Tag Archives: cafe

Tea for Tu @ Northbridge

Posted in Coffee & Desserts, Food by

A quirky little find in the heart of Northbridge but away from the hustle and bustle of William Street, Tea for Tu is a good place for relaxing and chilling out with John Mayer music in the background while you’re alone with your thoughts or taking a break from the busyness of Northbridge.

The cafe is an extension of Tu, one of the specialty stores on William Street. Don’t expect too much as the cafe is small; 5 sets of mixed match tables and chairs and a couch upstairs or a few tables on the sidewalk. Tea for Tu does not have facilities (yet) to serve hot food so one would go there for the coffee and sweets.

Tea for Tu: sweets, coffee, teaThe pastries and macarons are from Choux Cafe, which is one of my favourite pastry shops in Perth, so double plus points for that.

At Tea for Tu size does not matter…it’s all about the ambiance.

Tea For tú on Urbanspoon

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Melbourne edition: Babka Bakery Cafe

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee & Desserts, Food by

My ex-colleague swears by Babka Bakery (again on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy) so I knew I had to get some goodies from this place whatever it takes.

Babka is a very small cafe (cosy might be a more accurate description) that serves breakfast and lunch and sweets and that also sells specialty bread loaves, pies, and pastries. Not only that, they also have chutneys for sale. Go try the beetroot one.

Babka: bread trolley

Babka interior

Line is crazy long both for those eating in and for those just buying some bread. Luckily, a table for 2 usually doesn’t need much waiting time compared to big groups. We had our brunch here before heading off to a cider festival nearby – 3 thick slices french toast with a side of bacon.

Babka: french toast

The bread was nice but the french toast was dry and could do with more sugar on top. The bacon though was perfect and delicious. I know, it’s weird. Who doesn’t like bacon? But what makes bacon even more likeable is when it just just crisp enough without being dry and burnt.

I told Lily before we left that I needed to come back here to get some pastries before we fly back to Perth. I already received orders for some croissants from Auntie C, who raved about Babka the last time she visited Melbourne.

So I made it back to the bakery before they closed for the day and got myself a box full of pastries – almond croissants, escargot, and sweet danishes. A total of 11 pieces of pastries in the box.

Babka: pastries

Top left: escargot. Flaky and full of sultanas. I know some bakeries sting on those little buggers but Babka’s escargots are loaded with them and they tasted like they’ve been rehydrated with some sort of alcohol…even better.

Top right and bottom left: rhubarb danish and apple danish. Not too sweet and out of the 3 types of pastries the danishes are the only ones I had to eat 2 of.

Bottom right: almond croissant. So good yet so sinful, like sinful enough to give you a heart attack. The whole thing is very delicious and I specially liked it because it doesn’t have the custard in the middle but rather just a concoction of almond meal.

A week of eating these pastries for breakfast made me feel like I was about to have a heart attack. As good as they were, they are in fact too greasy. Too greasy but they’ve got a hold on me; I couldn’t resist taking another bite even though I know I should stop eating butter.

Babka Bakery Café on Urbanspoon

Blend Cafe @ Melville

Posted in Food, Italian, Modern Australian by

Whoa. I realise it’s been a while since I last posted something food related. With working and all that studying 24 hours in a day is seriously not enough. But rest assured I have been eating out quite a lot too since I don’t have much time to cook a proper meal so I shall get the blog up and running again with more restaurant posts for the weeks to come.

I’ll kick it off with Blend Cafe, a local neighbourhood cafe in Melville serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner, home-cooked style. I say home-cooked because I find the food here to be unpretentious. It’s simple, fresh and tasty. I started coming here for those nighttime dessert cravings. They serve good coffee and one of the better tiramisus.

