AN early breakfast is not for me, I prefer brunch. If I have a hearty western one, it will sustain me right till dinner.

It is not difficult to scout for the right cafe to enjoy a full breakfast with eggs, a well-stacked burger or a meatless sandwich.

I’m so done with Eggs Benedict, which seems to be on every cafe menu and I lean towards a breakfast or brunch that has some Asian elements.

So, at Common Man Coffee Roasters in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, I’m partial to the Turkish Common Man Breakfast (RM39), which has soft-boiled eggs wrapped in phyllo pastry, crispy feta, pumpkin hummus, cucumber, pomegranate, rocket salad served with pita bread and a drizzle of honey.

A cloud of crispy phyllo strips is atop the pumpkin hummus. I especially like the sweet and creamy pumpkin hummus, and the fried feta cubes.

The Umami mushroom avocado toast (RM32) is among three new items on the menu, which also include the Common Man Caesar and smashed burger.

In the Umami mushroom avocado toast, sourdough focaccia toast is slathered with creamy, well-seasoned avocado and heaped with mixed mushrooms sauteed in a teriyaki-like sauce.

Pea shoots and pickled red onion complete this yummy, healthy toast, together with a sprinkling of togarashi (Japanese spice blend with chilli flakes in it).

It did live up to the “umami” in its name, with the sweet and savoury mushrooms balanced by the pickles and blending with the rich avocado. You can add a free-range egg to this for RM6.

What stood out for me in the Common Man Caesar (RM33) were the charred Brussels sprouts and the soft and creamy burrata which I liked. It’s a different take on the classic Caesar Salad.

Aged parmesan added to the dressing ramped up the flavours in the salad which also has romaine lettuce, pea sprouts, grilled chicken breast, sourdough crumbs, crispy parmesan shards and a sprinkling of chilli flakes.

The Common Man Full Breakfast (RM43) offers two eggs in any style, Spanish chicken sausage, grilled streaky beef, herbed tomato, hash brown, Portobello mushroom, house-made baked beans with chicken ham and sourdough toast.

There’s a lot on the plate and it would be enough food for two. I liked that the baked beans were not from a can, the sausage had a hint of cumin in it and was delicious.

Of course, you have to have coffee at Common Man Coffee Roasters, which is about sustainably sourced coffee, roasted fresh in Singapore and prepared by skilled baristas trained in its own CMCR Academy.

I started with a flat white and ended with a cold brew, which I thought was a little weak in coffee flavour. You can filter coffee here, choosing from the available single origins and signature blends.

Common Man Coffee Roasters also conducts training programmes for baristas at its CMCR Academy KL.

Visit its website commonmancoffeeroasters.com.my. The cafe is located at Plaza Vads, A-G-1 New Podium, 1 Jalan Mohd Fuad, Kuala Lumpur. The number to call is 03-7731 7095. It opens daily at 8am. – July 23, 2022.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.