Gourmet Editor at Profile Magazine, Nicole Fuge, appreciates the beauty in food and enjoys eating and baking sweet things.

Heading out for breakfast doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg (unless of course you want avocado, you’ll need to sell your home to afford those babies at the moment).

Gone are the days when you need to order a slice of raisin toast and a glass of water because you haven’t been paid yet, or you’re saving for a European getaway; there are loads of places on the Sunshine Coast offering great food at a good price, here are some of my favourites.

Cafe Silo
The new kid on the block in Yandina has come up with the goods, showcasing locally grown produce in an unpretentious fashion, just the way it should be. Think: generous servings of cinnamon french toast topped with fresh figs, lychees, mango and kiwi fruit, dripping in maple syrup; usually those ingredients attract a hefty price tag, but not here, it’s one of the cheapest brekkies I’ve had in a long time (for less than $30, hubby and I had a meal and coffee each). And you cannot deny the freshness of the ingredients either, I would bet my bottom dollar they were plucked right off the farm that morning – none of this snap frozen, gassed and stored-for-months business.

 

Elliott's Bistro
Plates laden with delicious and rich food like pancakes, berries and ice cream; avo, poached eggs with dukkah and bacon on sourdough, it’s a diner’s haven – it’s also one of MKR judge Manu Feildel’s favourite spots, he popped in to feast on the crispy potato and corn croquettes and eggs while on the Coast recently and returned the next day for breakfast with Pete Evans! Elliott’s Bistro at Alexandra Headland is not only generous with their serving size, they are also pretty charitable, holding regular fundraisers and teaming up with other local restaurants to raise money for a worthy cause.

 

Guru Life
When I photograph my food, I usually draw the line at standing up (it just attracts too much attention to my gluttonous habit), but when I gorged on the big breakfast at Guru Life at Rosemount, I had no choice other than to hover above the decadent spread to capture it in its entirety. Now most eateries have their own version of a big breakfast on the menu and quite often it is limited to your everyday run-of-the-mill ingredients; but this version is pimped out with additional extras spread across a big wooden board and could easily be shared between two and maybe even the people at the neighbouring table. Extra points awarded for ambience – eating brunch overlooking the pond peppered with young ducks is a delight!

 

Little May Espresso
Upon heading into the rolling hills of the hinterland, you would assume prices would too incline, but quite the opposite. At Little May Espresso in Montville, I indulged in his and hers avo on toast; crispy pancetta for me and field mushrooms garnished with almond dukkah for the husband, each dish is just over $10 and is the perfect size for breakfast, which makes them a winner in my books. What I also love is they offer a unique breakfast fare to the norm, you won’t find bacon and eggs here.

 

Gainsbourg
There’s nothing better than having choice when it comes to ordering your meal and that’s where Gainsbourg in Mooloolaba has nailed it if you’re a lover of eggs. Capped at $10, you can get two organic poached eggs on sourdough, or for a little extra you have the option to create your own delicious destiny with field mushrooms, hollandaise sauce, maple glazed bacon, grilled haloumi, ham off the bone, chorizo, avocado and feta, potato and quinoa hash, or cherry tomatoes – yum.

 

Your Place Espresso
I haven’t stopped gushing about this dish since I had it a few weeks back – the Tree Hugger breakfast. Big brekkies are often usually reserved for meat-heads with mountains of bacon and sausages, but this is a vegetarian option that will even have the carnivores snapping at your plate. Bursting with eggs, tomato, spinach, field mushrooms, Persian feta, avocado and spicy tomato relish, there is nowhere to hide with these simple, yet delicious ingredients, and it is a must-try for anyone with tastebuds. They also offer additional sides for $2 each, so you can load up your plate even more for a couple of bucks – or add some crispy bacon if you absolutely have to.

FOOD IS ALL ABOUT SHARING, SO DON’T FORGET TO SNAP PHOTOS OF YOUR FAVOURITE DISHES AND USE THE HASHTAG #PROFILEGOURMET