Ask the average American to guess at the typical urban Australian breakfast or lunch and they’ll be stumped. The only indigenous animals that most people will think of are the kangaroo, koala, emu, and dingo, and though two of those four are actually edible, they’re not on most dinner plates. Neither are witchetty grubs, except among a demographic that spends a lot of time in places very far from restaurants.
Australians do enjoy meat pies of various sorts, sandwiches, soups, and salads that employ Asian flavors alongside European ideas, and a wide assortment of sweets – related to and yet subtly different in flavor from European and American traditions. You can try a sampling of all of these at Gum Tree, one of the more eclectic businesses in Hermosa Beach. The big old house above Pier Avenue is half-shop and half cafe, and there are odd items on both sides. I stopped in to browse the handicrafts on one visit, but was predictably most interested in the side with the food.
The chalkboard in that small, comfortable room displays a short but interesting menu, heavy on sandwiches and salads and entirely devoid of standard breakfast items like pancakes, omelettes, and hash browns. Green and fruit salads and various types of paninis are offered instead, along with homemade soups, pastas, and a smattering of other items. I gravitated toward the sandwiches, some simple but wholesome things like brie and apricot preserves on a baguette, others more unusual, like the cheddar, vegemite, and tomato on sourdough. For those not familiar with vegemite, it’s a yeast-based Australian condiment that has a polarizing effect on those who try it – some love it, others find it inconceivable that anyone would willingly eat it. I happen to be in the middle – it has a salty, musky, slightly bitter flavor that is not particularly interesting by itself, but makes an interesting foil to sweeter ingredients. The richness of aged cheddar and sweetness of tomato on that sandwich worked just fine for this purpose, making it as good a venue for trying this misunderstood condiment as any. The person behind the counter recommended adding an egg to this sandwich, which was a good move – it completed the flavor and texture and made it a substantial breakfast.
I’ve also tried a daily special of a roasted vegetable panini with prosciutto, which was very tasty but demanded a bit of care in the eating; there is very little friction on pieces of meat between layers of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and onion, and the firmest item tends to slide out of the layers as you bite through it. I’ll ask for the prosciutto to be sliced very thin the next time I see this on the menu, and I would consider ordering it again – the fresh Mediterranean flavors worked very nicely together. The sandwich was offered in a half portion with a cup of soup when I was there, and that soup was a standout – chicken with roasted fennel, delightfully warm and savory. This was high-style comfort food, and if they offered this soup more often I’d be ordering it on just about every visit.
The most iconic Australian snack is the meat pie, which as you might guess is usually filled with beef in an oniony gravy. I thought I was going to break teeth on one that I bought at the Melbourne football stadium, but when you get one that is freshly made they’re delicious. The ones at Gum Tree are homemade and have a fine light crust, and are filled with beef, sausage, or a mild curry. Like almost everything here they’re served with a salad, and they make a quite substantial breakfast or lunch.
The exception to items coming with a salad is of course if you order a salad as your entree. I have tried two, the Melbourne Greek salad and the South Indian chicken. You may find it odd that Melbourne is known for Greek salads, but they come by it honestly – the city has over 800,000 people of Greek descent, making it the third-largest population of Greek speakers after Athens and Thessaloniki. They may be far from their Mediterranean home but they’ve kept the traditions, serving cucumber, tomato, feta, onion, and olives without lettuce, a medley of sharp and cool flavors. The only thing that distinguishes this from a typical Greek salad is the addition of chickpeas and the use of red wine vinaigrette rather than the usual oil and herbs. The different dressing skews the flavors to just a bit sharp, which some people like and some don’t. I like the oil and herbs a bit better myself, but this was interesting as a change.
The South Indian chicken is usually offered as a sandwich but was also available as a salad the day I was there, and however you get it, it’s a good one. The chicken is in a very mild, slightly sweet curry with raisins and it’s delicious on a bed of greens or in a ciabatta bun with tomato – I know because I liked it so much in the salad that I came back and had it again. If you enjoy the herbal richness of curry but don’t fancy the heat, this is the item for you.
For dessert there are Australian-style sweets like lamingtons, a sponge cake dipped in chocolate and rolled in cocoanut, or pavlovas, meringue topped with cream and fruit. These are Australian to a fault – I found them too sweet there and also here. Companions who have a sweet tooth liked them just fine, but I was happy to finish the last of my coffee while they munched on sugary delights.
Gum Tree is a place with quirky character, friendly service, and good food, with a pretty patio to enjoy it all. The location above the street and the long period of construction on Pier Avenue have contributed to them being little-known, but now that views are unobstructed and parking is no longer a chore, they deserve a wider audience.
Gum Tree is at 238 Pier Avenue in Hermosa Beach – open daily 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Outdoor patio accessible, stairs to interior, street parking only. No alcohol, children welcome, vegetarian/vegan items available. Inexpensive, most items less than $10. Phone (310) 376-8733. ER
