The internet can be both friend or foe. After I had missed having breakfast at The Botanical, I looked at their website to see what would whet my appetite and unfortunately nothing took my fancy. Thinking about where I could go for breakfast in the same proximity, I recalled The Millswyn and started to look for their breakfast menu and spied that there were ricotta hotcakes on the menu! The deal was sealed.

Arriving at The Millswyn, I found an outside table and waited … and waited. After a while, I was greeted by a gruff man who handed me a menu and asked for my coffee order while showering me with spit.

Undaunted, I proceeded to review the menu, anxious for the ricotta hotcakes and what a surprise … they weren’t listed. Damn the internet! The next best option available was the buttermilk pancakes with cinnamon apples, maple syrup and whipped butter.

The whipped butter was faintly reminiscent of McDonald’s but moistened the pancakes as it melted. I was a little shocked at the presentation as one of the pancakes looked slightly burnt or charred but they were almost perfectly cooked, as every now and again there was a slight batter or doughy after taste. The apples were extremely crunchy with the odd hint of cinnamon and I almost thought that they were also undercooked, but it was a great mix of texture and spice and almost rendered the pancakes as an accompaniment to the dish.

Having enjoyed my breakfast, my plate cleared away and relaxing with my second latte, my gruff waiter reappeared and promptly yanked my clean serviette sitting beneath my coffee with such violent force that almost rendered me speechless and my beverage in the next suburb. Especially as I was saving it until I had finished my meal.

Finishing my coffee I went in search of the cash register, where my super efficient waiter greeted me with nothing more than the words “Twenty two dollars”. Dutifully I handed over my EFTPOS card and patiently waited for the receipt and then to my surprise, I was told to enjoy my day. In my mind’s eye, I kindly gave him a two fingered salute.