Melbourne’s breakfast scene never stands still. New flavours, influences and café trends come and go, but some mornings call for something reassuringly familiar — a proper big breakfast.

At Tomo’s Little Collins, we call ours the Pantry Breakfast. The name reflects what we wanted the dish to be: the kind of breakfast that feels like home — familiar, comforting and uncomplicated.

It brings together the breakfast favourites people know and love, while preparing each one with a little more care.

Why We Call It the Pantry Breakfast

For us, the word "pantry" is about familiarity and comfort.

It’s the idea of having those dependable ingredients around you that can always make a satisfying meal. Eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes and toast aren’t new or complicated, and that’s exactly the point.

While Melbourne brunch menus have become increasingly creative, there are times when you simply want a generous breakfast made from things you already know and love.

That’s what our Pantry Breakfast is about.

Classic comfort food, done the Tomo’s way.

Familiar Doesn’t Mean Ordinary

The Pantry Breakfast isn’t about reinventing the big breakfast. It’s about taking familiar breakfast favourites and preparing each one with a little more care.

We start with free-range eggs, cooked your way, alongside seared streaky bacon, chosen for its rich flavour and the way it crisps and caramelises beautifully when cooked.

Our mushrooms aren’t simply one variety either. We combine Swiss brown, flat and cup mushrooms, finished with butter and miso for an extra layer of savoury depth.

Wilted baby spinach, lightly grilled mini truss tomatoes, breakfast sausages, a crispy gluten-free hash brown and buttered sourdough complete the plate.

They’re all familiar breakfast favourites. The difference is in the ingredients we choose and the care we put into preparing them.

Why Streaky Bacon?

Bacon is one of those ingredients where the cut can make a noticeable difference to the finished breakfast.

For our Pantry Breakfast, we choose streaky bacon rather than middle or back bacon. Its balance of meat and fat gives it a richer flavour and allows the edges to crisp and caramelise when seared, while the meat remains satisfying and flavoursome.

It may be a small detail on a large plate, but those small decisions matter to us.

A big breakfast should be generous, but we don’t think generosity should simply mean putting more food on the plate. It should also mean making the individual components worth eating.

Three Mushrooms and a Little Miso

Mushrooms are another familiar part of the classic big breakfast, and this is where a little of Tomo’s Japanese influence comes through.

Rather than using only cup mushrooms, we combine Swiss brown, flat and cup mushrooms to bring slightly different flavours and textures to the plate.

They’re finished with butter and miso, adding savoury depth and umami without turning a familiar breakfast favourite into something unrecognisable.

That balance is important to us.

Tomo’s is a Japanese fusion cafe in Melbourne, but that doesn’t mean every dish needs to become a fusion dish. Sometimes that influence can be as simple as using a Japanese ingredient or technique to make something familiar taste just a little more interesting.
This philosophy of subtly elevating classics with global notes is shared by other local artisans, such as SITA’S Fusion Flavours, who use Malaysian-inspired condiments to bring handcrafted depth to familiar meals.

A Big Breakfast That Can Be Made Gluten-Free

We also wanted the Pantry Breakfast to work for guests looking for a gluten-free option.

The hash brown we use is gluten-free, and the sourdough can be swapped for gluten-free bread, allowing the Pantry Breakfast to be prepared as a gluten-free option.

If you have an allergy or specific dietary requirement, please let our team know when ordering so we can advise you about preparation and potential cross-contact in our kitchen.

Why the Big Breakfast Still Belongs in Melbourne

Melbourne café culture has changed enormously.

Breakfast today might mean an elaborate French toast, a tartine, matcha, a croissant plate or any number of dishes influenced by food cultures from around the world.

And we love that. It’s part of what makes eating breakfast in Melbourne so interesting.

But somehow, the classic big breakfast has never disappeared.

Perhaps that’s because it isn’t trying to be the newest thing on the menu. You know roughly what you’re going to get. You can have your eggs the way you like them. It’s generous enough for a serious appetite and familiar enough that you don’t need a menu description to understand it.

There’s a certain nostalgia to that.

