n June 1, we officially welcomed winter and with it came the introduction of miserable weather. But not all is lost. Indeed, arriving with the gloom is the more heartening thought of exciting winter cuisine. Waking up to frosted windows, grey skies and solid drizzle can be enough to dampen the spirits of the Pollyanna in all of us, but a cosy meal first thing can be just the ticket to change the state of play.

We all have a favourite winter warmer, with eggs, porridge, French toast or pancakes making a welcome appearance at the kitchen table.

To stave off the icy chill, we’ve scoured the city and found some of the best hearty breakfasts to kick start the day and help you thaw. Some may not occupy the healthier levels of the food pyramid, but isn’t the beauty of winter the fact that all ills can be hidden with a snug knit and heavy coat?

Monsieur Truffe
90 Smith Street, Collingwood
Hot chocolate

Coin Laundry
61 Armadale Street, Armadale
Flip Shelton’s five-grain porridge, chocolate halva, Iranian fairy floss

Dead Man Espresso
35 Market Street, South Melbourne
Buttermilk banana pancakes with Rooftop honeycomb & white chocolate crumb

Seven Seeds
106–114 Berkeley Street, Carlton
Twice cooked pork belly with braised split peas, ham hock, watercress and croutons

Auction Rooms
103–107 Errol Street, North Melbourne
Tomato-braised northern beans with smoked haddock, sourdough crumbs & poached eggs

St ALi
12–18 Yarra Place, South Melbourne
Cauliflower puree, 63 degrees poached eggs, white truffle oil, migas and crispy proscuttio

Cheerio
323 Lennox Street, Richmond
Roasted rhubarb porridge with macadamia nuts

The Little Ox
452 New Street, Brighton
Banana Bread with passionfruit butter

The Chokolait Hub
Shop 8, Hub Arcade, 316 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Hot chocolate

Wide Open Road
273 Barkly Street, Brunswick
Hot buttered blueberry bagel with apricot & burnt toffee marmalade

New Lots
1/204 Gladstone Street, South Melbourne
Chipotle baked eggs with fresh chorizo, pinto beans and salsa

Convent Bakery
The Abbotsford Convent, 1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford
Ricotta and buttermilk pancakes with mixed berry compote, fresh strawberries & whipped Italian mascarpone