Bear with Me, South Hobart

Ever since Bear with Me opened up in South Hobart in July this year, I have had it on my list of brunch spots to hit up. I managed to make an afternoon visit for a coffee and a butterbing (a chewy, creamy sweet treat) a couple of weeks after it opened, and again for a catch up with a friend in September for a green smoothie (which was beautifully sweet, thick and refreshing), but it wasn't until this past week that I managed to get there for a proper meal.


Having heard amazing things about their brunch options, I decided to head there for a late brunch at around 11am on a weekday, which was a wise time to visit given how busy it can get on weekends. Even on a weekday morning, Bear with Me was buzzing with morning coffee-drinkers and brunch-eaters, yet the service was on point, with my coffee and brunch being served very efficiently despite the number of customers at that time. The clean open space is laced with green plants and Melbourne-hipster vibes, making it an awesome spot to nestle into with my laptop for an hour or two of work.

I started off with a latte before perusing the menu which is divided up into five sections - toasty things, healthy spreads, golden free-range farm eggs your way, brunch bits, and sides. There is definitely a Melbourne cafe vibe to this new hot spot, which is no surprise, given that the chef is formerly of Melbourne's Chin Chin (one of my favourite places to visit when I hop off to Melbourne for a weekend), and the menu is certainly sprinkled with a taste of modern Asian cuisine like that of Chin Chin.

The healthy spreads section of the menu includes items such as acai bowls and kafir lime coconut chia pudding, while the brunch bits section features roasted pork belly and crakling gua bao, peanut butter salt and pepper tofu gua bao buns, and caramelised sticky pork and crisp green apple salad. I decided to order an item from the healthy spreads section - the breakfast salad of grains, toasted nuts and seeds, kale, shaved broccoli, avocado, beetroot hummus, lemon olive oil dressing and a poached egg.

The salad was the perfect combination of flavours and textures - the perfectly poached egg melted into the grains and seeds when pierced, and the zesty fresh lime and tangy beetroot hummus balanced really well with the smooth avocado, the fresh kale and broccoli and the crunchy grains. It was filling but not heavy, and I left feeling satisfied and energised from all the goodness contained in the meal.

I am particularly excited to try the gua bao buns on my next visit to Bear with Me, and it is safe to say that it won't be long before my next visit occurs.