Homemade crumpets with leatherwood honey- instantly appealing and refreshingly different, this dish sums up Birdman Eating.

In the early days of Birdman, word spread like wildfire about their baked eggs. Served in individual cast iron pans on a piece of parchment sheet music, they became an instant success.

Baked eggs have been around for a while, but there is something about Birdman’s that attracts a crowd. Perhaps it is the unusual combination of ever-changing and gutsy ingredients such as spiced tomato, broccoli and kaiserfleisch. Whatever the case, customers invariably get over excited on the first mouthful and burn themselves on the cast iron handle.  It is mildly amusing to watch once you have seen it a couple of times.

If you aren’t keen on a burn mark on a Sunday morning, try the delicious banana bread with homemade cinnamon labna. The banana bread is perfectly moist and the cinnamon labna makes you want to forgo plain old butter for the rest of your life. If you are particularly enthusiastic like myself, order the banana bread along with the crumpets and smear the lot with labna. Heaven.

The quinoa porridge, flavoured with palm sugar, banana and coconut is an inspired variation on Uncle Toby’s oats. Much like Birdman’s eggs, this porridge has a massive following, this time with the GI conscious crowd. Sweet and creamy, the quinoa grains are reminiscent of pale caviar and do a nice little popping thing in your mouth. Beaded bubbles winking at the brim, as Keats would say.

The cheese kransky looks a bit rude, but don’t they all really. It oozes cheesy goo, which delights many who are in recovery mode from the night before. From experience, dipping your kransky into a runny yolk is probably one of the more constructive activities to do when hung over.

There are Coco Pops on the menu, which is always nice for tiny tots or adults who should know better.

The Genovese coffee is OK, though below par for Fitzroy. The staff are a lovely lot. There are umbrellas, tables and chairs outside to accommodate dogs, smokers and people who want sunshine.

All in all, Birdman has many people eating and justifiably so.