Left impressed with their coffee and sweets each time, my family and I finally made it for breakfast. It’s the usual breakfast menu with eggs and bacon, eggs hollandaise, muesli, etc but what really stood out for me was the baked beans. It’s not those canned baked beans for sure. I don’t even like baked beans but I found myself wanting more. The beans are cooked just right, not too hard but not mushy, and the taste was just divine – tangy with a hint of spiciness. The dish below is a potato cake with poached egg, hollandaise sauce and oozing lava of baked beans.

We enjoy coming to Blend so much that even my little cousin asked to have his birthday dinner here. And so we did. The cafe was pretty packed for a Monday night (but then again, this place is always packed) but we made reservations so we were seated straightaway. The dinner menu was not overly exhausting and nothing particularly special. Still, we were able to find something we like and something that suited everyone’s tastes.

Here’s a run down on what we had that night from the top, left to right -

* Gamberi - fettuccine with prawns in creamy tomato sauce; very fresh pasta with succulent prawns – you cant go wrong with that

* Copacobana pizza – with sausage, ham, pancetta and pepperoni; the boys loved it

* Salt and pepper calamari – served with an Asian style lime and fruit salsa as dipping sauce and I polished it off before anyone else could. It was very refreshing to contrast the heaviness of having deep fried squid

* Fettuccine alla vodka – pasta with chicken and spinach in creamy vodka rose sauce; very tasty pasta and tender chicken. Loved the sauce.

* Paella – finally a place where the paella rice is cooked just right. Serving a bit small to be shared but it was good nonetheless

* Prawns with rice – an item on the specials menu but was nothing really special about it. Rice used was the same as paella rice so it was basically a wet paella with prawns in tomato sauce

* Surf n Turf – scotch fillet steak with mushroom sauce and prawns. tThe mushroom sauce was good and steak was tender and tasty but it came short of a medium done steak.

Overall a gem in the suburb of Melville where you can have a great night out.

My rating: 8/10
Blend Cafe on Urbanspoon

www.blendcafepizza.com

Cafe 58 Espresso Bar @ Palmyra

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee & Desserts, Food, Modern Australian by

Right smack in the heart of Palmyra sits Cafe 58 Espresso Bar, truly a local cafe that seems to busy all the time. Palmyra is not included in the territorial lines where I’d consider myself a local but I will happily travel the 15 minute driving time to get to this cafe.

Most nights we come here for coffee and desserts. But, after much raving about the dinner menu, Auntie J took us there one night for a big family affair. We had reservations at 6:30pm; the cafe was dimly lit and the staff was just getting ready for the dinner rush. This I found strange, to be honest. I would have expected a cafe/restaurant to be fully ready and prepared if they take reservations for as early as 6:30. A few of us arrived first and were showed to our table but it took forever to be handed the menus. They seemed understaffed and everyone looked like they were on to something else other than minding the customers. There is a $25 2-course special on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and given it was a Wednesday night we were interested in knowing what the blackboard specials were. The blackboard was empty and we had to wait a good 15 minutes for the specials to be written on the board.

Three of us had the specials that came with an entree of a tasting plate of olives, chorizo and beetroot dip with 3 thinly sliced bread and a main of barramundi with mashed potatoes.

I am not a big fan of this kind of entree and this really just reinforced that. Nothing special except that it was a good start to fill the hunger and enough to keep us from going insane waiting for the mains.

An hour after we were seated, the mains finally appeared. This was really a ridiculous waiting for a cafe specially since we were among the first few tables to have ordered. Anyhow, the food did come and they were all devoured in 10 minutes because we were that hungry.

Here is the grilled barramundi with lemon butter and creamy mashed potatoes.

The fish was good, not too heavily seasoned and cooked perfectly. And that mashed potatoes were divine. Really one of the best mashed potatoes I have tasted. It was creamy, almost puree like, and seasoned just right.

