July 1, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

{NEW OPENING} Lot One Kitchen Hillarys

This one’s HOT off the press! This morning we brunched at Lot One Kitchen, a brand new eatery in the northern suburbs, which has really hit the ground running!

We popped by for a late brunch. So late, that Little Chef preferred to eat something for lunch. The new restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner has had a beautiful fit out. There’s lots of tables and a cosy nook with sofas too. I love it’s use of tanned leather and stunning light fixtures.

The service was good, but a little green. I’m happy to give them the benefit of the doubt, being so new! The roast used at Lot One Kitchen is Di Bella. Chef was happy with his flat white and even grabbed a take away on our way out.

Feeling a cold coming on, I chose a “beet it” beetroot and ginger juice.

Little Chef had a chocolate milkshake treat. Continue reading →

June 30, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Health Freak Café, Kings Park

From as far back as high school I’ve had a bit of a “funny tummy”. Without giving you TMI (too much info), it’s often uncomfortable and very bloaty. My love of food has put me in denial about a possible food intolerance for 20 years. I knew it wasn’t as catastrophic as being coeliac, but little by little I came to the realisation that I needed to get to the, ahem, bottom of the issue.

So after a load of blood tests and ‘scopeis earlier this year, it turns out that I have a mild gluten intolerance and possibly an intolerance to some other foods (I suspect apple and onion). My GP advised me that I needed to go on a strict low FODMAP elimination diet for about 6 weeks, which I’ve now completed (thank goodness!). FODMAPs are basically short chain carbohydrates that are poorly digested. They include some fructose, monosaccharides, and sugar alcohols, such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and maltitol. So there was a lot I couldn’t eat – even common foods like garlic and mushrooms!

Cutting out some of these foods has made me feel a whole lot better, though it’s been a nightmare eating out. I now have a new-found appreciation for a well labelled menu. If I see lots of “GF” options it makes me so happy. One spot in particular has been a godsend – Health Freak Café, who have a menu that even caters for FODMAPers! There’s lots of dishes labelled “FOG”, free from onion and garlic. Continue reading →

June 12, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Gipsy Boy, Joondalup

Run by sisters Kacie and Bekki, Gipsy Boy just celebrated it’s 3rd birthday. The café is a rare gem in Joondalup, a large town void of many quality independent cafes and restaurants. This lovely local of mine is just the type of place I like to brunch, but without the drive to inner city suburbs of Leederville and Mount Lawley. We’ve visited lots of times, as it’s so close to home, so this post is a combination of a few visits. I think we’ve tried most of what their yummy brunch menu has to offer!

The vintage-styled café is brimming with old style décor, teapots, lampshades and comfy chairs. Gipsy Boy is open for breakfast, lunch and “coffee and treats” – and not all of them are naughty! In the cabinet you’ll find a good range of raw snacks.

We think the coffee is top notch too. At Gipsy Boy they use a locally roasted blend from Micrology Coffee Roasters. They have a good selection of tea too, I really love the chai.

Behold…. the bacon and maple syrup French toast! A decedent brunch that just HAS to be tried. Served with fresh fruit and vanilla mascarpone.

Chef thinks the Breakfast enchiladas ($17) stuffed with Spanish beans, chorizo, rice, buttery scrambled eggs and cheddar with an avocado salsa on the side (and another side of bacon!) are a really tasty way to start the day and would totally order them again. Continue reading →

May 19, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Café Moka, Mandurah

To me, there’s not much sweeter than finding a gem of a brunch spot. Mandurah locals are lucky to have the waterside Café Moka on their doorstep. Found at Dolphin Quay, the bustling café overlooks the marina, which is a lovely backdrop for my Mothers Day breakfast. It’s part of our May weekend staycation in Mandurah, and we’d been invited to enjoy a tasty brekkie there by Mandurah & Peel Tourism Organisation, who have expert local knowledge for the perfect brunch spot for my foodie family.

Chef and I ordered a couple of flat whites ($4.50). The Toby’s Estate roast really hit the spot! And being Mothers Day I also got given a rose – what a lovely gesture!

Continue reading →

February 24, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Margaret River Bakery

We’ve often stopped by Margaret River Bakery for a early morning pie. I can tell you that their buttery pastry and hearty fillings really help with winery/brewery induced hangovers! We’d heard great things about their breakfasts, so we stopped by for a more substantial bite to eat.

