Separate breakfast and lunch menus overlap for the brunch. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Stand By Me was an old favourite of my brunch crew, and its closure last year was met with sadness. But a new cafe has popped up at the Lyons shops, so I figured I needed to go along and check it out.
The interior hasn’t changed much since the SBM days. The bench seating still sports cute, patterned cushions, and there’s a lovely exposed-brick wall behind the counter. I head straight to my favourite spot, the sun-soaked back room, which is a little calmer than the front dining space, and there’s a little more room for our party to spread out and add a highchair.
The menu features two overlapping breakfast and lunch offerings, which include some predictable stalwarts – avocado on toast, granola, and corn fritters – as well as international options like okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage pancake). The lunch menu adds a few salads and burgers to the mix.
The okonomiyaki was very tasty, with plenty of sauce and pickles (just how I like it!) Photo: Lucy Ridge.
My friends ordered the eggs Benedict, a burger, and a breakfast wrap, which sorely tempted me, but in the end, I couldn’t go past the okonomiyaki. Our food and drinks arrived quickly. The okonomiyaki straddled the line between a crisp bottom and a soft interior perfectly, and was served with a generous amount of pickled ginger and some fresh radish and tomato. My poached eggs were firmer than I’d like, but certainly not rock hard.
The Benedict was a generous serving: two eggs, two pieces of toast, plenty of bacon and wilted spinach with a dusting of paprika. Come with an appetite. The generous portions didn’t stop at the food: the babychino was more of a hungry toddler-chino, or perhaps a preschooler-chino, but the baby in question was certainly happy!
The burger was enjoyed too quickly to grab a bite, but I managed to swipe a couple of chippies and can report they are perfectly good! The sweets cabinet was well stocked with cakes and slices as well as toasties, pies and a few grab-and-go items. There were also some house-baked pastries which I’d happily try next time.
The eggs Benedict is a generous portion. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
There was a very strange glitch with the sound system playing the same song on repeat (may I never hear the dulcet tones of Justin Timberlake crooning ‘Señorita’ ever again), but this is a minor issue which is presumably not permanent … at least I hope not, for the sake of the staff!
Overall, my impression is that the staff are still finding their feet, but are well on their way. And as with any new cafe or restaurant, I’m always willing to forgive minor inconveniences while folks are still training.
There was a nice number of locals coming through the doors. Clearly, the people of Lyons are happy to have a local cafe slinging coffees once again.
La Veera Cafe is located at Shop 1/9 Lyons Place, Lyons. They are open from 7 am to 2.30 pm seven days a week. Breakfast menu until 11.30 am, lunch menu until 2 pm. Follow La Veera Cafe on Facebook.
Original Article published by Lucy Ridge on Region Canberra.
