Smashed Gero (on toast): Salt Dish review

I’ve lived in Geraldton for about eight months, and I am embarrassed to admit I thought Salt Dish was a high-end fish-and-chip shop for the first six of them. Before you ask, yes, I am embarrassed about my newbie cluelessness. And, no, I am not sure why I am admitting this publicly. To be fair, their name includes the word “salt”, their decor is beachy blue, and seafood is the star of their lunch menu. Confessions aside, the cosy establishment puts on a beautiful breakfast, pulling off cafe classic without a dash of boring. My companion and I arrived as they opened, and there were already a few scattered patrons ordering their breakfasts. It was first thing in the morning, so we ordered coffees straight away. We both ordered cappuccinos, mine with soy. They used Vitasoy. Not my first choice — Bonsoy or die — but the coffee was well made. It was a weekday but the cafe filled with guests and regulars lining up to order coffee, calling staff by their first names. We were left twiddling our thumbs waiting to order our meals. But when the waitress approached, she was much politer than I usually am at 7.30am on a busy workday. I ordered a smashed avocado and Persian feta on toasted sourdough with cherry tomato and rocket salad, pine nuts, and a balsamic glaze. My companion ordered the cheddar and spring onion waffle with crispy maple bacon, poached eggs, leafy greens and aioli. While the smashed avo wasn’t as gram-worthy as my date’s waffles, the quality of the ingredients was striking — cherry tomatoes that explode in your mouth, slightly crunchy rocket and feta so smooth it could steal your girlfriend. Across the table, the story was much the same. “So many strong flavours, but they all go together so well,” mused my delighted date. I tried a bit of the garlic aioli aesthetically smeared on his plate, and it did not disappoint. The strength of the garlic put hairs on our chests; just the way we like it. The crispy maple bacon was more maple than it was crispy, but it worked well with the rest of the flavours. My date’s perfectly poached eggs were from Lirravale, a small open-range poultry farm in Nabawa. Perhaps the only way to get eggs more local would be to set up a coop behind the restaurant. Salt Dish was packed by the time we left, despite having plenty of seating. It was a little noisy, but that was to be expected as the venue puts on a great spread of tasty dishes made with fresh local produce.