The global breakfast

Kate Underwood @relishthememory @eat.newzealand

Dubbed the most important meal of the day, I’ve always been intrigued by the variety of the global breakfast. Waking up somewhere new, the first thing you eat often provides a direct experience of the culture that surrounds you.

Imagine replacing that bowl of Weetbix with milk, kiwifruit, and yoghurt with mornings in Vietnam, where businessmen and school children sit perched on roadside stalls, slurping bowls of steaming hot Phở Bò (beef noodle soup) that’s been bubbling in giant pots overnight. Deeply umami, the soup is infused with charred ginger and star anise and full of nourishing beef bones, rice noodles, fragrant herbs like coriander and Vietnamese mint, and a smattering of chilli – all eaten before 9am, in temperatures above 30 degrees.

Instead of silky flat whites, in Vietnam, I’ve enjoyed intense, dark roasted ‘drip’ brews served hot or over ice, with condensed milk mixed in. Absurdly delicious!

In France, I witnessed locals wandering to pick up fresh croissants from the boulangeries and dunking them into their milky espresso. I can’t say I’ve dunked my sourdough toast with peanut butter into my morning filter coffee – but maybe I should?

The Chinese congee is a fascinating and comforting morning dish where you’re forced to think of porridge beyond oats with brown sugar and cream. This savoury rice porridge, made with water or stock, can be a little intimidating, but it’s simple in flavour. With toppings, you can make it your own – soy sauce for seasoning, thin slices of fresh ginger, spring onions, and chilli are common, and sometimes the 100-year-old preserved egg.

Pan con tomate (tomato bread) is a beloved Spanish breakfast that I’ve been drooling over as I enviously watch friends gallivanting around Barcelona. It’s essentially grated tomato on ciabatta-style toast, rubbed with raw garlic, covered in juicy tomatoes, and drenched in olive oil and salt – one to save for the summer months.

Even the time we eat breakfast varies across the world. In Japan, not much is open before 10am – including the coffee shops(!). When you wake early from jetlag, your only option is to head straight to the 7-11 or any of the small supermarkets open 24 hours. You choose from chilled cabinets of plasticwrapped snacks, including the notorious egg sandwiches filled generously with mayo on fluffy cloud-like white bread. A food memory I often crave.

Both Turkish and Danish breakfast spreads are wholesome and varied; think olives, tomatoes, cucumber, pide bread, honey, and tahini. The Danes opt for cured meat, hard cheese, boiled eggs, radishes, and pickles, all artfully arranged alongside dark rye bread. In fact, the new daytime darling – Estelle on Southwark Street, has a beautiful rendition that I am eager to eat. When I need some edible escapism but can’t get overseas, I start with breakfast and pretend for a moment I’m someplace else.

Sam Parish @sam.parish.food

If, like me, the main reason for travel is an itinerary of restaurants and bakeries, then why pack a bag? Fortunately, we have a plentiful supply of eateries in Christchurch ready to feed all our ambitions for authentic taste transportation. Here are a few to feed your inner travel bug. Your round-the-world trip is China-Japan-India-Morocco, but there’s plenty more where that came from in this city!

159 Cranford Street, St Albans

They are known for their biryani, a rice based dish whereby every grain is coated in flavour and spice and cooked to fluffy excellence with a protein (my go-to is chicken). But their extensive menu ranges from tandoor-cooked kebabs, parathas stuffed with potato, mandi, housemade pickles, and the classic curries we all pine over. It’s a haven for spiced and warming Indian cuisine. Whether dining in or taking away, I would implore you to try and push the envelope with your order here. Start with a chicken or lamb biryani, maybe a malai kofta (clusters of lightly fried cottage cheese, potato, and nuts served with a smooth cashew sauce) or for some fried chicken vibes, try the ‘Chicken 65’ with extra curry leaves, which is part of their IndoChinese menu. Always a side of pickles, always garlic naan.

MOSAIC BY SIMO

SOUTH GARDEN

Mosaic offers both casual and sit-down dining options. For lunch, you can’t go wrong with their bocadillos, Moroccan filled wraps stuffed with your choice of sauces, like charmoulla, harissa, and hummus, then slaw and proteins like preserved lemon chicken skewers or house-made falafel. The cabinet is an eyegrabber, filled to the brim with fresh salads, couscous, koftas, skewers, mint rice dolmades, and tall bowls of herb-marinated olives with thick-cut wedges of fresh lemon and orange. When I’m here, I must get a falafel – incredibly spiced with whole lentils, carrots, pepitas, and spices like turmeric and whole coriander seeds. Try the baklava or a bite of Turkish delight. For mains, get the tagine of Moroccan lamb with prunes. Also, the Andalusian platters are perfect for groups.

Anything served in a piping hot bamboo steamer has me weak in the knees. As you enter South Garden, you’ll be met with the smell of bamboo and the sweetness of fluffy house-made BBQ pork buns. You’ll see a wall of steamers at the back of the restaurant, piled high and ready to be passed out to full tables of hungry guests. Once seated, you’re swiftly presented with a pot of jasmine tea and a menu and pen to choose your dishes. Our top picks are the pork siu mai (best I’ve ever had), prawn crystal dumplings, lotus leaf glutinous rice, BBQ pork buns, any of the steamed rice rolls (shrimp and red rice are incredible), pan-fried turnip cake with Xo sauce, pan-fried pork dumplings, baked BBQ pork pastry, boiled seasonal veg (for balance), and egg tarts and deep-fried sesame balls for a sweet ending.

Set in the heart of the ever-green and lush Welder, the food from this humble and dependable kitchen is an ongoing triumph of flavour in Japanese-inspired cuisine. A big shout-out to the sushi tacos. If you’ve tried these, you’ll know how they tap into your hangry soul. These crunchy, rice-loaded sensations are sticky, crunchy, umami flavour bombs. I play no favourites with fillings; even at my fullest, I could never pass one of these up. I can’t forget the yakitori. Two skewers using any and all parts of the chicken cooked perfectly over hot coals and matched with their own dipping sauce. These sticks of glory have only one agenda: to make you order four more. I tend to go for a thigh, but the green miso breast version is top-notch too, not to mention the other varieties of skewer like pork belly, eggplant, and mushroom. Get yourself a chef’s table seat for the full authentic experience.