Perth Breakfast & Brunch: Gusto Food, South Perth

Few of us were at our best during the peak of the COVID pandemic.

But that was the last time I had breakfast at Gusto Food in South Perth.

State Government restrictions at the time meant that to get my breakfast I had to pull my car up to the backdoor of the restaurant.

A masked staff member passed me a paper bag, containing berry crumpets and a mocha, through the window. I said thank you and drove away.

Imagine the most suburban drug deal possible and you’ve got the picture.

Even eaten out of a single-use container, perched on my lap at the local park I thought at the time that Gusto’s crumpets were something special.

Four years later I can confirm those crumpets are still on the menu and they taste even better when eaten off a plate in a pleasantly buzzing cafe.

Fat, soft and sticky with mixed berries and very thick and good honey yoghurt, these crumpets are the pancake-pikelet-scone marriage you never knew you needed in your life. Poached pears and nutty sprinkles that the menu informs me is “peanut gravel” offer some welcome textural contrast.

It’s sweet without being sickening and filling without being too much. Despite the peanut gravel business, there’s also something pleasingly simple here, at a time when some restaurants care more about Insta clicks than getting the flavour balance right.

Crumpets come as a two or three stack and you know which one I recommend.

As good as those crumpets are, Gusto’s most pleasant surprise might be its vegetarian fry-up.

This massive plate of goodness has poached eggs, hash browns, grilled tomatoes, toast, avocado and a warm tumble of different mushroom varieties fried in the good stuff.

I say “plate” but the server brings a second dish, laden with halloumi, just as I’m tucking into my eggs. When I tell him I didn’t order any halloumi he assures me it’s part of the same order.

The poached eggs pop perfectly, the hash browns crunch just as they should and I somehow eat the entire thing and feel absolutely no regrets because there’s no unpleasant aftertaste of grease or shame.

Gusto may be putting out some excellent food but its set-up is surprisingly low-key: the tables are wipe-clean plastic and orders are placed at the counter. Sitting on the fairly busy Angelo Street, it’s not necessarily a venue designed to linger and enjoy the view.

Still, with food this good you don’t need much more than that.

The verdict: 15/20

A South Perth stalwart that’s still serving up some of Perth’s best brunch.

Gusto Food, South Perth

86 Angelo St, South Perth

OPEN Tuesday-Sunday 7am-2pm

CONTACT 0404 064 032

BOOKINGS No