It’s not your typical, sterile shop-like bakery. Margaret River Bakery is eclectic. The furniture and crockery are completely mis-matched. The café has a bustling atmosphere with a real mix of customers too. There are lots of freshly baked treats and breads available, as well as good coffee. It wasn’t particularly busy when we went, though I had to ask twice to get the previous customer’s dirty plates and glasses moved, which were still sitting on our table when our food arrived (see below pic).

Little Chef, with his plate barely fitting on the full table, devoured his fresh croissant that was filled with gooey cheese and good quality ham. Chef loved his brekkie burger, brimming with crisp bacon, runny egg, Swiss cheese, relish and rocket. It also came with a bottle of fresh juice.

Continue reading →

January 30, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Flinderz – Hillarys

Flinderz is an old favourite of ours. Back in 2014/15 Chef was the Head Chef there, before he left for the bright floodlights of Domain Stadium and the WACA, cooking for his sporting heroes. Chef loved Flinderz, but pretty much never had an opportunity to actually dine there, because he was always so darned busy at the bustling suburban gem. We were really excited to revisit Flinderz after owner Louise invited us in for brunch.

Flinderz is in Hillarys, but it isn’t found at the Boat Harbour. The modern café is located at the leafy Hillary’s Shopping Centre on Finders Avenue. I like to dine in their shady alfresco area, with it’s pretty greenery and chilled atmosphere. It a good spot for a lazy brunch or lunch.

There’s a good choice of drinks – coffee, tea, smoothies and more. We’ve always found them to have quality coffee.

Little Chef ordered his favourite – a babycino. I also enjoyed a refreshing juice after my caffeine fix.

Since I last visited there’s been some interesting new additions to the Flinderz brunch menu. I really liked the sound of their house smoked Atlantic salmon and the French toast, but opted for my favourite House made granola, $17. Continue reading →

January 21, 2017 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Our Last Day in Denmark (Part 5)

Our trip to the Great Southern region of Western Australia was wonderful, but not nearly long enough, there’s so much to do in delicious Denmark! If it wasn’t for Chef’s busy work roster, we would have stayed on a few more days at charming Misty Valley Country Cottages. We all felt so relaxed, even after a few days of getting away from the daily grind!

On our final morning at Misty Valley, farmer Warren showed Little Chef how to milk his cow, Holly. It was really interesting and he loved the experience. Chef even had a go! We fed the chooks, ponies and those cheeky goats too. Before we said our goodbyes, Warren handed us a big bottle of the fresh milk as well as more freshly laid eggs to take home.

Mrs Jones is a wonderful café in the centre of town and we stopped there for brunch on our last morning in Denmark. The popular café has great menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner and good coffee too.

Chef devoured the tasty eggs benedict, $18. Bacon and perfectly poached eggs are smothered in hollandaise and sit upon two door-stepper slices of freshly baked bread.

I was really impressed with the Shakshuka, $17. Baked tomato, capsicum, fetta and spices were served in a bowl. Hiding underneath this rich and sweet Moroccan style tomato sauce were baked eggs. I used the thickly sliced fresh bread to mop up every last drop of the sauce – delicious!

Before we left town I needed to stop at a winery. Denmark has so many highly regarded wineries, it would be rude not to go to at least one of them. We popped to Mad Fish Wines and Howard Park, so I could squeeze in a quick tasting and obligatory wine purchase before we headed home. I found a nice drop of pinot noir there to take home.

We decided to drive back to Perth via a different route. Though it was longer, there was more to look at along South Western Highway. We stopped a few times to break up the five hour drive with stops at:

The Diamond Tree

Little Chef loved stretching his legs at the fantastic Manjimup Timber Park. It has loads of fun play equipment…

gorgeous animal carvings…

and one MASSIVE slide. It took poor Little Chef 5 minutes to be coaxed down, but he enjoyed it in the end. He’s braver than I am!

Another hour further up the road is the Donnybrook Apple Playground, another brilliant park, said to be one of the biggest free playgrounds in the southern hemisphere.

Bridgetown looked lovely, but we’ll save that to stop at on another trip. Our trip to Denmark was so enjoyable, but far to short to fit everything in. There are many wonderful wineries and restaurants that we didn’t explore, like The Lake House and Estate 807. We also didn’t make it to the Denmark Chocolate Company and we would have loved to hire a canoe on the Denmark River. There’s plenty more to experience on our next trip to Denmark and the Great Southern.

If you haven’t discovered Denmark yet- we really recommend that you do!