The cunningly named Four Ate Five (its address is 485 Crown St!) is no stranger to the brunch scene. For years I have seen queues upon queues of people outside this small establishment. There must be some reason for all the buzz, right? It was a beautiful and warm Saturday morning and all were out to play. There were mums with kids, friends and couples, and dogs. Lots and lots of dogs(!!!). The parade of dogs made time pass much quicker during our 15 or so minute wait for a table. 

Not for long (or at least it seemed), we were seated on the long communal table inside by a kind waitress. From here I noticed a diverse mix of customers, from the casual hoodie and t-shirts, to button up wearing men, and your Surry Hills hipsters. I guess it's true, everyone loves brunch.

Mexican Breakfast with added Bacon $19

Mexican bean mix on toast with tomato, avocado, spinach onion salsa, topped with a fried egg (vegetarians can op for crispy tofu). We didn't expect quite a large serving. Getting full from brunch, that's absurd! The fried egg was beautiful (how can fried eggs be this pretty?), but you'd expect nothing less from a cafe in Surry. Lots of flavours and textures, and the perfect decision to add bacon. Deli comments the spices from the bean mix needed a bit more heat, a la Mexican style, but little to fault otherwise. 

He also had a cappuccino ($3.50?), which was single-origin fair trade, of course. Four Ate Five also have their own brew of marsala chai with milk and honey, as well as a range of loose leaf teas and organic soft drinks.

Baked Eggs $17

Moroccan style baked eggs with almonds, organic feta and sourdough. Over the years, Four Ate Five have seem to have perfected their baked eggs recipe. Perhaps they're one of the few places that served baked eggs before it became a "thing"? The swap for creamy feta, instead of the usual labneh, with fragrant tomato sauce and just-set eggs with runny yolk is one you can't argue with. The nutty crunchy almonds def topped it off for me though. 

I also had a fresh watermelon, pear and mint juice ($6.50) that was refreshing and quite a large serving i.e. it wasn't gone in a sip.