Then we have the aglio olio pepperincino – al dente spaghetti with olive oil, garlic and parsley with a hint of anchovies and optional fresh cut chilli. This is a very tasty pasta dish. The only problem was that it was drenched in olive oil and I mean literally drenched. Given that K had this dish, she had to scoop out the pasta onto a plate. Otherwise she would’ve been drinking olive oil on the side too. A little cousin had the same pasta without the chilli but he was oblivious to the amount of olive oil. He probably thought it was sauce.

Uncle J, then, had the chicken parmigiana. This is the lowest ranking dish of the night. It’s not that it wasn’t good. It just there wasn’t really anything special about it. Crumbed chicken breast topped with Napolitana sauce and an oozing amount of mozzarella cheese. The layer of cheese was too much for him so he scooped off some. Other than that, the chicken was juicy and the side of Napolitana pasta was good too.

To save the best for last, out of all the dishes we ordered, I thought that I had the best dish for the night – marinated chorizo chicken. It was a grilled whole chicken breast with spinach, baby potatoes, sliced chorizo and grilled prawns. The chicken was succulent and the prawns were smokey. The jus made the dish even better. I loved and savoured every bite.

Onto dessert. The staple that we always have here at Cafe 58 is the sticky date pudding. It was love at first bite so we have been getting this pudding every time we drop by for coffee. It is sweet, sticky, date-y and just the right size for sharing. Served warm with ice cream. The best part is that you can hardly taste the sodium bicarbonate (that is usually evident in other cafes’ sticky date products).

I was feeling adventurous that night too so I got myself a choc avalanche tart. Oh my. This tart is very sinful. It looked harmless at first but a very rich chocolate filling was waiting for me when I dived into it. I am a big fan of the filling but not the pastry. There is something about it that did not go well with the chocolate. I think it was that eggy taste. It was so rich I only ate half an took home the other half.

Overall, Cafe 58 gives a good dining experience with the occasional mishaps that cafes experience from time to time. Staff are very friendly but some needs to be more attentive. Looks like we’ve found another place we can pig out at.

My rating: 7/10

Cafe 58 Espresso Bar on Urbanspoon

Zucchero Espresso @ Victoria Park

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Food by

I was in Victoria Park a few months back, after a job interview, when I stumbled onto Zucchero Espresso. I was shopping for a car back then at John Hughes and this cafe is conveniently located near the car dealer so that was where I had my brunch. It is a little corner cafe with limited space inside and a few tables on the sidewalk. For my first visit I sat outside enjoying the bright sunny day with my contadino poached eggs, tomato and onion reduction on sourdough toast.

This may be one of the tastiest breakfast I have had. The tomatoes are rich and just acidic enough that is mellowed out by the poached eggs. The yolks were on the runnier side so I ended up essentially mixing the yolks with the tomatoes. It was a refreshing meal.

For the second visit I was very tempted to get the same contadino poached eggs because I enjoyed it so much but I decided to try something different. I got the Zucchero plate that consisted of bacon, mushrooms, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, sausage and sourdough toast.

Now this looks like any regular big breakfasts out there but let me point out 2 things that made it such a delight to have on a bright and breezy Tuesday morning. The scrambled eggs are the best ones that I have ever had in a Perth cafe – creamy and not overcooked; just the way scrambled eggs are supposed to be. Then there were the mushrooms. Unlike those served by other cafes – button mushrooms sauteed with just salt and butter - Zucchero Espresso went one step further and added cream and herbs to 2 kinds of mushrooms. They tasted divine! I won’t lie to you; this is one heart-stopping meal – heavy on the salt and grease from the bacon and sausages were not drained well. But it is worth a try. The serving was ginormous too so it was enough for sharing. I ate the whole plate by myself and could not finish it. Not only that, I skipped lunch as well because it kept me full until late in the afternoon.

