There’s much more to Australian cooking than throwing another shrimp on the barbie. The Aussie Grind, which opened recently in Frisco, gives locals the chance to explore new flavors without booking a flight.
The breezy upscale diner doesn’t do gimmicks or punny ploys. Rather, owners Lui and Angie Monforte offer authentic dishes they once served back in Australia. The husband-and-wife duo ran a similar brunch stop when they were living in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland. After their lease lapsed in 2017, the two started talking about their next move, which led them to our great state.
“We did some research on the possibility of actually moving over here because we loved Texas so much,” Lui said.
As Lui and Angie evaluated the Lone Star State’s dining industry, they were drawn to North Texas because of the diversity in our area’s restaurants and North Texans’ acceptance of new offerings.
“We chose Frisco because it’s a boiling pot of cultures, which is really similar to Australia, and we thought would suit our style of menu,” Lui said. “So basically our shop is a little snapshot of what we did back home, a typical café.”
Their menu offers “breaky” (pronounced “brekkie,” Australian slang for breakfast) and lunch options, both available until the diner closes mid-afternoon. The Aussie Grind also serves fresh juices, smoothies and coffee. And by working with Dallas’ Full City Rooster, every signature espresso drink offers a complex flavor profile. With everything from strong lattes to flat whites to affogatos, caffeine fanatics are sure to find something to round out their meal.
“Our menu is cleaner and greener then your standard diner,” Lui explained. “We keep things a bit simpler, but our quality always remains high.”
Diners will find expected breakfast dishes like rotating daily omelet creations, or the Eggs Benny served with applewood smoked ham, baby spinach, ciabatta, house hollandaise and smoked paprika. But they will also find more adventurous Aussie offerings like Vegemite-smeared toast or the Salmon Stack, a dish of beetroot-cured smoked salmon stacked on sourdough bread with cream cheese, Spanish onion, capers, watercress and blistered cherry tomatoes.
One of their bestsellers might not seem like a brunch option at first, but should not be dismissed. The breakfast gnocchi dish, which features hand-rolled and fried potato gnocchi accompanied by sautéed bacon, Spanish onion and sage, baby spinach, freshly grated parmesan and two poached free-range eggs, is popular for good reason. For a sweet option, the hotcakes, served with maple syrup, berry compote, cotton candy and vanilla bean ice cream comes out like a party on a plate.
“Presentation is a big deal for us,” Lui said.
If guests would rather take food to go, drinks, pastries and dishes can be ordered at the coffee bar counter. But locals are invited to come in, seat themselves, get comfortable and try something never tasted before. Lui and Angie are eager to introduce a few of their favorite comfort-food dishes to Texans while also becoming a staple in the North Texas brunch scene.
Any morning that starts at The Aussie Grind is set to be a g’day! Because the spread is quite the beaut.
The Aussie Grind
3930 Preston Rd #120
Frisco, TX 75035
