​bills @Darlinghurst, Sydney

We woke up bright and early and took a morning stroll to bills (because so many people kept recommending it)!

This location at Darlinghurst was where it all began in 1993 when Bill Granger, at the age of 24 dropped out of art school and opened his first restaurant.  It quickly became famous for the best scrambled eggs and ricotta hotcakes in town, served at the now much-copied communal table where locals and visitors, families and celebrities sit down to eat together and thrive on the buzzing atmosphere. (from bill’s website)

We reached here before 9am on this lovely Saturday, and it was not very crowded yet. Actually, my cousin had recommended scrambled eggs here, but we totally forgot about it and went on to have our priciest breakfast of the trip.

• Ricotta Hotcakes (A$22): Another crowd favourite, served in a stack of 3s, with banana and honeycomb butter, the hotcakes here were very fluffy and eggy. Definitely very different from all the hotcakes and pancakes that we had tried! However, there was a strong flour/alkaline taste (like the aftertaste of some yellow noodles) when we tried it kosong, without condiments. The maple syrup and banana covered up this taste pretty well.
• Sweet Corn Fritters (A$23, plus A$4 for avocado salsa): Served with a slice of tomato, spinach, and bacon, the 2 pieces of corn fritters were pretty good! However, we did not ask for the avocado salsa, but they gave and charged us for it anyway. Sheesh! This was a first, as all other cafes we had been to previously would always check if we wanted any sides, or simply did not give us any extras since we did not order.
• Skinny Latte (A$4.10): We thought this was quite ok, but it would be better if it was stronger.
• Homemade Almond Macadamia Milk Spiced Chai (A$6.50): This has gotta be an acquired taste… There was this residual powdery feeling which I did not really like. The spice was definitely there though. This was a cup of chai that was totally different to what I had tried before.

By the time we were done around 9.40am, there were still available seating. Perhaps because the staff were very efficient at clearing empty plates and tables, for there was a sense of being hurried…