My rating: 7.5/10

Zucchero Espresso Bar on Urbanspoon

JACS @ Applecross

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee & Desserts, Food by

It’s been a while since I’ve last been to the Applecross breakfast scene. There’s just too many food places to check out in so little time. And like they say – too many choices too confusing. I was pressed for time this Sunday morning having woken up late and I originally planned on whipping up a cheese and tomato sandwich at home. But that did not appeal much to me anymore as soon as I saw the loaf of bread (I casually work in a bread bakery so go figure). So I ventured out somewhere closer to home and dragged Auntie C with me onto Ardross St.

JACS has been a family favourite of ours since the first time we went there. Good food, friendly service and very nice atmosphere. It was a very fine day with a cool breeze so we sat at the alfresco area. It’s always a good idea to head there early as the place fills up very quickly by 9:30am or so.

I would usually stick with the big breakfast and a skinny latte but this day I had something different and I was very happy with my choice – a toasted truffle brioche with mushroom ragout, poached eggs and spring onions.

I thought it was looked small when I first saw it but halfway through I felt very full already because the brioche was filling. I definitely underestimated the power of that brioche. The mushrooms were button mushrooms and enoki. The ragout had a strong vinegar taste at first but it mellowed out after a few bites so thought it worked well with the brioche. The eggs were poached too soft and runny for my liking. Overall, it was a good breakfast with my usual coffee. Would definitely order that again just to break away from the usual bacon and hashbrowns.

Auntie C had the salsa poached eggs made with 3 poached eggs, ham, tomato and avocado salsa, rocket and 2 sourdough toast. A very refreshing breakfast I must say. The salsa was just divine and the saltiness of the ham gave the whole dish that flavour.

We left with very happy tummies. And oh, our next mission is to dine for lunch.

My rating: 8/10

JACS Applecross on Urbanspoon
www.jacsapplecross.com.au

Lemon Espresso @ Redcliffe

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee & Desserts, Food by

Finally a good enough cafe close to my office. While I do enjoy my usual drive up to Swan Valley with blasting music for some afternoon coffee and sweets I really do not mind having a cafe so closeby because it is so convenient that I can afford to go, drink/eat, and make it back in under 30 minutes.

Lemon Espresso has various spots in Perth – Cottesloe and Claremont at the top of my head. I haven’t been to either of those cafes because I I work in woop woop and by the time I get back to civilisation shops are already closed. So I am very happy to know that there’s actually a decent spot for coffee near the airport. One day while cruising along with my boss she showed me this cafe and told me how much she enjoyed sitting outside eating lunch during summer. After my 2-month long hiatus on coffee I’ve decided to give in to temptation and had a cuppa. Not only a cuppa but also a small belgian chocolate fudge brownie. Let’s face it, coffee is better with sweets and sweets are better with coffee. It cost me $5.80 for both and minimal fuel usage.

Lemon Espresso uses Five Senses coffee and this is one brand I like. It sits on top of my list for better coffee together with Fiori and Cimbalino. But of course other factors determine just how good a cup of coffee is. The barista at Lemon Espresso is good. Silky smooth latte that was of the perfect temperature. The standard latte is served in a smaller glass so the first sip was a bit strong. But after a bite of the brownie I have fallen in love with coffee all over again. The brownie is not as rich as the ones I usually get at Margaret River Chocolate Company (that usually gives me a sore throat coz it’s too rich) but is also enjoyable. Size is substantial for those trying to go on a diet like me but have relapsed. It’s big enough to be enjoyed with the smaller cup of coffee yet small enough so you don’t feel all too guilty for eating sweets when you should’ve been going to the gym.

Hot food is quite limited seeing as this cafe caters for busy business people. They have the usual grab and go sandwiches and paninis, sausage rolls and pies and homemade muffins. I had their chicken, avocado, sundried tomato and swiss cheese panini for breakfast the other day. Cost me $9.80 for a seemingly small panini but turned out to be very filling. I only ate half of it and took the rest home for my breakfast the next day. The turkish bread they use is insanely tasty!

