Instead, you want to patronise a place where you can chow down in a more elegant and cosy environment.

You are in luck for there are eateries such as Corduroy and Finch and Simply Bread which dish out breakfast till 3pm and 2pm respectively.

They, and other outlets which keep more traditional breakfast hours, obviously see a potential in tapping this market to supplement their takings from the lunch and dinner crowds.

One such place is PS Cafe at Paragon Shopping Centre. The outlet, which opened in 1999, began serving breakfast in October last year.

Ms Gem Wong, general manager of PS Cafe, says: 'We realised that Paragon was getting more traffic in the morning so we saw the potential in catering to those early birds.'

Some businesses like Killiney Kopitiam have been in the breakfast game far longer. When the humble coffee shop first opened in 1919, it served only coffee.

'Customers who loved our coffee had breakfast somewhere else, then came over for coffee. So they asked us to serve food, which is why we introduced mee siam and curry chicken in our menu about 10 years ago,' says Mr Patrick Wong, general manager of Killiney International.

Two outlets in its chain of 20 here in Killiney Road and Upper Bukit Timah dish out such items till 11pm each day.

Most of the restaurants that LifeStyle surveyed report a 5 to 10 per cent increase in breakfast sales over the last five years.

But their owners are coy when asked if this translates into a big payoff.

'I wouldn't say it's lucrative. Besides, how much can you charge for a boiled egg?' says Ms Yeap Cheng Guat, managing director of the Bakery Depot which runs Cedele.

Ms Christine Fam, owner of bread chain Simply Bread, says: 'Whether it's lucrative or not, I won't say. But serving breakfast is a good, fun part of our business. We enjoy doing it - we don't do anything that we don't like or can't do.'

For some, offering breakfast helps support other businesses.

Take the case of chi-chi cafe-boutique Hediard, whose owner Verena Raveton says that it attracts many housewives and tai-tais.

She says the cafe, which opened about six months ago, backs up her boutique which sells grocery items such as a vast array of mustards, soups, vinegar and pasta.

'I wanted to open a casual dining place for people to be able to taste beforehand what they purchase from the boutique, and breakfast plays a major part in my business,' she says.

qhyeo@sph.com.sg

WHERE TO GO

Corduroy and Finch
Sixth Avenue, 779 Bukit Timah Road, tel: 6762-0131

Breakfast hours: 8am - 3pm

Must-try: Eggs Benedict with ham and hollandaise sauce ($15), Pancakes ($11)

Simply Bread
The Quayside, 60 Robertson Quay 01-15, tel: 6732-2966

Breakfast hours: 9am - 2pm

Must-try: Two eggs ($6.05), Brunch plates ($10.20)

Killiney Kopitiam
67 Killiney Road, tel: 6734-9648

Breakfast hours: 7am - 11pm, Tuesdays - Saturdays, 7am - 7pm, Mondays, Sundays, and public holidays

Must-try: Mee siam ($3.30), Curry chicken ($5)

Hediard Cafe-Boutique
Tudor Court, 123-125 Tanglin Road, tel: 6333-6683

Breakfast hours: 9.30am - 11.30am on weekdays, 9.30am - 2.30pm on weekends and public holidays

Must-try: Hediard H breakfast set ($19, above), Eggs Benedicte ($16)

PS Cafe
Paragon Shopping Centre 03-41/44, tel: 6735-6765

Breakfast hours: 9.30 - 11.30am

Must-try: Portabello mushroom stack ($19), PS breakfast sandwich ($20)

Cedele
Great World City, 1 Kim Seng Promenade 01-01/02, tel: 6836-1426

Breakfast hours: 8.30am - 5pm, Thursdays to Sundays, 10am - 5pm, Mondays to Wednesdays.

Must-try: Pancakes ($8.80)

Ya Kun Kaya Toast
Raffles City Shopping Centre, 252 North Bridge Road B1-18, tel: 6339-3382

Breakfast hours: 7am - 10pm (hours vary from outlet to outlet)

Must-try: Kaya toast set ($3.90)