When you’re paying that much for a breakfast dish, it needs to either be very large, or very good quality, and preferably both. I don’t think the offering at Pope Joan ticks either box, although it’s not a complete failure either. The portion sizes are respectable, bar the single rasher of bacon, and it’s generally well put together.

Lets start with the positives. The free range eggs were some of the better scrambled eggs I’ve had at a cafe, the bacon was nicely crisp, the sausage was not too meaty or fatty to be enjoyed at breakfast time. I liked that the butter was quality, and arrived on the side.

(almost) full English breakfast from Pope Joan

Another problem, on this occasion at least, is service. It’s already incredibly popular, and there didn’t seem to be enough staff, which led to inconsistent service. We had to wait quite a while to get menus and orders taken, and our meals took about 30 minutes to arrive. I noticed at least a couple of people walking out without having eaten, presumably because of the slow service.

Whether or not they iron out the issues, given the location and the personnel behind it, I suspect that Pope Joan is going to remain popular regardless.

On my most recent visit I had the Prosciutto Eggs, which, aside from the obvious, comprised roasted tomato, spinach and roasted tomato on corn bread toast. The prosciutto was flavoursome and crispy, the eggs were fresh and perfectly poached, and the roast tomato actually tasted like a tomato. Unfortunately the corn bread was dry and crumbly, and I suspect was baked in a bread machine.

Normally I have the excellent BLT with avocado. If George Calombaris tried this, he’d probably say that he’d “be happy to serve this dish” at one of his restaurants. He’d likely also call out the mayo as the “hero” of the dish, and I’d have to agree. It’s “beau-ti-ful”.

It’s a good location, so long as they get the formula right, and from my first impressions, they’re well on the way. The coffee is well made, the prices are reasonable, and the food is promising.

I had the poached eggs with spiced tomato and beans ($12), which was a good dish without being amazing. My eggs were poached almost perfectly, but the toast was sliced a little thinly, and a bit burnt around the edges. The beans were a little watery, and thin in flavour.

My girlfriend had the confit tomato on toast with goats cheese ($10). While there was only one slice of toast, the ingredients were very good quality, which is important for such a simple dish, and it tasted great apparently.

Given the staff actually know how to make coffee, The Bell Jar shoes promise, and with a few tweaks could be a great cafe.

What it lacks in style, it more than makes up for in substance. The coffee is the best and most consistent in Fitzroy – much better than many of Melbourne’s cafes that makes up the so-called ‘third wave’ of coffee.

Similarly, the food, while not particularly imaginative, is executed perfectly. Scrambled eggs are actually scrambled rather than being mashed up omelettes, and poached eggs are done just right. Side are equally good, with crispy bacon, ripe tomatoes, and beans that actually taste home-made, or house made, as other cafes might phrase it. Even the bread is even baked there.

Service is friendly, and when a mistake in service is made, the staff is happy to acknowledge it.

Next time you’re wanting a nice breakfast out, instead of queueing for a table at the latest cool cafe, give Atomica a shot.

The scrambled eggs were well executed, reasonably fluffy and nicely seasoned. They were also listed as free range, and the serving was pretty generous. Even better were the hash browns, a mount of buttery, salty (but not too much so) grated potato.

Apologies for the photo, taken after I’d started the dish

The dish was let down by the toast, which was made from thin slices of decidedly average bread. I wouldn’t quite say it was supermarket quality, but it was much too light and didn’t taste much like sourdough, as the menu promised.

My girlfriend ordered corn fritters, which came with a chutney, and were superb. The texture was just right, and you could actually taste the sweetness of the corn kernels.

The coffee wasn’t too bad, although I’m not too sure about the Bodum double walled coffee glasses my long black was served in. It did keep the coffee hot, but I don’t think it did the flavours any favours.

This sounds reasonable, except when it arrives and you get a single piece of toast, a single rasher of bacon, a single sausage (are you sensing a pattern?), two eggs, a tomato, spinach, 3 or 4 mushrooms, and relish.

This would be excusable if the food was great, but it’s not. My poached eggs had a texture that suggested that they had been prepared in poaching cups. The roasted tomato was floury, still had the core intact, and didn’t appear to have seen much time in the oven.

On a more positive note, the other components of the dish were better – in particular the good quality sausage pairing well with the relish. The coffee was competently made, and the service is friendly.

This wouldn’t be enough to draw me back though. At least not until the prices fall a little, or they stop being so stingy with the bread and bacon.

One of the dishes, The Gringo, is one of my favourite breakfast dishes – not just here, but anywhere. It comprises two perfectly poached eggs, crispy bacon, and some amazing mexican beans. One of the things I like is that, unike some other cafes, they don’t skimp on things like the toast. You get two generous slices.

They also do sweet things well, with the lamingtons, covered in roasted dessicated coconut, being a highlight. Coffee is good, the decor is appealing, service is efficient and friendly, and it’s generally a very pleasant place to be.

What ‘it’ is, is a converted milk bar serving really good food and coffee. We tried the avocado, basil, cottage cheese, spinach and poached egg with fresh lemon on toast. While that sounds like one ingredient too many, it’s actually perfect, particularly the delicious cottage cheese. And despite only coming with a single egg, it’s reasonably filling and great value at just $11. The bread comes from Hawthorn’s Knead Bakery, and is has great texture thanks to the walnuts in it.

There are a couple of things that could be improved, such as the the coffee, which is just okay (not great). And like a lot of places that have enjoyed quick success, the service can be a bit slow. Our coffees arrived well after our meals. With food as good as this though, these faults are easily ignored.

The decor is neither particularly modern or particularly traditional, with a beautiful pressed metal ceiling, and the same could be said of the food. Fitzroyalty praised the French Toast, and it is very good, topped with hazelnuts for beautiful texture. The Eggs Benedict were of an equally high standard, with the free range eggs cooked to perfection, and sitting atop spinach and crispy bacon, on a single piece of bread (two would have been better). The hollandaise was a little unusual, but not unpleasant. And the coffee is well made.

Now to the qualifier. The service is extremely slow. Maybe we just caught them on a bad day, but we had to wait too long for our coffees, and it didn’t seem to be for a lack of staff. Still, I’d certainly go back.