Darwin - 4 Birds

When I lived in Darwin I was constantly moaning about the lack of cool breakfast places to go to grab a good coffee and something yummy in the mornings.  Not that Darwin doesn't have some good breakfast spots, but they can be a bit hit and miss eg Roma Bar (good coffee, average, cheap breakfast unless you stick to the more eclectic end of the menu offering dhal and homemade roti, the sago with coconut cream and palm syrup or the toasted coconut bread with lemon curd - yum!), Ducks Nuts (good coffee but shit food). 

My last few visits to Darwin I've taken to stopping in at 4 Birds in the morning to grab a coffee and some breakfast, usually a bagel, always with ricotta and honey!  4 Birds has been open for about a year and a half now, located in Star Arcade next to Simply Vegetarian, it's probably the first of Darwin's truly funky cafes.  Run by sisters it serves good coffee, a pretty simple breakfast menu consisting of bagels, toast, muesli and fruit salad.  They even cater for the kids with nutella toast!   At one point I think they were offering savouriness for breakfast, but now you can just choose to have a savoury bagel if you are that way inclined.  Lunch works around fresh panini, bagels and salads.  Ingredients are fresh, delicious and seasonal.  They serve a cracking range of home made cakes and slices.  Seating is either in the cafe at seats or benches or outside at little tables with cushion-covered milk crates - I thoroughly recommend the latter if you have kids, there's even a little black cat that hangs round outside the chocalatier to keep them entertained and they can have the run of the arcade once you've exhausted them at the playground in the mall.

4 Birds
Star Village Arcade
Just off Smith St Mall

Is Perth growing up?

I went to a mate's 30th birthday dinner the other night.  She and her girlfriend had chosen a hotel where we were going to have dinner - the Rose and Crown in Guildford - and I must admit my heart sank when they told me where we were going.   My imagination went straight to the bad, overpriced food place - as it turned out, there was no need.  The Rose and Crown turned out to have a perfectly fine menu with a bunch of well-priced options, good variety, good service, decent dessert and good coffee (and a couple of really inviting fires - always a way to get me in).  But it made me wonder why I reacted the way I did.  I know I wasn't the only one who felt this way, in the car in the way home we all agreed that it had surpassed our expectations.  Now if this was Melbourne I don't think I would have had that reaction - hotels are not necessarily synonymous with bad food in Melbourne, in fact, it's probably the complete opposite.  But Perth often has a bit of the hit and miss about it.  I've been to a lot of hotels where the food is over thought, overambitious and often turns out to be just plain bad.  When combined with shit service and +++ prices this can add up to a frustratingly bad night.  Especially when you venture away from the city.  It's like teenagers pretending to be grownups:  trying too hard; and a bit pretentious.  But something occurred to me as I started writing this - am I like an adult looking at a teenager - guilty of seeing them as they've always been..refusing to see that they're growing into something else.. growing up?  Perhaps Perth is growing into itself and I don't want to see it. 

What do you think?

Elmars I love you

Elmars is one of the nicest secrets on Beaufort Street.  A German butchers, they sell the most amazingly scrummy selection of cured meats and smallgoods.  They pride themselves on their lack of preservatives, make deliciously mumsy homemade food like rissoles, schnitzel, smoked sausage goulash and pea and ham soup (I went in today to get some and there was a big pot on the stove - not today, tomorrow they said, it has to get creamy :-))).  They also make the most gorgeous rolls - I like to get a sliced rissole or some of their house made ham with all their salads in a wholegrain roll with mustard.  MMM MMM!  For an unhealthier (but probably yummier) option, get them to slap on some of their home made mayonnaise.  People who like to hang out or visit Mount Lawley on Saturdays will know that they set up a sausage stall out the front - but not just any old sausage - venison, bratwurst, knacker, fleishwurst..... oh yeah!  They also do a smashingly awesome continental smoked bacon that is out of this world.  Last but not least, if you have any German buds that suffer from occasional Germsickness LOL, they sell little German things like German lemonade and Ritter Chocolade.  Surprise someone!

Elmars
493 Beaufort St
Highgate

Pea and ham soup and a ham and salad roll w mustard