Head to Sydney and it’s a whole different ball game (‘scuse the cricketing pun). With the harbour, the beaches and the climate, breakfast any day is an event but weekend brunch is even more so – a chance to meet mates, glam up, (or rather, glam down in that distressingly hip, flip flops, battered jeans, retro sunglasses and six pack kind of way) and soak up the goss over a short black or flat white, which is an espresso or regular white to you and me.

If you’re in town for the cricket, Will Hide suggests the best places for pre noon nosh.

bills
433 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst – 00 61 2 9360 9631.

OK, so the queues can be brutal and, quite frankly, the designer staff are more than a little up themselves but once you’re tucking into Bill Granger’s ricotta pancakes you simply won’t give a damn. The whole experience is like being transported to the pages of some glossy style mag, so put your glad rags on, head to the shared central table while casually perusing the weekend sections of the Sydney Morning Herald and keep celeb-spotting radar finely tuned. There are now other branches of bills at 118 Queen Street in Woollahra and 359 Crown Street in Surry Hills – the latter the least pretentious of the three.

Danks Street Depot
1-2 Danks St, Waterloo – 00 61 2 9698 2201

Waterloo is not a particularly touristy district but this new'ish design-inspired café is worth the trip to this up and coming area. It’s the kind of place you could eat on your own, book in hand, or just oh-so-casually sit and eavesdrop on the conversation of your fellow brunchers on the large shared table. Breakfast grains with pomegranate, honey and mint cost $10.50, basil and goats cheese omelette is $13.50 while a large bowl of mocha to wash it down is $4.50.

Le Petit Crème
118 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst – 00 61 2 9361 4738.

It’s small, buzzy and, during the week, full of an eclectic mix of suits having breakfast meetings, locals slurping coffee over the paper’s sports pages and a scattering of tourists. There’s a gentle hum of conversation and the hiss of the coffee machine churning out great macchiatos. Staff hover, just, on the friendly side of “don’t give me any attitude” but are always efficient. Scrambled eggs lightly dusted with chilli powder and spring onions with a side order of toast are yours for $8

Bathers’ Pavilion Café
4 The Esplanade, Balmoral Beach – 00 61 2 9969 5050

When the sun shines brightly over Sydney on a glorious summer morning, and you’re getting ready to write the sickening “it’s 35 degrees in February!!” postcards to your mates back home in the office, there’s nowhere finer for the task than here, looking out over the water at Balmoral Beach. Stone fruit and fresh berries on panettone with lemon mascarpone will set you up for the day ($14.50). Seems a waste never to open the large French windows at the front for an al fresco touch, but there you go.

Brown Sugar Café
100 Brighton Boulevard, Bondi Beach – 00 61 2 9365 6262

If the beach cafes are heaving, head down the other end of Bondi, up the hill on your right and follow your nose to Brown Sugar. Chances are on a sunny weekend you’ll still be forced to queue here too, but it’s worth it. Staff are friendly and laid back. Something simple like toast and jam is just $4.50, divine buttermilk pancakes with fruit and yoghurt is $11 or scrambled tofu with rocket salad and avocado is $12.

Swell
456 Bronte Beach Road, Bronte – 00 61 2 9386 5001.

If you’re staying in the centre of town, this is an easy beach restaurant to get to. Just hop on the 378 at Circular Quay and when it reaches the last stop, roughly half an hour later, voila, there’s Swell on your left, probably already busy with stroller-pushing yummy mummies and young professionals from Bronte and Tamarama (think Glamarama) who’ve finished their morning jog along the cliff-top walkway that extends all the way to Bondi. For the health conscious, date and banana porridge is $9.90 while poached pear, rhubarb and quince with vanilla yoghurt and toasted almonds is the same price. Wash it down with a pineapple and mint frappe for $4.90.

Will Hide traveled with Virgin Atlantic to Sydney (www.virginatlantic.com)

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