Having this cafe in the airport area seemed strange at first because you would expect cafes in this area to either be nonexistent or mediocre. But Lemon Espresso brings a new breath of fresh air to the airport precinct so come along and hang out here if you’re headed over east and had time to spare. The cafe is open from 7am to 3pm though so if you are travelling domestically within those times this is something to consider.

It’s just at the entrance to the new hkew Alpha building so you get that cool airconditioning when seated inside after strolling under the blazing sun. Sitting outside is cool too because you are overlooking a water feature. An added bonus is that this location is not overly busy. You can have your own quiet time with the paper and magazine just like what I love to do to get a break from starring at the computer or you can talk about business without having that feeling that other patrons are prying on you because the cafe is spacious enough.

Sensations en Ardross @ Applecross

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee & Desserts, Food by

Great start on a wet Tuesday morning, I finally managed to go to Sensations en Ardross (the correct cafe this time – my cafe confusion in previous post) in Applecross. I woke up a little earlier today to ensure I had time to check out google maps and locate the cafe. It’s funny how I still manage to get lost around the area I’ve been coming to for the past 5 years!

I fell in love with this gourmet cafe as soon as I walked in. The ambiance was definitely top notch with a rustic European feel and I could just sit there the whole day reading magazines while sipping my coffee. The breakfast menu was not too bad – few choices but enough variety. I ordered the “Breakfast Burger” with 2 fried eggs. bacon, spinach and mushrooms sandwiched between the softest bagel I have ever eaten. I’m not entirely sure if it was a bagel but it was round with a hole in the middle so I assumed it was a bagel. No, it was defintely not a doughnut. My burger also came with a balsamic glaze that went well with the burger but was too little. Then I reluctantly washed it all down with a cup of flat white that tasted bitter and burnt.

As I’ve said, I was off to a great start – found the cafe easily, loved the ambiance at first sight. Then I almost fainted when the staff told me the how much I owed them – a whopping $27.20 for a breakfast for 1!! I was still a little too drowsy from my lack of sleep the night before so I managed to skip the part of the menu where the prices are printed so I suppose that was a little stupid on my part. Just assuming that coffee is $4.90, that leaves $22.30 for my breakfast burger, which I think is seriously overpriced no matter how much I enjoyed and thought how lovely it was. The portion was not that big either. Yes it was filling but, being the super slow eater that I am, if I can finish the meal in half an hour then it’s definitely not that big of a portion size. The cafe being in an upscale suburb, their prices are definitely upscale too.

Don’t get me wrong though. I wouldn’t mind dining here again but only after I’ve saved up for a bit and had extra cash to spare. This is definitely not something I am willing to fit into my weekly routine otherwise I’ll be penniless by the end of the month. It is better suited for those “one in while” occassions for the impovershed working mass like me or for the upscale people living in the upscale vicinity of Sensations en Ardross.

My rating: 7/10
Sensations En Ardross on Urbanspoon

Espresso 7 Seas @ Ardross

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Chinese/Asian, Food by

The biggest lesson learned this morning is that waking up early so that I’m not rushing about every thing makes for a good morning. I awoke later than usual this morning only to find that there’s not much food left at home for me to make myself a substantial breakfast. So I decided to head out for a good breakfast despite running a little late for work. I was orginally planning to go to Sensations en Ardross (along Ardross Street apparently) but without checking the correct address I turned into the wrong street and ended up at Espresso 7 Seas.

It was awfully quiet when I went in. There was absolutely no one and for a minute there I thought they were still closed. The clock was ticking so I decided to just deal with my mistake and get something to eat so I can rush off to work. There wasn’t a lot of breakfast items to choose from – just the standards like big breakfast, eggs on toast, bacon and eggs. I opted for the big breakfast and a latte all for $18.50. Coffee was not too bad. It depends on who made it though. The auntie who made mine was not very skilled but one of the staff made a better looking one for another customer.

