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!

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April 14, 2016 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Kinky Swell – Scarborough

This tiny corner café in the heart of suburban Scarborough is a great little surprise. It looks rather unassuming, but it’s very popular with locals, we even spied a Freo Docker on the next table (though I have no idea of his name!).

The café is cosy and compact, so it can get a little noisy. Kimmy and I enjoyed the coffee, which is a locally roasted coffee blend and served in BIG cups. Just what I needed on this rainy morning!

Kimie enjoyed her gluten free version of the eggs benedict, $18. She devoured the crisp bacon, with a poached egg and creamy hollandaise sauce served on GF toast.

I was hoping Little Chef would pick the pancakes, so I could choose a healthy brunch, but he had other ideas – so I had to take one for the team! To be honest, I was pretty happy as the buttermilk pancakes on other people’s plates looked divine. The fluffy pancakes are served with fresh strawberries, mascarpone, pistachios and bananas drizzled with salted caramel sauce. Woweee! SO GOOD.

Little Chef chose his favourite – a ham and cheese croissant from the cabinet. With nothing really on the menu for Little Miss M, we requested a fruit plate, which the staff were only too happy to whip up. She got stuck into her massive fruit plate and nearly managed to polish all the fruit off. Great to see a toddler with such a healthy appetite.

Kinky Swell is a fab little find and the Doubleview/Scarborough locals are loving it. With pancakes like these – I’m not surprised!

February 7, 2016 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Taylors Art and Coffee House – Middle Swan

I’d heard great things about Taylors and have been keen to try the Swan Valley brunch spot for some time. Taylors Art and Coffee House is found in a rustic building, which has charming little nooks to sit in – like a corrugated iron water tank – it feels like you could be in an outback oasis.

As well as the café, you’ll find quality arts and crafts there to buy.

It was a very hot day so we opted to sit inside. While we waited for all of our friends to arrive, I slurped on a deliciously refreshing beet and veg juice.

Kez had the smashed avo, $16. This was a tasty version of the breakfast staple. Smashed avocado sits on rye with fresh tomato, crumbled feta, balsamic and a free range poached egg.

Kimie chose the gluten free version of the brekkie sandwich, $16. She also added a couple of sausages on the side. Kim soon realised this wasn’t necessary as there are two rounds of sandwiches! The sarnies are brimming with bacon, eggs, tomato relish and cheddar cheese. Yummo!

I ordered the cornbread, $22 served with tasty chipotle butter. It is topped with guacamole, dressed greens and a free range poached egg. There’s an option to add bacon for an extra $8 and of course I couldn’t resist! The egg was perfectly gooey and the bacon slightly crisp. I ooo-ed and yumm-ed my way through this dish – it’s very very tasty! I’d have it again in a heartbeat!

The kids are spoiled for choice too with a decent kids menu for breakfast and lunch. There’s also a large sandpit in the outside dining courtyard – but it was far too hot for that! Miss M had a 2 Pancake stack with maple syrup, banana, strawberries, cream & icing sugar, $12.Little Chef enjoyed his bacon, scrambled eggs & toast $9. The portions served for kids meals can vary a lot and I thought at Taylors these are very generous.

All in all we enjoyed Taylors and I’d absolutely go there again. Hopefully we’ll visit on a cooler day so we can sit outside and enjoy a hot coffee with brunch. The food is excellent and well priced too. Recommended!

October 9, 2015 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Elevated Grounds – Kalamunda

Kalamunda is turning into quite the coffee spot! First opened Haynes Street Larder, then it’s sister café Jack and Jill appeared – now there is another opening on the Haynes Street Strip – Elevated Grounds.

You can find the bright and cheery café housed in what was formally “La Paris Brest”. The staff are very friendly and welcoming. Dining is al fresco or in the café – we opt to sit inside, where it’s a little quieter.

I really enjoyed a proper chai tea. I loved how it was served on a board and I poured the tea infused milk into the mug myself, sprinkling the chai spices ontop. I was happy to taste the tea was piping hot too, which is rare.

The menu is basically an all day breakfast menu. For something a little more lunch-y there is quiche, salad, sandwiches and more in the chiller cabinet – as well as cakes! My mum chooses two pancakes ($11) topped with blueberries and dusted with icing sugar. On the menu you can choose if you have a stack of 2, 3, 4, or 5 pancakes and there are several different toppings to pick from – naughty and nice.

