Pomona

Head to most city fringe cafes these days and you will see an increasing trend of veggie gardens taking up valuable seating space in the outside eating area. BRAVO to that. There is nothing more satisfying than ordering from the menu and then seeing chef trott off outside to cut fresh spinach, herbs or pull spring onions from the soil. This was exactly the case at when I had brunch with my friend at Pomona in Preston.

But we were there for a reason. My friend is coeliac and allergic to nuts which makes dining out quite a challenge. Frustratingly for her, she is also a big lover of all things food (previously known as ‘foodie’) so it’s a delight to find a menu where she can choose just about anything as opposed to ordering a glass of water and a bowl of rice. Pomona’s menu is swimming with gluten free and spelt options.

When we arrived, just about all tables were taking with mums from the school drop off, but Pomona is deceptively large. A small shop front gives way to an out the back large dining area and then two big bench style tables  outside and undercover by the veggie patch.

By 10.30am I was just about ready to start eating the knives and forks, so I ordered a massive serving of Pomona scramble ($16.30). Eggs of course and fluffy, yes but the star of this plate is the bacon – so crispy you can pick it up in your fingers (sorry mum) and eat it like a wafer. The dish also came with a generous portion of avocado drizzled with lemon juice and sweet potato, pine nuts and coriander. The sweet potato was intentionally cold – unusual but it really worked.

My friend ordered the pancakes ($14.80) and not because of the pancakes but because they come served on top of an enormous pool of orange scented mascarpone. I was waiting for angels to start crawling from her plate. Poached fruits and maple syrup to finish it all off. Beautiful.

The good people at Pomona roast there own coffee and are punching along with their CBD colleagues here – it was perfect and creamy, even with skinny milk ($3.80).

This is well worth the trip for a weekend brunch or an after school drop off (can I mention hangovers too?) for food that is fresh and considered.

POMONA
474b Murray Rd, Preston
9478 0026
Open 7 days from 7.00am to 4.00pm