Monday 5 January 2009

tiamo, nedlands

I was really excited to hear that Tiamo had added a vegetarian big breakfast to their menu. Tiamo has been the hangout of The Breakfast Club for several years now, being central up until six months ago, and with the return of A to Australia after twelve months adventuring, we thought we'd give it a go.

breakfast at tiamo
hand featured: matthias'


Tiamo's vegetarian big breakfast is eggs, toast, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and hash browns.

There was elastic in my spinach (the spinach, incidentally, tasted terrible), they forgot A's latte (or something, it was a coffee drink of some description), and they refused to swap out the eggs. I understand why restaurants have a no swap out rule when it's busy, but the restaurant was very quiet and the eggs are like the main component, did they think I was swapping it out for fun? The only thing they would do was not to bring the eggs out. D and I then shared a serve of baked beans, which was massive (and delicious). The hash browns were crispy and fantastic. The mushrooms were really tasty.

But I'm sick of having to pay a lot of money and be made to feel like they're doing me a favour, and it's no longer a central location, many members of TBC having moved, so I'll not be back.


Tiamo Cafe
57 Hampden Road
Nedlands

8 comments:

Amira said...

i hate when restaurants serve 'vegetarian' meals which include eggs? How is that truly vegetarian? Ohh i love mushrooms though and those one's look splendid!

steph said...

Well, plenty of people (in Australia, at least) think that eggs are vegetarian. I always have to take a moment when I've just returned to Australia, because in Malaysia vegetarian ALWAYS means 'no egg,' but in Australia that's not the case.

x said...

My friend commented about eggs in vegetarian meals when I was forced to go to a non-veg*n cafe last week as my fave veg*n place was closed. I said most veggies eat eggs and the meal wasn't labelled vegan.

It's a shame they won't swap it, they don't do it here either. I pay full price even though I ask for no eggs and no toast!

steph said...

Mandee, what sort of comment did your friend make re: the eggs? That they expected the eggs or were surprised by them? I always dislike the overreliance on eggs and, more often, dairy, in vego meals at non-vego restaurants.

I find that swapping is different for various restaurants. Some restaurants are happy to do so, and some refuse. But if they're going to refuse, they should give us food we can eat!

Anonymous said...

i've never ever heard of a cafe not willing to let you not have eggs with the veg brekkie. surely not cooking something the customer doesn't even want is saving them money AND time!?!? i can understand them not charging any less, but eggs are one of those foods that some people just can't stand anyway, so there should be an option not to have them

Anonymous said...

@Philippa:

They would leave them off, but they were unwilling to substitute for easier cooked, undoubtedly cheaper baked beans.

VJzoo said...

We live around the corner and were thinking of trying Tiamo out. We're not vegan, just vego (so we eat eggs and dairy), but seriously - not being willing to swap something for the eggs smacks of the kind of Contempt for the Customer that I just can't be bothered putting up with. I don't like to go anywhere that the staff look down their noses at the paying customers. Especially when they're the kind of place who garnish their spinach with elastic! So, thanks for saving us a breakfast bill, we'll try elsewhere.

PS love your blog! Proves than not all vegans are brown-rice, tie-dye and sandals :)

steph said...

Hi VJzoo! Tiamo has been our "casual close to home" cafe of choice for years, ever since I first moved on to Fairway, but the service has always been very lacklustre. As someone described it on Sunday, they always feel like the waitstaff think they're doing us a favour.

Can I suggest you jump on the 97 and head in to Subi for something delicious? Chutney Mary's is always good for breakfast, and there are a couple of other cafes that way that look pretty good.