Espresso 7 Seas: big breakfast

And there was my big breakfast. It is filling but not satisfying. I asked for poached hard eggs but it came with 2 very runny eggs. Tomatoes were not roasted enough and the bacon was very dry and tasted funny. The cheese dog sausage was good though – a change from the usual chipolatas that other cafes serve and which I dislike. The toast could be improved too. I had the rye toast and it was thin as! They gave me just 1 piece of toast cut diagonally and it wasn’t even enough to soak up the runny yolks that they gave me.

Espresso 7 Seas is in a good quiet location but I wouldn’t dare say that I’d be back again to give their other dishes a try. Their concept is a Western and Asian cafe so, in addition to burgers and fish and chips, you’d be sure to find Malaysian dishes as well like laksa and curries. I’m not entirely sure how the name “Espresso 7 Seas” fits into the concept. One thing that majorly turned me off was the smell of the cafe. It’s the kind smell that you find in and should only be restricted to Asian/Chinese restaurants. Early in the morning I walked out and my hair and clothes already smell like curry. That’s definitely not how I’d like to start my day.

My rating: 5/10
Espresso7seas on Urbanspoon

Jean Pierre Sancho @ CBD

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee & Desserts, French, Perth by

I have an inexplicable relationship with anything French. Perhaps it has something to do with me taking up French history some odd years ago that France, or anything French really, has left such an impression in my life. Naturally, every time I step into Jean Pierre Sancho Boulangerie et Patisserie on Hay Street and walk up its glass stairs I am reminded of my said relationship with the French, and also those chic little cafes that you see in movies.

Jean Pierre Sancho: cafe interior in a glass enclosure

It is a very spacious cafe with a few tables on the sidewalk too. When you step in you can hear quaint French music playing in the background. The cafe does need a little more ventilation though or turn up air conditioning. If you wear long sleeves clothing you will no doubt start sweating within the next 5 minutes, even in winter. Stuffiness aside, head over to the counter and you will be greeted by none other than the French speaking staff. I have yet to encounter a staff there who doesn’t speak the language. They are friendly, and most importantly, patient enough to allow me to practice my French with them and correct me if I use the wrong gendered articles.

Owned by 3 partners, one of whom is my friend’s brother, all the products they sell are handmade in store every day. There is a wide variety of savoury and sweet goods to choose from and don’t forget the breads as well. Over the past year that I have been coming here, prices have also gone up with inflation but, given the size, quality and consistency of the products, I am inclined to overlook this.

The croissants and chocolate croissants here are one of the bests I’ve had in Perth. Croissants that taste like what they should taste like (that’s to say not factory made) – very buttery and rich. Other pastries that I have come to love include -

The lemon tart, tangy just the way I like it but it has the tiniest hint of egginess which is a little turn off for me but that which doesn’t stop me from eating it.

The chocolate mousse, very smooth and very rich chocolate mousse. Not much to complain about that one.

And the blueberry and almond tart. This is by far my favourite. Sweet blueberries sandwiched between 2 almond based cakes, now what could possibly go wrong with that? It was a great afternoon treat after a long day of walking. The tart was pretty big for me to eat in 1 sitting. So I asked one of the staff if I could have it sliced in half and have the other half to take away. She gladly did this for me. People who stereotypically think of the French as a stuck up bunch should really come over to Jean Pierre to experience for themselves just how friendly they can be.

Jean Pierre Sancho: half of a blueberry and almond tart with coffee

Then you wash down all the sweets with a cup of organic fair trade coffee. Coffee is not the best there is but has improved significantly over the past year. They serve it with a bite-sized, buttery and nutty biscuit on the side too.

Jean Pierre Sancho has been in the Perth cafe scene for over a year now and they have already expanded by opening a smaller shop in St. Georges Terrace catering for the busy corporate people. If that’s not enough for you, they do catering as well as deliveries in the CBD area using a characteristically French delivery bike.

