Nomada

How do you define breakfast? Or brunch for that matter? 

To keep it at it’s simplest, it’s the meal we eat in the morning - so what is that? 

Being in Melbourne, we are so blessed to have so many options available to us. Standard eggs and toast, if that’s all you want, pho if you feel like going Asian, and the ever growing cafe scene continues to push what we can eat at the beginning of our day. Glass cloches and scallops anyone? 

So why not tapas? 

Trust the - actually a Spaniard on the inside - Jesse Gerner (of Bomba, Andada and Green Park) to bring that idea to life, with Jesse McTavish (ex-The Kettle Black), Michael Burr, Greg McFarland and Shane Barrett. 

Housed in Hammer and Tong’s previous home, the team have teased in textures through the interiors, giving it a warm and homely feel. I particularly love the wooly throws over the back of the banquettes and the slate coloured slats on the counter, contrasted against the terracotta tile. 

The menu is broken up into price categories, with a $5, $9, $15 and $19 column - or a $35 per person chef’s menu if you just can’t decide what to put together. However, being the planner and control freak that I am, I have to DIY my menu as always. 

After a bit of consultation with the waitstaff, we opt for four $5 items, one $9 item and one $15 item, although there are so many other combinations you could easily do!

Coffees (and chais) first though! At Nomada they’re using Grounded Pleasures chai, which I had never had before. The star anise in this chai blend is intense. It’s definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I didn’t mind having something a little different. 

Food comes out pretty quickly after, and our table fills up with plates and colours, and I just love the visual spectacle of the whole affair. 

My cutlery (or maybe I just went at it with my fingers) quickly go to grab a Blue Eye croqueta with fennel emulsion. What else can you expect but just a beautiful creamy and rich mouthful, encased in a crispy golden crust? I’m so down for this being a breakfast item on a regular basis (but maybe not so much my hips).

The coal blistered tomatoes with sherry, herbs and manchego, finely grated over the top so it’s melting onto the hot tomatoes are sweet and juicy little mouthfuls. And so moreish. 

I’m crazy for the house cured sardines, with a nice little tang to them. Chorizo with chill powder are dense, and with a good little kick to them and playing Russian roulette with blistered Padron peppers is always good fun. We were told that this season they seemed to be particularly and more regularly hot - but Brad and I seemed to have lucked out and not been gotten a super hot one!

To round it all out - we got the cured ocean trout with fennel salad and beetroot, sweet, silky in texture and just gorgeously done. I was actually surprised as well with how generous the serving was and how full I was after all our food. 

One thing that had been on my mind when we were ordering, was how much this would all add up - or how much more we would need to spend compared to a usual brunch for the tapas experience. 

To my surprise, our bill only came to around $60, maybe $10 more than we might usually spend for a dish each and a coffee and I think for the quality and quantity of food, it’s pretty good value. 

I also have the great fortune of being invited to check out a range of their day and night offering. I’d say in the evening, it’s compulsory to get a glass (or three) of Casa Mariol, the Spanish vermouth that the Bomba/Anada team import from Spain, which is available as both a white and dark vermouth (both very good). 

I’m not sure why I didn’t order the clacked egg on burnt hay when I went for brunch with Brad, but my goodness - it’s delicious. Especially when there’s truffle involved. 

Although they do brunch really well, the guys really show they can work that dinner protein gorgeously, with pan seared quail with saltbush, market fish with prawn bisque, buttermilk and nettle and the most tender piece of lamb loin I’ve had. 

So, whether you feel like tapas for breakfast or dinner, in true Melbourne style, there’s an option for you, in the shape of Nomada. 

Nomada

412 Brunswick Street

Fitzroy 3065