R.Bar
Port Melbourne

Haven’t talked about breakfast much lately. Should have. Breakfast, brunch, weekend lunch, is often the only meal that some folk spend out. Especially on Sundays.

Which leads me to the R. Bar in Port Melbourne. It has to be the best breakfast place in town.

It is clever. It has class and style and I did not realise until I left that the R in the name R Bar stands for Roberto who used to own an eponymous joint near the Hyatt in the city.

The R. Bar at Port Melbourne is different. As cosy as you could want. A great place for a lazy brunch with a pack of mates or a place to hunch alone with your coffee, croissants and the Sunday papers.

There is a typical, intimate Billich drawing on the main wall. A nude female masturbating.

Indicatively, above the Billich sketch, is the quote: “Thanks for the great feed “. The signature? Wayne Carey. I presume he was referring to the meal but with Carey you never can tell.

The walls also carry ry autographs from people like Eddie McGuire, Cornelia Francis and John “pig’s arse” Elliott. The longest wall message was from a wannabe named Nikki Visser. Kirsty Marshall also has listed her claims to fame as a world champion and Olympian. We’ll see a photo of her breast-feeding in Parliament next!

The clue that this is a great brunch place is in the R. Bar morning “ pick me up”. A real Bloody Mary with all the trimmings. A serious Bloody Mary. Not red like tomato juice but brown as it should be. Discoloured by the Worcestershire sauce and with a huge jagged sprig of celery in it.

And the food can be just as hearty. I put the diet on hold and had egg-fried fruit bread with rhubarb and apple compote and natural yoghurt.

Or there’s your choice of eggs with bacon, sausage, spinach, tomato, mushrooms, whatever. All served with delicious casalinga bread.

And you can have a cheese, tomato and basil omelette or a banana pancake stack.

The R. Bar is a serious breakfast and brunch place. It’s near Station Pier and for Breakfast or Brunch it is without peer.