocolate Turkish delight, Biscoff baklava, a pizza-like borek and a Middle Eastern update on smashed avocado.

Topuzlu runs Malika Bakehouse with Ozgur Sefkatli, and it joins their Above Par and Izgara eateries in showcasing the culture they grew up with.

It's a fact celebrated in every detail of Malika Bakehouse, even the patterned coffee cups are made in the Cini style recognised by UNESCO.

And when the cafe serves the strong, jagged flavours of Turkish coffee (originally introduced to the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century), it's presented the traditional way, with water and a square of Turkish delight.  

Reflecting Turkey's status as the world's top tea-drinking nation per capita, Malika Bakehouse offers the drink in the classic tulip-shaped glasses.

"Proper tea is fully red – blood red," says Topuzlu.

The bakehouse's brews blush with colour and pair well with the pastry counter's offerings: the Biscoff baklava or Turkish delight range would be a welcome companion for your caffeine hit. 

Malika Bakehouse is named after the Arabic word for "queen" and – whether you're fine-tuning your dessert choices, stocking up on sucuk harissa cheese borek, or settling in with coffee and menemen – this cafe is royally good at giving you a taste of Turkey. 

The low-down

Vibe A sunny bakery and cafe that transports you to Turkey. Eating menemen and drinking Turkish coffee and tea in the traditional way is a main part of Malika Bakehouse's reigning charm. The cafe has even sponsored employees directly from Turkey to make the baklava and other national specialties. 

Insta-worthy dish The squares of Turkish delight layered with rose petals or studded with white chocolate. 

Average cost for two About $60, plus drinks.