I absolutely love breakfast. I especially like eating it out on the weekends, in good company, while pouring over weekend newspapers. Just the smell of a cafe serving breakfast – overwhelmed by coffee and bacon- makes for a delicious, sensory experience. So when I was asked to review Ha Ha Bar I was delighted. Not only does the breakfast menu represent exceptional variety at reasonable prices, Ha Ha has quickly become the ‘it’ venue in North Canberra for all kinds of events.
Open from 7am until late, Tuesday – Sunday, Ha Ha serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with light snacks in between. It also specialises in cocktails in the evening, and has been known to showcase local artists, resident DJ and hosts functions and events.
My dining partner and I were seated promptly inside the café area, which is simple but artistic in its décor, with plenty of natural light streaming through the floor to ceiling windows of a morning. It should be noted that a lot of Ha Ha’s seating is outside on a spacious wrap-around deck facing Lake Ginninderra, which makes for a great atmosphere in summer.
For a Saturday morning Ha Ha was busy and bustling with chatter, just like any Inner North hipster brunch hangout, but without the pretence and long, hunger-inducing lines. However if you are visiting with a larger group of people I would suggest making a reservation, as I have been turned away before.
The floor manager, Jamie Morris, decided on a two course breakfast feast which best showcased the large breakfast menu. The first course encompassed Ha Ha versions of breakfast staples. We started our feast with high quality coffee, followed by blueberry ricotta hotcakes with maple mascarpone and berry compote ($12), French toast; egg battered croissant, pan fried and dusted with cinnamon and sugar, served with middle bacon and maple syrup ($12) and the Ha Ha Big Breakfast of fried eggs, roast tomato, bacon, spinach, mushrooms, a hash brown served on pumpkin and pepper bread ($16 with a choice of bread and eggs – fried, poached or scrambled).
The hotcakes were light and fluffy with a good amount of blueberry incorporated into the batter, which avoided the dryness common in cafe pancakes/hotcakes/crepes. The French toast was absolutely the best French toast I have ever had. This may have been due to the fact that instead of traditional toast, my French toast was served as a croissant. An unsurpassed indulgence only compounded by the delicious bacon and maple syrup. The Big Breakfast was also delicious – the eggs were cooked perfectly, and a good amount of fresh veggies were present, to contrast the crispness of the bacon and hash brown.
I was also impressed by the extensive bread list, which pleasantly spoiled me with fresh, fluffy options. There’s nothing worse than very standard bread at the bottom of an otherwise delicious and diverse breakfast stack.
The second course of breakfast was selected to showcase Ha Ha breakfast originals- traditional breakfast foods served with a Ha Ha twist, unique breakfast dishes that you really can’t get anywhere else. The roast tomatoes on rye toast with pesto, Bulgarian fetta and lemon scented rocket lettuce ($12) was fresh and simple, and would make a tasty option for vegetarians and the health conscious.
The smoked salmon on cheese and spinach toast with lemon scented mascarpone and black forest ($12) was a solid salmon breakfast option.
The shining star of this excellent second course was the canasta with scrambled free range eggs, pan tossed chorizo, middle bacon, spinach and mushroom ($12). This dish was basically a delicious conglomeration of indulgent elements, held together by fluffy scrambled eggs and served in a large, rotund taco-like shell.
We left our breakfast feast feeling extremely satisfied, not only with the quality of our meal and the friendly service, but also the feeling that we’d uncovered a hidden breakfast spot gem. Ha Ha may be tucked away in Belconnen, but it truly deserves a morning visit from the rest of Canberra.
Until July 31 Ha Ha Bar are offering $1 coffees on Tuesday – Friday, 07.30 – 10.30am, a great excuse for a mid-week breakfast catch-up or morning meeting.
TOP 5: Ha Ha Bar has made the TOP 5 Favourite Nightlife Venues in Canberra, as part of The OutInCanberra People’s Choice Awards. Love Ha Ha? Vote now