Jean Pierre Sancho: delivery tricycle*

My rating: 8/10

Jean Pierre Sancho on Urbanspoon

www.jpsancho.com.au

*photo from http://www.jpsancho.com.au/cmspages.php?pageid=7

Cabin Fever @ CBD

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee & Desserts, Perth by

There’s no better way to enjoy a day off than chilling out in a very homey cafe that is Cabin Fever. Buried deep in Bon Marche arcade along Barrack Street, this little coffee shop is like the kitchen I’ve always wanted where friends would come over and we would spend the whole day chattering away whilst munching on sweet little goodies. Everything about this cafe screams home. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If only they could rent out this place to me once a week I’d be a happy camper.

Cabin Fever: counter and bar

Cabin Fever: "dining hall"

Cabin Fever: display of goodies

Cabin Fever: wall of cups and saucers

Adorned by a wall of cups and saucers, frames of drawings and furniture you’ll find at nanna’s place and looked after by such friendly and cheerful people, it did not take long at all for me to fall in love with this place. It was rather busy when I walked in -Business people in suits were waiting for their takeaway coffees, business issues were being discussed over at that “dining hall” and friends of the baristas were sprawled across the couch. The menu is limited to bread, muesli and muffins and quiche for this particular day (as it was today’s special). I placed my order of a skinny latte and a homemade banana and walnut bread (that came up to a total bill of $7) and settled myself onto a green wing chair. Oh what comfort! There is a coffee table next to my chair and a big table lamp so it was perfect for some reading. I took out my book and happily nibbled my toasted and buttered banana bread and sipped my coffee. It was a very light and delicious breakfast. The banana bread was very moist and delicious but could have been better with more bananas. Having it toasted gave it a nuttier flavour that was just absolutely divine! To go with it was a cup of beautifully crafted coffee that I have enjoyed to the last drop.

Cabin Fever: toasted banana and walnut bread with a latte

I sat on the green wing chair close to about 2 hours because I was desperately trying to finish reading Water for Elephants, which I did, but mostly it was just because this little coffee place made me very happy. It had such a positive energy that makes me want to spend the whole day there. If only I had another book with me. Oh, there’s free wifi too.

When I realised the time after finishing my book I finally got up to leave…but not before snapping up some photos. It’s a photo heaven for try-hard photographers like me! I bought a homemade brownie to go which is very sinfully rich and headed out the cafe and into the shop next to it called The Pigeonhole, which is owned by the same people (Cabin Fever is owned by The Pigeonhole), and that is another story.

My rating: 9.5/10

Cabin Fever on Urbanspoon

www.cabinfever.com.au

Atomic Cafe @ Claremont

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee & Desserts, Modern Australian, Perth by

The Place Located diagonally across Koko Black in Claremont Quarter, Atomic Cafe features a modern and spacious breakfast spot. There are 2 entrances to the cafe: One of the entrances leads you directly to the counter to place your order and the other to the tables.

Atomic Cafe: interior

The Occasion It was a lazy morning before work so I headed off to Claremont to do some shopping. I stopped by this cafe for a hearty breakfast before doing some damage.

The Good It’s all about the ambiance. The cafe is very new and modern that it makes you want to just sit down, relax, enjoy your breakfast and have a good read afterwards – which was exactly what I did on this particular day. It was a busy morning so I picked a semi-secluded table near the door where I could lean and read my book, Water for Elephants. My brekkie consisting of a big breakfast and a skinny latte came about 15 minutes after I placed my order, which gave me ample time to read a chapter from the book.

Atomic Cafe: skinny latte

Atomic Cafe: big breakfast

Breakfast was not greasy and the bacon I had was almost fat free which is definitely good and coffee was pretty good too.

The Not-so-good My big breakfast was not big at all. Considering the price they charge, $22, you would think that serving would have been bigger. Plus, there weren’t any hash browns! The horror! The 2 slices of ciabatta bread that came with it was not very substantial either. Sourdough bread would’ve been a much better choice.

