Degustation brunch at Rubyos, Newtown

As a Libran, I am characterised by many things - I am prone to perfectionism, I pay attention to detail, I love beautiful things, I am a sucker for romance, and I dislike conflict. However (and this trait of my zodiac sign is defintiely true in my case) I can be very indecisive!

As such, I can take a long time to decide what I want when  dining out, especially when it comes to breakfast/brunch. There are just too many good options on the menu at that time of day, and it can be hard to make up your mind. I find myself torn between sweet options and savoury options, and even then there are more decisions to be made.. I try to reason between my heart, my conscience and my palate. Life's tough, I know ;) But it is through explaining my morning meal indecisiveness that I can also express my excitement for the concept of having multiple courses for brunch. With a little bit of this and that - the problem of ordering solved! Are you excited yet?!

A couple of weeks ago I discovered Rubyos Restaurant in Newtown in Sydney's inner-west. Mr Ladybird and I headed there for a regular breakfast (which was fantastic) when we learnt of their weekend degustation brunch. And so it was last weekend that we returned with two good friends Mrs & Mrs C and four healthy appetites for the four course brunch with a cocktail for $25 per person.

We are greeted by Liz and her friendly Rubyos staff and we start with some much needed coffees (not included in the package) $3.50 each.

With then make a start on our degustation brunch, starting with the delicious Mini Breakfast Bruschetta - grilled sourdough topped with rocket, avocado, tomato and crispy bacon or haloumi. The four of us opt for the haloumi with our bruschetta which turns out to be a good decision - the haloumi is absolutely lovely and not too salty, and pairs well with the other bruschetta toppings.

At this point we are ready for a tipple with our brunch, either a Bellini (sparkling wine with peach) or a Mimosa (sparkling wine with orange). Three of us choose the Bellini cocktail and Mrs C opts for the Mimosa. The last time I had bubbly this early in the day was at my sister's wedding, but I think I could get used to cocktails at breakfast!

Our next course is eggs benedict - poached eggs on toast with hollondaise, with either leg ham, smoked salmon or spinach. Mr Ladybird and I opt for the eggs with spinach, and Mr & Mrs C opt for the smoked salmon.

The eggs are excellent, and the hollondaise sauce is perfectly balanced. Check out this oozing yolk, oh yeah :)

Our third course of the morning is the ricotta and buttermilk pancakes filled with blueberries, and served with vanilla bean ice cream and maple syrup. These are some of the best pancakes I have ever had - they are so light and fluffy, they're superb, and the vanilla bean ice cream is gorgeously creamy, flecked with vanilla bean seeds.

Finally, the four of us share a platter of freshly cut seasonal fruit with creamy yoghurt and honey. The perfect finish to a wonderful brunch.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our degustation brunch at Rubyos Restaurant and were very well looked after by the Rubyos team. And we weren't stuffed either - we all felt we had eaten a hearty breakfast without feeling overfed.

With food of such a high standard, excellent service, a great venue and only $25 per head, this brunch ticks all the boxes. How am I ever going to go back to choosing just one course for weekend brunches?! :P

Rubyos
18-20 King Street
Newtown NSW
(02) 9557 2689
http://www.rubyos.com.au/
Lazy weekend brunch special available Saturdays and Sundays from 9 am