Suzie Lazzari’s Hollandaise sauce was a siren call. Photo: James Coleman.
Exploring the diversity and breadth of Canberra’s suburban gems is well worth the effort; you will discover a vibrant mix of local cafés, pubs, and bakeries that serve as community cornerstones – welcoming spaces for connection and conversation. Places like Grain de Cafe.
I don’t often detour outside of the business part of Phillip, but on this day, I am heading to one of its suburban locales, Swinger Hill, to enjoy a late lunch.
I have been here before for a coffee, and when I saw owner Susie Lazzari whipping up a batch of her Hollandaise sauce, I determined that I must taste it one day soon.
If you are in a rush, place your order streetside — easy access for the many tradies that frequent the café. With so much tradie traffic, they have their very own easy-grab menu that includes meal deals with coffee, as well as bacon & egg wraps or toasties. The menu also features a delicious-sounding oversized brunch stack pairing ham steak, hash brown, corn flapjack and poached egg with guacamole and quesadilla cheese sauce.
If you are dining in, you sit in the atrium. It is a space that feels like a mix of your favourite aunty’s living room and a beach shack. Unpretentious and straightforward, it fits like a comfortable shoe. Sun-dappled, with mismatched cushions and a pile of blankets if you need them, the atrium is obviously much adored by locals. Both times I have visited here, the people enjoying their brunches and coffee know Susie, and she, in turn, knows them by name and knows exactly what they are going to order!
It is a brisk spring afternoon with a chill wind whipping around, but the see-through bistro blinds allow me to feel only the sun’s warmth on my back as I peruse the menu.
First of all, I could melt away in the luxuriously creamy depths of my flat white and its soft folds of white and caramel foam. Against the pale turtle-green, walnut-edged cup, the shades of my flat white are just so pleasing to my eye. It is a good brew too, with a berry aftertaste.
You must try the smoked salmon mousse. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Grain de Cafe offers an all-day brunch featuring all the classics, but I opt for the off-menu special: a smoked salmon mousse stack on a savoury corn flapjack.
My lunch arrives, and I cannot believe how lucky I am. Look at all that Hollandaise! Susie does NOT skimp on the Hollandaise.
Reimagining a brunch classic with smoked salmon mousse is inspired. Smooth and fresh, the texture is luxurious. Each of the dish’s components tastes great on its own — the corn flapjack, the guacamole, the poached egg and that Hollandaise. But together? That’s where the magic happens.
The addition of bright, tangy guac lifts the richness of the dish. The base being a flapjack means this dish can be eaten with just one utensil (great if you are balancing children!)
It is a fabulous brunch dish. I’m not ashamed to say that I scraped every morsel of lemon-saucy goodness with my finger.
A perfectly poached egg. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Grain de Cafe is a warm, generous and tasty local. Lucky Swinger Hill!
Grain De Cafe is located in Swinger Hills Shops, Shop 9/84 Ainsworth St, Mawson. It is open from 6:30 am to 4 pm on weekdays, and from 9 am to 5 pm on weekends. Follow Grain de Cafe on Facebook.
