‘Breakfast like a king’ is an adage taken rather seriously at Hobnob Café, and hence the rather generous servings. Perhaps the latest to mushroom on Zamzama, this cafe has a history and tradition to live up to.

Remember Copper Kettle with its quirky menu that folded and unfolded and unfolded more till you were holding something like a parchment from a king, only that these were no royal orders but entrees with creative names and descriptions so that ordering was quite an interesting prelude to the food itself when it arrived.

What went wrong and what went right who knows, but Copper Kettle thoroughly enjoyed its hey days and then one fine day, with cafes popping up in every nook and cranny of Zamzama, CK became a little dated with its deep fried chicken breasts with rich fillings, swimming in heavy sauces. Hence the cushioned chairs and elegant booth sofas were ripped out and instead a more Spartan décor was opted for with very matter-of-fact tables and chairs, no fancy lights or chandeliers nor wall paper, but a coffee place emerged with an ambience that doesn’t seem to encourage any lingering over leisurely coffee.

Borrowing the ever popular name of their sister-concern, Hobnob bakeries, and some influence from another health food sister concern, Necos, Hobnob café was born.

The menu offers all day breakfast which is a notch up compared to its contemporaries as it offers ‘big breakfasts’ for the greedier among us and healthy entrees for the more health conscious.

The fried steak and eggs caught my eye as did the sausages with gravy. So did the bagels with cream cheese, buttermilk pancakes, onion rings, cottage cheese with crispy pita, cinnamon toast and a variety of crepes with veggie, chicken, banana and chocolate fillings.

The hand wrapped breakfast burritos seemed quite intriguing, promising thickly sliced steak, scrambled eggs and sautéed veggies as I scanned the menu, skimming through the healthy variety of Necos muesli and porridge which is actually Hobnobs’ edge over other breakfast places. They also have homemade jams and unsalted butter that would be an instant hit with people who love unprocessed, homemade stuff, but who on earth would pick muesli over the most exciting variety of ‘as-you-like-it-omelettes’? Not me.

Ignoring the halwa puri option, being not such an ardent traditionalist, I finally opted for a mushroom omelette, settling on the very basic for how wrong can you go with a mushroom omelette. Never mind the waiter who looked a trifle disappointed as I politely passed his recommendations for cottage cheese, cream cheese, herb and spinach fillings.

My friend, a hard core ‘breakfastaholic’ ordered scrambled eggs with Hunter’s beef and gravy on the side with tater-tots — a charming way to address potato nuggets if I may call them that. And the chef did his very best because the omelette was expertly made — plenty, cooked and creamy. The accompanying bread basket was fresh and the smell of white and brown toast invigorating. My companion was thrilled with her scrambled eggs and for the rest of the meal we discussed the ups and downs and mysterious tips and tricks of cooking the perfect scrambled eggs.

For next time I plan to have the All-in-one veggie breakfast despite being a very happy omnivore with a secret carnivorous bent. This exciting entrée promises an adventure with fresh spinach, roasted bell-peppers, grilled mushrooms, tomatoes with basil seasoned and topped with smoky cheese with a choice of eggs. However I do hope they improve their coffee because big breakfasts (and small breakfasts for that matter) need to be rounded off with strong coffee while my cappuccino was a little on the milky side.