Penny University in Kingston is one of my favourite spots for brunch so I decided to write a compilation of my brunches since the beginning of the year.
Let’s start with the blueberry and ricotta hotcakes ($16). This was impressive – more like one hotcake but it was one massive THICK hotcake. I was really impressed that it was cooked through perfectly without getting burnt on the outside. The hot cake is floating in a sea of maple syrup. The spiced maple infused strawberries and pears were delicious. I loved the crunchy seeds that gave some extra texture and the addition of basil gave this a unique fresh flavour.
The fruit melange ($6) is one of Penny University’s own blended iced teas. It comes served on a wooden board with a pot of tea, small glass of syrup and a tall glass with ice cubes in it. I poured everything into the glass and slowly added the syrup to taste. A sweet berrylicious tea and sweet presentation. I’d like to try out more of their iced teas next time.
The croissant french toast ($14) looks amazing. Crispy pastry outside, egg-dipped fried goodness on the other side topped with rosewater mascarpone and strawberries and all drizzled with maple syrup. This tasted just as good as it looked. So bad but so good!
I was happy to find slices of banana in between the croissant.
I always enjoy a soy mocha here.
The Health Board ($18) was on the summer menu so I’m sure it will be back when the weather warms up again. Presentation was cute with a glass bottle of soy milk, a bottle of freshly squeezed ‘green juice’, seasonal fruits, stewed rhubarb and honey-infused yoghurt panna cotta style and a bowl of muesli. There wasn’t enough milk provided resulting in the muesli turning to sludge. I added the yoghurt in for extra moisture which helped. I should have just asked for more milk. I remember the ‘green juice’ being quite sour and it was more of a shot than something you can slowly sip on. I did enjoy the stewed rhubarb which was warm and sweet. This isn’t something I’d order again only because it’s so simple and easy to make at home. The muesli wasn’t anything special and for $18, I’d rather spend it on a fancier breakfast.
This vegetarian plate of mushroom, asparagus and fetta was worth a mention. Tasty mushrooms
You can’t go past the cazuela ($16) – perfect runny eggs and baked beans. See my original post about it here.
I’ve noticed that weekend breakfast specials have recently been introduced – there are usually two specials that staff will inform you of. One of the breakfast specials was the salmon gravlax bagel ($19) with a poached egg. I certainly wasn’t expecting something as big as this! It was stuffed full with salad, lentils and this slightly sweet (caramelised?) onion, capsicum and mushroom relish. Lots of textures in this dish and it tasted fantastic. I think there was a hint of wasabi in the cream cheese that was spread over the bagel providing a very subtle spiciness. The salmon gravlax is from Sydney and has won multiple awards. A very filling and healthy breakfast.
Another weekend breakfast special was the blueberry and apple ricotta rotolo in a ginger strawberry tea with peanut praline ($19). This is a new twist to your sweet breakfast of pancakes and French toast. A rotolo is like a sheet of pasta rolled up with filling inside. The rotolo was soft and crepe-like and stuffed with creamy warm ricotta that was mixed with blueberries and diced apple. I was expecting this to be quite rich but found the ricotta wasn’t too sweet and was very light. The ginger strawberry tea was served slightly warm. The ginger in the tea was very subtle but provided an added zest to the dish. The sweet peanut brittle was wonderful and gave the dish a crunchy element. Surprisingly, I found this was a light brekky and wasn’t too full after finishing it.
And another weekend breakfast special was the peanut butter brioche French toast with sliced banana, salted caramel and peanut brittle ($18). What an indulgence! A great balance of sweet from the caramelised banana and French toast, and salty from the peanut butter and salted caramel. The final decadent touch is a large dollop of double cream on top. Oh yes.
I tried out the earl grey iced tea with elderflower ($6) which again came out a separate glass filled with a bit of elderflower cordial to sweeten my tea.
The cronuts are a must try. Last time I was there, they had maple and thyme, orange and chai, and blueberry, lavender and honey cronuts. Yummy! Cronuts are apparently now being made Thursdays through to Sundays.
I always get friendly warm service at Penny University. I love the introduction of weekend specials (two to three) that change every weekend. I haven’t made it here for lunch yet but it’s on my list.
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Foodgasm 8/10