I predictably chose the “pulled pork benedict” and was a little gutted when I was told that the kitchen had run out. Instead, I opt for the smoked salmon version ($16.50). First to the eggs! Were they perfectly cooked? The first poke of my knife didn’t reveal any runny yolk and my heart sank a little more – the second egg though WAS runny and the poached egg oozed with golden yolk. The eggs and salmon sat upon a bed of wilted spinach and super fresh thickly sliced bread. The dish fits the bill, though I still crave that porky-ness that marries so well with the creamy hollandaise sauce.

Kids are catered for and there are mini picnic tables in the kiddies toy corner. Little Chef picks a simple cheese toastie for his lunch, which he scoffs in no time. Elevated Grounds is also friendly for your furry friends.

While it’s a pleasant café and the staff are very helpful, I think the kitchen is yet to hit their stride with the food. The café has been open just a few months. Elevated Grounds has priced the food well and it’s more of a home style of cooking than gourmet, but still tasty!

June 9, 2015 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Pancakes at Carillon

Pancakes at Carillon had been around for years. To some it’s a Perth institution. I’d never been and The Pastry Chef (Chef’s little brother) had asked us along for breakfast there – he’d been a few times and enjoyed it (though I think he must make pretty good pancakes himself!).

We sat down and enjoyed a few coffees whist we waited for our indulgent breakfast to arrive!

Chef had a man-sized appetite and chose the WORKS BREAKFAST ($19.50) This massive brekkie consists of fluffy buttermilk Pancakes, topped with a generous serve of whipped butter. On the side were three grilled breakfast chipolatas, bacon, a grilled tomato, two free range eggs (how you like) and crisp hash browns. Also included is a glass of juice.

Not one for sweets so early in the morning, I opted for the brunch-y sounding ASPARAGUS CREPES ($20.50). Fresh asparagus spears were served on top of thin, delicate homemade Crepes that are filled with a fresh cheese and asparagus sauce with hollandaise draped over the top. The side salad was really tasty and fresh too, not just an after thought. I have to say it’s the first time I’ve had salad for breakfast!

Little Chef’s eyes almost popped out of his head when his pancakes arrived…. the CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN ($6.90) was a fluffy buttermilk pancake, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, drizzle of chocolate sauce and sprinkled with tons of 100’s and 1000’s. I can assure you that this kind of breakfast isn’t a regular occurrence!

We all enjoyed our pancakes, they were as light and fluffy as I’d hoped. I got a case of food envy seeing everyone drizzle their pancake stacks with Maple syrup, so next time I think I’ll go for something sweet!

February 10, 2014 by The Chef, his Wife and their PERTH-fect life

Penny Garden Restaurant

We visited the Swan Valley for a special birthday brunch on the weekend – Chef’s grandads 80^th.

We easily found the Penny Garden Restaurant (situated next to Yahava coffee and near to the Margaret River Chocolate factory). The name “Penny Garden” comes from the discovery of old coins during its construction.

Little Chef clocked the bouncy castle straight away, which is free for patrons. It was a good bargaining tool for us – he could have a bounce if he ate all his breakfast – little did we know HOW BIG his breakfast was to be!

We sat indoors by the window overlooking the dam and vineyards; you can also sit outside under the veranda. I have to admit I had imagined the restaurant/cafe to be in a lush garden, not just a vast lawn. Inside was a little noisy, as we were essentially sitting in a big shed. The staff were friendly and efficient.

We had;

Avo Smash $22 2 free range poached eggs, smashed avocado, Danish fetta and spinach on top toasted Turkish bread with a half a baked savoury tomato

Pancake Stack $19 Four Pancakes, with a choice of maple syrup or a blueberry compote. I asked if LC could have a child portion of this (2 pancakes), but the waiter said they didn’t do that. I assume the reason being it would stuff up their mise en place (prep) or something. I just hate wastage though! LC did well, but only managed half of the adults serve.

Eggs Benedict $20.50 2 poached free-range eggs, ham, wilted spinach, hollandaise on an English muffin with a baked savoury topped half a tomato. Hash brown $3.50 extra

The food was all very tasty and well cooked. I really enjoyed the Avo Smash. I do think that breakfast dishes should generally be under $20 though (unless a very substantial dish like a Full English). Maybe these dishes were a touch overpriced.

Penny Garden is a very family friendly restaurant and LC just loved the bouncy castle. It was well suited to a large family gathering with lots of children under 10 there. It was a lovely morning spent with Chef’s vast extended family – we were even treated to some tasty cupcakes. Thank you for having us to celebrate with you – Happy Birthday Grandad!!