Breakfast at Campos

Campos Coffee
11 Wandoo Street, Fortitude Valley

In my old age, I'm getting more and more frequently plagued by back pain. Much of my recent days off have been spent in an array of chiropractic clinics, both in Toowoomba and Brisbane. My new indulgent activity of choice is getting massages; in my dream life, I'd spend entire days doing multiple 3 hour sessions back to back (pun?) with snack breaks in between. When I saw a Thai massage deal on Travelzoo, I couldn't resist... and ended up purchasing 2!

I booked myself in for the massage special around 9ish on a Saturday morning. It was in the valley so I figured I'd make an excursion of it and head in for breakfast first. My original plan was to catch a bus and walk around. As I was walking to the bus station, it started raining so I went back to my car to get my umbrella and then though "why not just drive?" As a result, I got to the valley much earlier than anticipated and had to use all my time-killing skills to keep myself occupied. Breakfast took up a decent chunk of that.

Campos Coffee on Wandoo Street is a place I've read many good things about and heard recommendations for but haven't been to myself. It's nearly reached the status of "Iconic Brisbane Breakfast Venue" (alongside Gunshop and maybe Pearl Cafe as 'must dos') so it's quite embarrasing that it's taken me so long. As well as having having such a top reputation, it has the added benefit of being open at 7am, which is more than I can say for most other breakfast venues. Campos gains an instant tick in my books for catering to weekend early birds such as myself.

I nearly missed the cafe because the actual entrance is tucked into a small lane. There are tables lining the lane and you're welcome to eat/sip there but I went for an inside table near the counter.

Latte

I kicked off my morning with a soy latte. It was very much appreciated because at this point of my travels, I had already encountered some parking dramas, walked to several other cafes that weren't open, and just generally felt tired and regretful that I was up and about so early. The coffee definitely perked me up!

Breakfast options at Campos are plentiful. I was drawn in by several of the menu descriptions and being unable to hone in on just one, I ended up going for the scrambled eggs and ordering the orange and banana bread takeaway.

Landschinken scrambled eggs - with char-grilled asparagus, sour cream, chives and cold smoked ham

My waiter jokingly teased me about my inability to pronounce 'Landschinken'. I asked what it meant and apparently it's the type of ham used. I was picturing ham like the stuff that comes out of a packet in Coles but it was more of a proscuitto-style cured ham. It went AMAZINGLY well with the scrambled eggs, sour cream and chives. I thought it was an unexpectantly good combination. Sour cream and eggs! Who would have thought. I even filed this away as a potential future breakfast I could cook for Marc before I realized that he doesn't eat eggs. The scrambled eggs here were cooked really well. I liked the toasted sourdough too but I just couldn't finish it. It was too much food.

Orange, banana and cardamom loaf - with honeyed ricotta

I had my orange and banana bread later on at home. I microwaved it for a bit to warm it up. To be honest, I was a little apprehensive about these flavors. I thought it would be really strong and 'spicy' from the cardamom but it turned out to be beautiful. The predominant flavor/texture is still like a well-made banana bread but there is a pleasant orange aroma and just a hint of the cardamon. The ricotta lended some richness.

I found the food at Campos to be delicious. I can see why this place is popular and I would love to go back to try some of their other menu options. My plate of scrambled eggs was HUGE so if you have a big appetite, I think this would be great for you. Otherwise, I'd suggest sharing!