I also have an issue with their chairs. The chairs have no back support. If you lean too far back you would definitely fall over. Lucky for me I chose a table near the door so I was able to lean sideways on the door.

My rating 6.5/10

Frisk Espresso @ Northbridge

Posted in Coffee & Desserts, Perth by
A retro style coffee shop in the outskirts of Francis Street in Northbridge, “Frisk Espresso” brings about a different and uber relaxed coffee experience. I came here with the family one lazy Sunday afternoon after our very heavy dim sum lunch. But being the coffee lover that he is and the ‘searching-for-new-places-to-eat’ person that she is, it wasn’t hard at all to convince my uncle and auntie to go to the little cafe with me just down the street.

It wasn’t overly crowded when we went it. Only about 3-4 tables were occupied. They have all sorts of chairs and tables there – cafe style, couch, kids, playground style – giving it a very retro look. There are also various random things displayed there - very old cash register, mini tv box - keeping in tune with the cafe’s theme and a variety of board games to keep the kids, as well as the older generation, entertained. You will be greeted by an orange haired lady on the graffiti wall when you walk in.

I wouldn’t exactly say the staff, who later turned out to be the owners as I have found out, were friendly. It was a bit awkward because they were busy running around but also wanted to smile and talk to you. Weird. They do not seem to be very knowledgeable about their limited menu either; or perhaps they just came across to me as not knowledgeable? So anyway, we placed our orders on the counter and they do not use dockets nor give you any table numbers. Instead, they write the orders on the counter with a white board marker and just remember your face. We had a flat white and a latte, for $3.90 each, made from 5 senses coffee. Coffee was beautifully made although the milk could’ve have been smoother.

To the left of the shop is a section devoted entirely to “Kustom Cupcakes”. I have no idea who owns Kustom Cupcakes but when we asked the owner/barista if they also supply cupcakes to other shops he said yes. I don’t even think he fully understood what we were asking. When asked what the flavours of the cupcakes were he just mumbled some flavours. Strange.

After reading rave reviews about how marvelous these little cupcakes are, they are, in fact, quite a disappointment. These are not the best cupcakes. Icing was way too sweet and the cupcakes were VERY dry. Perhaps they have been sitting out for quite a while?  We had the Raffaelo one and a cookie dough one. Nothing special at all with these cupcakes. I scraped off the icing and when I divided the cake in half it just crumbled. Not worth the $3.50, I’d say. There are some cookies on the counter and just 2 other cakes to choose from, one of which looked like Cookies and Cream cheesecake. Perhaps their supply has not yet been delivered? For me, I’d just go for the coffee and the ambiance and forget about the sweets.

Frisk Espresso: coffee and cupcakes

My rating: 7/10

www.friskespresso.com.au

Frisk Espresso Northbridge on Urbanspoon

Epic Espresso @ West Perth

Posted in Coffee & Desserts, Perth by

Epic? A word that is overused in today’s times so much so that it’s beginning to have a negative connotation to me.

 But “epic” would definitely be a great word to describe Epic Espresso’s mocha. It is mocha non like any other (and I used to think that Dome serves the best mocha and hot chocolate around). It says in the cafe’s website that their mocha is made with “Belgian couverture chocolate” which makes this little chocolatey pick me up sinful. Rich chocolate with a hint of coffee mixed with creamy milk. That’s perfection in a cup if you ask me.

Located in West Perth, this little coffee shop is a 2-minute walk from my office, which would be a bad thing if I come here every day simply because of the price. A small takeaway cup costs a whopping $5.40!! This little cup gives me only about 5-7 big sips. Regular coffee such as flat white and lattes and the like starts from $4.80 for a small cup. The price really is the only drawback to this cafe.

If you like to spoil yourself once in a while, definitely give this place a go. You will be a very happy customer, specially after that yummy goodness of mocha..

My rating: 8/10

http://epicespresso.com.au/

Epic Espresso on Urbanspoon