I’ve heard many great things about The Federal, a fairly new restaurant (almost a year old now) in the trendy and developing area of Melville. The Federal was started and is owned by Chef James Diack and the kitchen is run by Chef Wayne Diedtrich. They specialise in creative dishes boasting fresh and seasonal produce directly from the Diacks’s Family farm. They’re well known for their brunches and New York deli style food. I love a good brunch and so finally I managed to pay them a visit.

My benedict and I arrived at The Federal on a chilly winter’s morning. I started with a hot chocolate while I browsed through the menu deciding what to order. Time for browsing was certainly necessary since they boast an extensive brunch menu with many great options. I opted for the bacon, egg and cheese roll – one of my favourites. This was wild boar bacon and organic fried egg topped with cheddar cheese served with a side of crispy potato skins. This was a large generous and very tasty portion. Wild boar bacon tastes quite different to traditional pork bacon. While I would normally prefer traditional pork bacon, I found this creative version of a simple ‘egg and bacon butty’ most refreshing and really enjoyed it. Especially loved the crispy potato skins; delicious! My benedict opted for the ‘Dutched flapjacks’; chunky apple flapjacks served with grilled halloumi and southern fried chicken topped with leek hay and a spiced butterscotch. Another lovely dish!

The service at The Federal was good and the restaurant is well laid out with stylish modern finishes. But with great brunches costing between only R75 and R95 – including your choice of mimosa, hot chocolate, tea of coffee – patrons are bound to return irrespective of service, setting and location. That is definitely a bargain! Being an avid brunch fan myself, I look forward to returning to The Federal again soon.