Morning Glory opens its doors tomorrow, 10th September. It’s located in the space that was previously occupied by A.Baker in the NewActon Pavillion, one of Canberra’s oldest hospitality precints. I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak before it opens.
Greg Lally, Kent Nhan, AK Ramakrishna and Stephane Nguyen are the team behind Morning Glory and they’re also the team behind XO Restaurant (one of my favourite restaurants in Canberra).
The team comes from different cultural backgrounds and the menu at Morning Glory plays off their experiences growing up in Australia, with strong roots in South East Asia.
In contrast to XO, which is predominantly a night-time venue, Morning Glory is all about daylight dining.
The interior is modern and much more lighter and brighter than A.Baker was and the enclosed area at the front allows more seating inside.
I was intrigued and excited to see the menu because I was expecting it to be very different. It is different (not as different as I expected) and there’s no other breakfast and lunch menu in Canberra like it.
When I go out to breakfast I like to order different dishes. If it’s something I can easily cook at home then I’d rather just do that. I know how many people love Smashed Avo but there’s no way I’m spending $16+ on it when I regularly have avocado on toast at home.
I did however make an exception to my own rule and I ordered the bacon and egg roll at Morning Glory. It was the char sui bacon that got me and I NEEDED (yes, needed!) to try it.
Drinks options include Toby’s Estate coffee, a selection of tea, juice, interesting shakes (red bean and coconut is one of them), organic soft drinks, morning cocktails, craft beer on tap and a selection of sparkling, rosé, red wine and white wine. It was great to some local options from Bentspokse Brewing Co, MADA Wines and Lark Hill.
There’s a range of gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian food options, as well as vegan on request.
Like most modern restaurants and cafes these days, the menu is small.
If you’re expecting to see typical Aussie breakfast and lunch options like bacon and eggs, pancakes and beef burgers, then you’re in for a shock.
The closest thing you’ll find is ‘Eggs your way’ and a bacon and egg roll, with a Morning Glory twist of course. Cue the char sui bacon. Other than those two dishes, each dish is unique.
We wanted to try as much as we could and decided to go with options we would choose for breakfast because we ate at 10am. There was a crispy barramundi and lamb rump dish but they’re options I would personally choose if I was dining later in the day.
We went with the Eggs and Soldiers (it’s not what you’re thinking), Xiu Mai, Bacon and Egg Roll and the Black Sesame Waffle.
The Hainanese Chicken Wrap sounded and looked divine so I’ll be returning to try that for lunch soon.
We started with a few coffees and I also ordered the dragon fruit juice with apple, ginger and lemon. It was refreshing and different from the usual OJ or apple juice options on most menus.
I was tempted to try the Crème Caramel shake and the Adzuki Shake (red bean and coconut) but I wanted to have enough room to eat all the food. So I’ve added them to the ‘to eat’ list with the Hainanese Chicken Wrap when I visit again. The Sour Sop shake sounds good too!
Our plan of attack was to share the savoury options and finish with the waffle.
The bacon and egg roll arrived first. The fresh bun was filled with a runny egg that was sitting on top of the char sui bacon, topped with fried eschalots and a dollop of kewpie mayonnaise. It was a nice change to the usual bacon and egg roll but a little more bacon would have been nice. You can also order char sui bacon as a side and I’ll be doing this next time so I can enjoy it on its own, and have more.
The Eggs and Soldiers arrived not long after the bacon and egg roll. The 62° eggs were served in the shell in egg cups. Soldiers of bread filled with kaya and wyngaard cheese was served on the side.
If you’re not familiar with kaya, it’s a coconut jam that’s well known in Singapore and Malaysia. I’ve had Kaya Toast many times in Singapore and absolutely love it. Morning Glory’s version is very different to what I’ve tried and the addition of the cheese added a salty flavour, which balanced out the sweetness of the kaya.
I love that kaya is on the menu and you can order plain toast with kaya too. If you have a sweet tooth and like coconut then do yourself a favour and try kaya.
The Xiu Mai was the next dish to arrive. This dish is similar to a Shakshouka but with different flavours. Tender and flavoursome chicken veal meatballs are cooked in a rich, spicy tomato sugo with a soft egg and topped with fresh coriander. The dish was topped with tofu and served with a chunk of crusty toasted bread. It was a delicious and comforting dish.
We finished with the Black Sesame Waffle that was topped with milk tea ice cream, raspberries, some black sesame crumble and a shard of white chocolate. The tempered chocolate made the perfect ‘crack’ sound when we hit it with the spoon.
This sweet dish combines elements of a deconstructed bubble tea, which is something that I’m starting to see on a few menus. Fresh raspberries were used as well as raspberry pearls that you would usually find in bubble tea. I love black sesame so I enjoyed the flavours of this dish and thought it was a fun way to enjoy a waffle.
Morning Glory is an exciting addition to Canberra’s food scene. I’m looking forward to seeing what else the team come up with and how it evolves. I’m also looking forward to ticking off some of the other dishes from my ‘to eat’ list when I visit next time.
From the Morning Glory Team
“Morning Glory will share the DNA of XO – unpretentious, honest food and the highest standards of service – wrapped up in its very own personality,” Greg Lally said.
“We will always have a few non-negotiables – producing top-quality food, never taking ourselves too seriously and finding a spot for Madonna in every playlist.”
“We are looking to bring the same inventiveness light-hearted approach and top quality product that has come to define XO to breakfast and lunch,” he continued.
“In doing so, we are also looking to strike a balance between the traditionally more casual approach of a café with the best aspects of the rigour and discipline of restaurant service.”
Details
Address: NewActon Pavilion, 2/15 Edinburgh Ave
Eat Canberra dined as a guest at Morning Glory but all opinions are the author’s own.
Amelia Bidgood
Amelia is the Founder and Editor of Eat Canberra and the Founder and Managing Director of Eat Canberra Food Tours. She's a qualified journalist, presenter, freelance writer and also runs a boutique communications agency working with small business owners on all things social media, content creation and marketing. She's taught cheesemaking classes, judged hospitality and tourism awards, completed the WSET Level 1 Award In Wines, loves to cook and has travelled to 23 countries. She's also passionate about mental health and has recently started studying to become a Counsellor.