If you live and/or work and/or hang out in Mount Lawley you will know that over the past few years, a number of coffee shops have appeared along the strip. The first of these boutiquey type cafes was Soto which opened it's doors 8-9 years ago. At the time, Soto reached lofty heights not previously scaled in the Mount Lawley area (which up until that point only boasted Globe and Dome) - it had comfy couches, al fresco smoking table coolness, an interesting breakfast menu, it was open late and it had gooooood coffee. But 8 years is a long time and Soto is now looking a bit old, a bit lonely, a bit worn and there are now a LOT more cafes to choose from - the Merchant, Cafissimo, Exomod, Cantina, Fez to name but a few. For the most part I don't rate them for coffee, Mount Lawley cafes often seem to trade on the coolness of the area rather than the quality of their coffee. The exception is Cantina which does just about everything well - coffee, breakfast, lunch, cakes, snacks, dinner, impromptu coffee and dessert post movies, Cantina doesn't falter. Even though I've had a go of every cafe on the Beaufort St strip, for the past couple of years I've gone to Cantina for my coffee and it's always good, attested to by the massive queue and 15 minute wait. Fez, a more recent addition to Mount Lawley, is closer to my work so my workmates go there on the coffee run. Fez uses 5 Senses coffee and Cantina uses Fiori. Fez and I got off to a bad start when my first coffee on their first day was talked up bigtime but not that great. Being mindful that it was day 1, I've been back a few times and sadly the coffee is never quite right, but Cantina always is. Awesome flavour and texture, never panic-attack-inducing. So for now it's Cantina for me. Until the Planet Cafe opens - Planet have never done anything half-assed, so I reckon they could be a contender. Keep checking!
Cantina: 663 Beaufort St Mount Lawley
Fez: 83 Walcott Street Mount Lawley
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1550188/restaurant/Perth/Mount-Lawley/Fez-Mt-Lawley%22%3E%3Cimg alt="Fez on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1550188/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Fur (Pho) - Belicious!
To this!
Sunshine Lunch Bar: 683A Beaufort St, Mount Lawley 6050. Ph: 9370 1165
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1563235/restaurant/Perth/Sunshine-Lunch-Bar-Cafe-Mount-Lawley%22%3E%3Cimg alt="Sunshine Lunch Bar Cafe on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1563235/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>
Tom's Kitchen
Last Friday night as I was awandering through Perth, I mentioned to my mates that there was a place off Hay Street that I'd dogeared in my mind but couldn't remember what it was. Food, shopping - I honestly had no idea. Anyway we got a bit peckish and took a turn down Shafto Lane - which brought us to Tom's Kitchen. I remembered that my housemate and her gurl had dinner there a few months ago and gave it a rave and I'm pretty sure it was the reason for my dogear, so we figured we'd have a go. At first glance it looked the goods: Warm lighting, tick. Friendly and attentive waitperson, tick. A little bit bistro, a little bit New York and some intriguing menu choices (salt and vinegar crips crisps dammit for $6?). Feeling confident we sat down and made some choices - lamb, barley and lentil soup, meatballs and orriechete with red wine and beef cheek - tick!!! (Triple tick for housemade pasta).
First worrying thing - the guy next to us pushing his dinner around and whispering to his date that his duck was raw. Oops. Never mind we said - could happen to anyone. Our dinners came out about 25 minutes later - 25 minutes just teetering on the border of the point where you summons the waitperson and delicately ask exactly how long it's going to be EXACTLY. Out came the soup - at first glance (and second too it turned out) it looked to be very thin with a lone lentil swimming in the bowl. Complimentary bread with a herb "butter" was placed on the table - but it wasn't butter. Bread was a little on the stale side. Then came my orriechete - such a disappointment - the little ears were tough and the beef cheek and red wine sauce underseasoned and bitter. Uh oh. Such promise! The soup got sent back. The meatballs eaten. Lest we look like wowsers I didn't complain about the orriechete but at 24 bucks I expect a bit of taste and glamour. I hasten to add that I'm not super fussy about food, but I know what I like and what I don't. From the on-line reviews I've read there are a lot of supporters of Tom's so lets just hope that it was an off night!
Tom's Kitchen - Shafto Lane, Perth.
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1459970/restaurant/Perth-City/Toms-Kitchen-Perth%22%3E%3Cimg alt="Tom's Kitchen on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1459970/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>
First worrying thing - the guy next to us pushing his dinner around and whispering to his date that his duck was raw. Oops. Never mind we said - could happen to anyone. Our dinners came out about 25 minutes later - 25 minutes just teetering on the border of the point where you summons the waitperson and delicately ask exactly how long it's going to be EXACTLY. Out came the soup - at first glance (and second too it turned out) it looked to be very thin with a lone lentil swimming in the bowl. Complimentary bread with a herb "butter" was placed on the table - but it wasn't butter. Bread was a little on the stale side. Then came my orriechete - such a disappointment - the little ears were tough and the beef cheek and red wine sauce underseasoned and bitter. Uh oh. Such promise! The soup got sent back. The meatballs eaten. Lest we look like wowsers I didn't complain about the orriechete but at 24 bucks I expect a bit of taste and glamour. I hasten to add that I'm not super fussy about food, but I know what I like and what I don't. From the on-line reviews I've read there are a lot of supporters of Tom's so lets just hope that it was an off night!
Tom's Kitchen - Shafto Lane, Perth.
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/338/1459970/restaurant/Perth-City/Toms-Kitchen-Perth%22%3E%3Cimg alt="Tom's Kitchen on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1459970/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>
Monday, May 23, 2011
Grill'd
Just thought I'd quickly share the love about Grill'd - I popped in there for a burger as you do, or as I do, seeing as I work and live aroung the corner. I had the Bombay Bliss which was a chickpea patty with tzatziki, roasted red peppers, cos lettuce, other salady bits and tomato relish in a traditional bun. Pretty tasty and a bargain for $11.50!
http://www.grilld.com.au/
http://www.grilld.com.au/
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