Provincia, Albert Park

I’ve discussed earlier my dislike for eggs. This sometimes makes going out for breakfast difficult…if everyone else is eating eggs, what do I eat? I try and search out savoury options; bacon and mushrooms on sourdough, ham, cheese and tomato croissant etc. However I have a very sweet tooth, so often I give in and order something sugary, like pancakes.

Breakfast at Provincia is a pleasant surprise, the menu contains a lot of variety and maintains the strong Italian influences of lunch and dinner, for example carozza, a savoury French toast filled with mozzarella, tomato and basil.

Nevertheless, I still opted for sweet: breakfast pikelets with berries, mint and mascarpone cream. Some breakfast items are offered on weekends only, indicating to me that you’ll be getting wonderfully fresh ingredients.

The service is interesting. It’s definitely good, but I might also call it colloquial. Staff were suffering the after effects of the FA cup final the previous night and it was expected that we sympathize with them. Being a sports lover myself, we did. Regulars were treated with prejudice and everyone was treated as a regular, so it worked well. Andrea Faraone has done a wonderful job capturing Italy in food, interior and vibe. What’s more, the coffee is gooooood and served with a shot glass of soda water for cleaning the teeth afterwards.

Will I go back? Of course, I have to sample lunch and dinner now.

95 Victoria Avenue

Albert Park

(03) 9345 5260