Voyage Kitchen Cafe

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Voyage came highly recommended to me by a friend, and I can see why. A hop down West Coast Highway from Hillarys Marina, Voyage feels like a casual, beachside diner. You can practically smell the sun cream, yet the crowd was as diverse as it comes, with surprisingly few swimsuits on show. Young families, single people reading the news on iPads, older couples, joggers waiting for coffee. A large communal table fills the centre of the room, a vase of sunflowers adding a friendly welcome. If shared dining isn't your thing, then there are plenty of smaller tables, including many outside in a semi-enclosed verandah.

The room is white and bright, and apart from the two large vases of sunflowers, the rest of the decoration came from the food. I have never seen quite a statuesque fruit salad in all my life: I caught a glimpse as it was walked to the table next to me, all angles and artwork. I don't waste my time with fruit salad when I go out for breakfast, but gee it was pretty to look at.

This is probably the first time I have ever been out for breakfast and wished there was something more 'normal' on the menu.
You can have normal (such as a big brekky type meal) but it would seem you have to create yourself it from the 'extras' menu. The main menu has fascinating and unusual options such as Shakshuka ($18.50) described as North African baked eggs with saffron braised peppers and tomatoes, dukkah, coriander yoghurt and toast. It was beautifully presented in what looked like the base of an earthenware tagine, piled high with fresh rocket, and two long strips of toasted Turkish bread studded with rosemary. The dukkah was perhaps a bit light on, but the coriander yoghurt added a lightness and cooling note to the dish. I'm not actually a fan of pepper/capsicum at the best of times, and I knew I was taking a risk ordering a dish based on it, but I was very curious about the flavours.

My friend ordered the wild mushroom omelette ($18.50) described as mushroom and sage ragout, truffled goats cheese and toast. It was tasty, earthy and filling. It was also quite deconstructed, with the mushroom outside of the omelette, acting more as a sauce. So too, was Norma's Salsa ($18.50) poached eggs, grilled tomatoes, wilted spinach, avocado and marinated feta on toast. I had expected it to be chopped and combined – you know, like a salsa – but instead it was separated into the constituent ingredients, and looked more like a vegetarian breakfast than a salsa.

The breakfast menu consists of five savoury items and three sweet, all influenced by exotic destinations such as the Mediterranean, Africa and France. However there is also a list of 'extras', and this is where you can make your own 'normal' breakfast by combining say, scrambled eggs ($6.50), bacon ($4.50), sausages ($4.50) and hash browns ($3) which together costs the same as the main menu items ($18.50). A coincidence, I think not.

The assortment of muffins and cakes in the display case looked very enticing, and all are baked in-house. Similarly, Voyage prides itself on only serving free-range, local and seasonal foods. They also seem very eager to cater to the needs of those with dietary restrictions or preferences such as vegan and coeliac.

Voyage may not technically have ocean views, due to a row of dune plants that block the vista, but it is merely a dash across West Coast Highway to the beach itself. Besides, who wants to look at the ocean when there is pretty food to be enjoyed?

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