Zucchero, Vic Park

Today we decided to take Tallulah to the zoo, and thought it would be a great opportunity to have a breakfast bite in Vic Park nearby. We chose Zucchero Espresso Bar on Albany Highway, but not because of the alliteration I promise! ZZZ! Renee and Tallulah were peachy keen!

Zucchero have a few seats near the front counter and a much larger, comfortable room behind. A couple of alfresco tables are also available. We sat in the larger room, to give very-active Tallulah lots of room to move (there is never enough room for Tallulah, but we persevere anyway!). The menu choice includes standard items like smoked salmon, capers and scrambled eggs on toasted sourdough ($16) and poached eggs in a tomato and onion reduction with parmesan and olive oil and toasted sourdough ($15). That was probably the most adventurous item on the menu. I chose the bacon stack with scrambled eggs and sautéed mushrooms on toasted sourdough ($15).

What came out was what could best be described as a safe dish. The eggs had no seasoning, the bacon rashers crispy. The mushrooms had a buttery sauce which was eagerly soaked up by the bread. A packet of butter was on the side.

Renee chose the brioche French toast, which comes with either a berry compote or banana and maple syrup (Renee chose the bananas) and thick cream ($14).

Renee enjoyed it, probably because it had plenty of sweet, sweet zucchero! I also ordered a soy flat white, with a dash of honey. The coffee was good. The 'dash' of honey was a small packet. The packaging was unavoidable; had I opted for regular sugar the only option was sugar cubes, each individually packaged!

The vibe of the place was hotel. The basic, stock-standard menu, food executed well but with no flair, flavourless scrambled eggs, packaged butter, sugar and condiments, it all adds up to a hotel experience!

We savoured the day by getting some takeaway macarons. While no doubt they are ordered in, it was good have have a selection of cakes and things. They were delicious. The flavours may or may not have been orange and pistachio!

The Verdict:
Coffee  3/5
Eggs (the meal!)  3/5
Service  3.5/5
Atmosphere  3/5
Total  12.5/20

Baby T's score: 4/5 (Tallulah enjoyed her pre-zoo brekky!)

Would we go again: No, we'd rather eat at a café not a hotel.
Website: on Facebook 

Bivouac, Northbridge

We love William Street in Northbridge, so whenever a new café opens up we always find some time to check it out. Bivouac is one such place, located opposite Ezra Pound. We love William Street!

Bivouac has two small tables on the street, a large main room and a smaller room towards the back. The café is adorned with artwork - it features different work every month. I like the grass beards! We grabbed a table near the back of the café and ordered our coffees - a soy flat white and a soy long macc. Bivouac do a great job with their coffees, and they are delicious! We waited in anticipation for our meals, hoping they would be as good as the coffee!

Bivouac have four breakfast choices on the menu, so I'm just going to go and list them all:

• Gypsy Baked Eggs - chorizo, potato, red pepper ragú, simmered egg & toasted sourdough ($15.50)
• Salute the Sun - avocado, ricotta & lemon on sourdough ($9.90)
• The Revolution - french toasted brioche, citrus ricotta, strawberries & pistachio ($14.90)
• Canteen Tray - grilled italian sausage, baked beans, scrambled eggs, toasted sourdough ($15.50)

Ross' meal - Gypsy Baked Eggs

Renee's meal - Canteen Tray

Both dishes looked good and we eagerly jumped in. I was looking forward to the baked eggs, but unfortunately it didn't taste near as good as it looked. The potatoes were undercooked and hard, and the ragú lacked flavour. Renee's Canteen Tray came with baked beans, scrambled eggs and Italian sausages. The beans, according to Renee, were too sweet. The scrambled eggs were cooked well but lacked pizzaz. The sausages surprised Renee the most; we are used to spicy Italian sausages served in other places, but the sausages on the Canteen Tray were not spicy. They were more like barbecue sausages.

We were disappointed with our breakfasts. That's not enough to deter us having good food, so to finish off we had some baklava ($6). It was outstanding! It was fresh, full of nuts and spices and rolled with honey. Noone told me I wasn't supposed to eat the clove on top of the baklava, but it still tasted good!

baklava

The Verdict:
Coffee  4/5
Eggs (the meal!)  2.5/5
Service  3.5/5
Atmosphere  4/5
Total  14/20

Baby T's score: 3.5/5 (Heck, Tallulah loves everywhere!)

Would we go again: We returned with friends for breakfast, and confirmed that the breakfast meals aren't that great! The dinners here look good though, and we think Bivouac would be great evening occasions!

