Saturday brunch with BB — $17 cafe spread. The budget-tier casual cafe brunch break.

We ordered (Saturday brunch):

A shared main or two small mains
Drinks

Total: $17 for the spread.

The $17 brunch sits at the budget-tier cafe pricing — about $8-9 per person. Cheaper than the elevated brunch spots, in line with mid-tier hawker plates plus a drink. The right pricing for a small Saturday treat that doesn’t break the budget.

The plate(s) were the casual cafe fare. A protein-and-eggs combination or a simple toast-based brunch plate, with the kind of execution that doesn’t try to be elaborate but delivers competent cafe-tier food.

The protein was likely scrambled eggs with a side of sausage or bacon, or a simple eggs benedict variant. Cooked properly, plated cleanly.

Drinks were the standard cafe pours — coffee for me, tea or smoothie for BB.

$17 for two on a Saturday cafe brunch is fair budget-tier pricing. The home brunch alternative costs us $4-5 in groceries; the budget cafe brunch sits between home and the higher-tier $50+ sit-down restaurant brunches.

The pattern through December had stabilised. Most weekend brunches at home, occasional cafe or restaurant brunch breaks for the variety. The $17 budget-tier cafe was the lighter option for the variety break, with the $50+ sit-down restaurant brunches reserved for the occasional weekend.

Phase 2 had restored the cafe ecosystem, and the budget-tier cafes were back to full operation. The mid-morning Saturday slot at this kind of cafe is the unique combination of social-but-low-pressure that the format provides.

We sat at a small table near the window, ate slow. The Saturday morning energy was the most relaxed of the week — no commitments, no rush, just the small ritual of going out for brunch and not having to cook.

Some lockdown habits earn their permanence; some habits earn their occasional break. The budget cafe brunch was the second category.

Overall: 4.2 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid budget cafe Saturday brunch — would repeat occasionally.

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