For generations of Melbourne café-goers, bacon, eggs, mushrooms and toast have simply been part of going out for breakfast.

Sometimes familiar is exactly what you’re looking for.

A Little Japanese Influence, Without Losing the Classic

That familiarity is also why we’ve deliberately kept the Japanese influence on our Pantry Breakfast subtle.

The miso butter mushrooms give the dish a little Tomo’s character, but the Pantry Breakfast remains recognisably a Melbourne big breakfast.

That reflects the way we approach much of the menu at Tomo’s Little Collins. We’re not trying to make something Japanese simply for the sake of being different.

Instead, we like bringing together the things we enjoy about Australian breakfast café culture with ingredients and flavours influenced by Japan.

Sometimes the Japanese influence is obvious. Other times, as with the miso in our breakfast mushrooms, it’s simply there in the background making something familiar a little more interesting.

Coffee or Matcha?

Of course, a Melbourne breakfast wouldn’t really feel complete without something good to drink alongside it.

For many people, that means coffee. A flat white, latte or long black alongside bacon and eggs is about as Melbourne as breakfast gets.

But things change, too.

Matcha has become an increasingly familiar sight in Melbourne cafés, and at Tomo’s we use ceremonial matcha from Uji, Kyoto.

So you can keep things completely classic with your morning coffee, or pair your big breakfast with matcha for something a little more Tomo’s.

There doesn’t need to be a correct choice.

That’s the nice thing about comfort food — have it the way you like it.

Breakfast in the Heart of Melbourne CBD

Tomo’s Little Collins is located at 382 Little Collins Street in Melbourne CBD, near the corner of McKillop Street.

Our menu brings together familiar Melbourne breakfast café favourites with Japanese influences, from the Pantry Breakfast and our Signature French Toast to matcha, coffee and Japanese-inspired lunch bowls later in the day.

Whether you’re starting the working day, meeting someone for breakfast or settling in for a slower weekend brunch, the Pantry Breakfast is there for those mornings when you want something familiar and satisfying.

A proper big breakfast. Good ingredients. Prepared with a little more care.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is included in the Tomo’s Pantry Breakfast?

Our Pantry Breakfast is Tomo’s take on the classic Melbourne big breakfast. It includes free-range eggs cooked your way, seared streaky bacon, breakfast sausages, buttered miso mushrooms made with Swiss brown, flat and cup mushrooms, wilted baby spinach, lightly grilled mini truss tomatoes, a crispy gluten-free hash brown and buttered sourdough.

Why is it called the Pantry Breakfast?

The name reflects the feeling we wanted the dish to have — familiar, comforting food that feels a little like home.

Rather than reinventing the big breakfast, our Pantry Breakfast brings together the breakfast favourites people already know and focuses on the quality of the ingredients and preparing each component with care.

What makes the Pantry Breakfast Japanese-inspired?

It remains very much a classic Melbourne big breakfast.

The subtle Japanese influence comes through in our mushrooms, which are finished with butter and miso for additional savoury depth and umami. It’s a small Tomo’s touch rather than an attempt to change what people already love about a big breakfast.

Can I choose how my eggs are cooked?

Yes. The Pantry Breakfast comes with free-range eggs cooked your way.

Can the Pantry Breakfast be made gluten-free?

Yes. Our hash brown is already gluten-free, and the sourdough can be replaced with gluten-free bread.

Please let our team know about any allergies or dietary requirements when ordering so we can advise you regarding preparation and potential cross-contact.

What should I drink with a Pantry Breakfast?

Coffee is the classic Melbourne pairing, and we serve a full range of espresso-based coffees.

For something different, you can also pair your breakfast with our ceremonial Uji matcha, bringing a little more of Tomo’s Japanese influence to your morning.

Where is Tomo’s Little Collins?

Tomo’s Little Collins is at 382 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, near McKillop Street in the heart of Melbourne CBD.

Do I need to book for breakfast or brunch?

Walk-ins are welcome, and reservations are also available. Weekends can be particularly busy, so booking ahead can be helpful if you want to secure a table.