The Ultimate Guide to Gourmet Breakfast in the Melbourne CBD: Elevating Your Morning

Some breakfast dishes don’t need reinventing. They just need to be done well.

French Toast is one of them.

At Tomo’s Little Collins, our Signature French Toast has become one of the dishes that best represents the way we like to cook: start with something familiar, use good ingredients, and prepare each component with a little more care.

At $23, it’s an indulgent breakfast — as French Toast should be — but what makes ours special isn’t simply how it looks when it reaches the table. A lot of thought goes into what happens before that.

It Starts With the Brioche

Good French Toast starts with the right bread.

We use a soft white brioche together with our own house mixture, made using fresh free-range eggs, milk and warming spices including cinnamon and nutmeg.

There are a few other things in there too, but some recipes are better kept in the kitchen.

One thing we deliberately don’t do is leave the brioche sitting in the mixture to soak. It’s dipped only when we’re ready to cook it, then goes straight onto the skillet where it’s pan-seared with butter.

It’s a small detail, but an important one. We want the brioche properly coated without becoming overly saturated, with a golden, buttery exterior when it leaves the skillet.

With something as familiar as French Toast, little things like that make a difference.

Fresh Fruit — and Plenty of It

The fruit on our Signature French Toast isn’t there simply to make the plate look pretty.

Every serving comes generously topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, together with at least half a fresh banana.

We use fresh berries rather than frozen fruit, and because we go through a considerable amount of them at Tomo’s, we’re constantly replenishing our supply. That’s particularly important with delicate berries such as raspberries and blackberries, where freshness really does make a difference.

There’s a reason for being generous with them too.

The freshness and slight acidity of the berries provide a lovely contrast to the richness of the butter-seared brioche and cream, while the banana brings natural sweetness and a softer texture.

It makes the whole plate work together rather than simply making it look colourful.

The Hint of Orange Is There for a Reason

Then there’s the cream.

Rather than serving the French Toast with ordinary whipped cream, we make ours with Cointreau, giving it a subtle hint of orange.

It’s intentional, but it’s not supposed to dominate the dish. The amount is small — just enough for that little citrus note to come through alongside the berries, banana and buttery brioche.

It’s one of those flavours you might not immediately identify when you take your first bite.

But you’d probably notice if it wasn’t there.

And Yes, It’s Pure Canadian Maple Syrup

We finish our Signature French Toast with pure Canadian maple syrup.

That distinction matters to us.

There are cheaper maple-flavoured breakfast syrups available, but we choose to use the real thing. Pure maple syrup has a depth and character of its own, and with a dish as simple and familiar as French Toast, there aren’t many places for lesser ingredients to hide.

The same thinking runs through the whole plate — from the free-range eggs in our house mixture to the butter, fresh berries, banana and Cointreau cream.

We don’t need to call the ingredients "premium."

We’d rather you taste the difference.

Make It Your Kind of French Toast

Of course, there is more than one way to enjoy French Toast.

If you’re someone who loves that classic sweet-and-savoury combination, add crispy bacon. The saltiness and crisp texture work surprisingly well against the maple syrup, fruit and buttery brioche, while making it an even more substantial breakfast.

Or go completely the other way and add vanilla ice cream.

There’s something particularly satisfying about cold vanilla ice cream slowly beginning to soften against warm brioche straight from the skillet.

One is salty and savoury. The other is cool and creamy.

Neither is necessary — the Signature French Toast was designed to stand on its own — but both are very good ways to make it your kind of breakfast. If you’re looking for more inspiration, our guide to best French toast toppings for elevating your weekend brunch explores how to pair ingredients like a professional chef.

A Classic, Done the Tomo’s Way

Our Signature French Toast isn’t about turning a breakfast classic into something unrecognisable.

There isn’t a complicated Japanese ingredient added simply because we’re Tomo’s, and we’re not trying to reinvent French Toast.

What makes it ours is in the details: our own house mixture made with free-range eggs, brioche dipped only when it’s ready to cook, butter-seared on the skillet, four kinds of fresh berries, fresh banana, Cointreau cream and pure Canadian maple syrup.

Familiar ingredients that work well together, prepared with a little more care.

Sometimes that’s all a classic really needs.

French Toast in the Heart of Melbourne CBD

You’ll find our Signature French Toast for $23 on the breakfast menu at Tomo’s Little Collins, 382 Little Collins Street, Melbourne CBD, just around the corner from McKillop Street.

Have it with our long black or pair it with one of our ceremonial matcha latte.

And if you’re sharing breakfast, there’s no rule saying everyone at the table has to choose between sweet and savoury.

A Signature French Toast in the middle of the table has been known to solve that problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

What bread does Tomo’s use for its French Toast?

We use a soft white brioche selected for our Signature French Toast. It’s dipped in our house mixture only when we’re ready to cook it and then pan-seared with butter.

What’s in the French Toast mixture?

It’s our own house recipe made with fresh free-range eggs, milk and warming spices including cinnamon and nutmeg. We’ll keep the rest of that recipe in the kitchen.

What fruit comes with the Signature French Toast?

Every serving comes with fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, together with at least half a fresh banana. We use fresh rather than frozen berries.

What is Cointreau cream?

Our cream contains a small amount of Cointreau to give it a subtle orange character that complements the berries, banana and brioche. As Cointreau contains alcohol, guests who wish to avoid alcohol should speak with our team.

What kind of maple syrup do you use?

We use pure Canadian maple syrup, rather than maple-flavoured breakfast syrup.

Can I add bacon or ice cream?

Yes. Add crispy bacon for a sweet-and-savoury combination or vanilla ice cream for a hot-and-cold contrast with the freshly cooked brioche. For more gourmet toasties Melbourne CBD topping ideas to try at home, take a look at our dedicated guide.

How much is the Signature French Toast?

Our Signature French Toast is currently $23, with crispy bacon and vanilla ice cream available as optional additions.

Where is Tomo’s Little Collins?

We’re at 382 Little Collins Street in Melbourne CBD, close to McKillop Street. Walk-ins are welcome, and reservations are also available.