Travelling far and wide to review the gourmet delights of Darwin and surrounds, this weekend took me all the way to Palmerston to check out Finlay's Joint Cafe. This one has been on my list for a while but the stars aligned and I finally stopped by for a bite to eat. I remember when this place was first built (over 10 years ago?), I thought the owner was crazy building a big cafe in the middle of a landscape supplies yard and there was no way it would be successful. This was around the same time the life sized dinosaur statues were erected too, so one could be forgive for thinking Finlay really was nuts.

Fast forward to 2012 and thankfully Finlay's Joint Cafe is as popular as ever. It's a family friendly cafe where mums with strollers, old ladies with their strollers and blokes with wheelbarrows can all feel right at home in the one place. Me, I just came to check out the breakfast. The interior is cavernous and dark with an old school feel. Perfect for those nursing hangovers from the night before (They've got a "Bloody Good Mary" in the drinks menu). There's plenty of seating with the place being two thirds full when I walked in at 11am. All the remaining tables were yet to be cleared so I made myself a table before sitting down.

The menu is vast with all the usual breakfast and lunch suspects plus a few more uncommon dishes like the savoury mince toast, Spanish omelette, American toast plus "Nudchi's best pad thai" which is supposed to be a ripper. I went the eggs benedicit ($14.90), my measuring stick for breakfast meals. It came out after a short wait despite the amount of diners present. Served with traditional lightly toasted English muffin halves, the flavour was good and the eggs poached just right; neither too runny or overdone.  If I was being picky, I would say the hollandaise sauce was a tad thick and nother slice or two of ham would have been nice. I demolished it in about 5 minutes though which is a good sign from my taste buds and tummy. My accompanying latte was good. Nice temperature, could have been a tad foamier but it was smooth and rich in flavour. That's about as good as my coffee descriptions go I'm afraid. The wife's fruit salad ($14.50) looked fresh which is about all I can say there so no complaints from me.

If you're a fan of leaf tea than you'll love Finlay's Joint Cafe as they must have one of the largest selections in the Top End, with at least 20 jars on display to pick from. Green, grey, black and everything inbetween and around, I'm sure you'll find something suitable. You could probably get some and smoke it like a joint if you wanted. Pun intended. One visit really isn't enough to appreciate all that's on offer here so I'm already planning a return visit to check out the rest of the menu (beer battered chips sounds very tempting). I can understand the appeal of this place having now eaten here. The food is tasty and the staff friendly, but it's equally nice just chilling inside the cavernous building with friends and family. It's a bit out of the way for most, but worth the trip. You can also stop by the Sticky Beak Shop next door afterwards and pick up some weird bric-a- brac items amongst other things.