The morning before the mountains
You already know the drill: boots by the door, daypack half-checked at midnight, a driver or a bus stand waiting somewhere near Lakeside before the town has properly woken up. What we'd ask, gently, is that you give the morning ten more minutes than you think you can spare. A trail day runs on more than instant coffee and a biscuit eaten standing up.
We open at 7:00 am every day, which is early enough to sit, eat properly and still be on the road to Nayapul, Dhampus or wherever the day's trailhead happens to be. We're on Street 16 in Lakeside — come sit down properly before you go.
Why sit-down beats bus-stand
A packet of biscuits or a quick momo from a stand will fill a gap, but it won't hold through four hours of uphill switchbacks. Protein and slow carbohydrate together are what get you to lunch without the mid-morning wobble — eggs and grilled meat for the staying power, toast or potato for the steady fuel a long walk actually asks for. A sit-down breakfast also means five calm minutes with a coffee before the noise of the trailhead, which is worth something on its own.
If you'd rather see the whole spread before you decide, our menu is organised by food category, and the low-carb and high-protein section is the one worth reading first on a trail morning.
High-protein plates for a long climb
For an early start with real hours ahead of you, we'd point you toward the low-carb and high-protein side of the menu. The Grilled Chicken & Avocado — herb-marinated chicken breast, avocado, olives and green leaves with an olive-oil drizzle — is a solid, savoury plate for the morning ahead. The Keto Greek Bowl — chicken tenderloin, chickpeas, cucumber, avocado, feta and a lemon-garlic dressing — does something similar with more crunch. If smoked trout with scrambled eggs, cream cheese and pita sounds like the sort of thing that would carry you to Australian Camp, the Eggs & Smoked Trout Fishbowl does exactly that.
Classic plates and eggs, done simply
Not every trail morning wants to be clever. The Classic One-Pan Dear Breakfast — two fried eggs, grilled sausage, bacon, hash brown, mushroom and toasted bread — is the sort of plate that needs no explanation, and the Full Monty goes further still with baked beans and tomato alongside. For something lighter before a shorter walk, Light & Healthy Breakfast pairs two eggs with sausage, roasted potato and toast, and any of our Two Eggs, Any Style can be scrambled, fried or poached to suit however you take your mornings. Bread lovers will find a warm Scrambled Egg Croissant Sandwich is the fastest thing to eat when the driver's already outside.
For a fuller read on eggs done properly, our letter on poached eggs and omelettes covers the rest of that side of the kitchen.
The reward morning, after the trail
Then there's the other breakfast — the one after. Coming back down from Ghandruk or Poon Hill with sore calves and a proper appetite is its own kind of hunger, and this is where we'd say go softer, sweeter, slower. A Banana-Nut Waffle & Ice Cream or Caramelized Banana Crepes feels earned in a way it wouldn't on day one, and a smoothie afterwards is a good way to sit a while longer before you do anything else at all. Our note on slow mornings and coffee in Lakeside is really about this exact moment — the one where there's finally nowhere else to be.
Yours, every morning,
— Dear Breakfast