Website: http://bivouac.com.au/

The Attic, Fremantle

Follow the bicycles and chalk pavement signs and you will find yourself at The Attic Cafe in Fremantle, one of the coolest places we have been to for a long while. Attic has a counter on the ground floor - all of the seating, except for a small table on the street, is on the next level accessed by a narrow flight of stairs. There are old-school seats, couches and tables like my grandparents have, combined with floor lamps and what can best be described as "suitcases and lights hanging from a rope" which created a great dimly lit vintage vibe, much like an Attic. Funny that! A row table lines the edge of the void, where you can view the counter below - this is where we sat since all the other places were taken! We grabbed on tight to Tallulah and made sure she didn't fling any objects over the edge!

avocado, white cheese & lime on toast

shakshouka with mondo chorizo, tomato reduction & black olives

Suitably impressed with the ambience we had a look at the menu. They offer a number of not-your-usual-breakfast items like thyme-roasted mushroom & herbed labne on toast ($12). I liked the look of the green wrap with eggs, spinach & avocado ($12) but they had run out (it was busy!) so I instead ordered avocado, white cheese & lime on toast ($12). The Attic has three different types of shakshouka and Renee chose it with mondo chorizo, tomato reduction & black olives. Both of our dishes were good, real good. My toast came with spinach & mint which brought it to life. Renee thought her spinach was unnecessary and put it on the side. The winner with both dishes was the bread, which might have been a rye sourdough? Whatever it was, it was soft & thick as well as tasty. We also noted on their menu that they also do gluten-free option.

masala chai

soy flat white

The Attic have a few fresh juices available. They also have a pot of masala chai and invite you to have a taste test which we did. It was good and nicely spiced, and I can certainly imagine having a large mug of it on a cold wintry day. We instead had our regulars, the soy flat whites, which could have been slightly more soy-creamy but otherwise was a well-made coffee, and we both went back for seconds! Renee thought hers was perfect!

chocolate & beetroot cake

We couldn't leave without having some cake, and so we grabbed a slice of chocolate & beetroot cake. It was good, but we regretted not getting some cream to accompany it!

The Verdict:
Coffee  4/5
Eggs (the meal!)  3.5/5
Service  3.5/5
Atmosphere  4.5/5
Total  15.5/20

Baby T's score: 3.5/5 (Tallulah loved to look through the grating to the counter below, especially when her dad was ordering!)

Would we go again: Yes!

Website: http://www.theatticfremantle.com.au/

Piccos Kitchen, Maylands

This Easter we decided to check out Piccos Kitchen, on Peninsular Road in Maylands, nearish to Tranby House. It looked a bit strange being in a group of shops, set above the carpark, but its the inside that counts, right? But we've learnt not to judge a book by its cover! Lots of locals seemed to drop by for takeaway coffees. However we were perhaps the youngest people by maybe by 30 years or so.

Piccos had a good menu with bacon, eggs & Brie butty ($12.50) and roast field mushroom w. rocket, feta & tomato confit ($16.50).Renee started off with her usual soy flat white which she didn't finish as her meal was intense. I felt like a chai tea, which was good.

Food-wise, I chose traditional organic porridge with stewed rhubarb & raw honey ($12.50) - this was ok but a little bit gluggy - it needed more honey to make it palatable. Renee had an Easter moment and decided that the hazelnut pancakes, chocolate sauce and vanilla poached pear ($15). This was a pure chocolate indulgence - the plate had heaps of sauce, and the pancakes were full of the same sauce. It completely overpowered everything and it was impossible to work out what the flavour of the pancakes were - the sauce could have been in a jug instead. The pear was cold; Renee thought it might have been nicer warm. It was one of those meals that sounded good on paper but in reality didn't really work. It was definitely more a dessert than a breakfast dish!

Piccos' is probably a good takeaway coffee place but the food wasn't for us. Overall, we thought that Piccos was your average fare breakfast - there are better places to go for breakfast on 8th Ave for a similar price.

Renee's hazelnut pancakes

My organic porridge with stewed rhubarb and raw honey

The Verdict:
Coffee  2.5/5
Eggs (the meal!)  2.5/5
Service  3.5/5
Atmosphere  3/5
Total  12/20

Baby T's score: 4/5 (Piccos is nice and spacious with lots of room for Baby T, the staff loved her too! It would be tricky getting a pram to the raised entry from the carpark though)

Would we go again: No. Don't stop riding here, continue onto Claisebrook!

Pearfect Pantry, Wembley

or 'the Land of the Doughnut Buildings'

We were planning a trip to Innaloo, and came across the 'Pear'fect Pantry in Wembley as a place to have a bite to eat in the morning in the area. Pearfect's Facebook page gives an idea of the types of food they offer, including bacon, apple & smokey cheddar-baked risotto, creamy chicken & spinach pie, raw vegan chocolate cake, passionfruit & white chocolate muffins, & more - all good-sounding lunch things. Our blog is not called 'Panini'd Perth', so we were interested to note that Pearfect has a gourmet brekky menu.

Pearfect is located behind a laundrobar in a set of units. The wonderful world of doughnut-shaped buildings is only visible from the air; from the street it is more old units and rows of letterboxes. The laundrobar serves the units, and our guess is that the building Pearfect is located in might have been a common room for the units. Add some customers who looked like they have just come back from a swim somewhere or just looking generally relaxed, plus miss-matching seats, cups and plates and you have a holiday vibe. Like a caravan park. But this is a good, relaxed vibe and they make you feel at home.

I ordered a soy flat white. Renee felt like a smoothie (they had banana and berry to choose from today) and we asked if they could do a soy smoothie; they were happy to oblige. We went for the banana one. The smoothie ended up being delicious, and so did the soy flat white.

On the breakfast menu are items like smokey potato, spinach & cheese burrito with eggs, avocado salsa & sour cream ($16), which Pearfect also do in a vegan option with nut cheese and nut aioli ($16) and avocado with coriander lime pepper dressing on toast ($13.50, with bacon $16.50). I chose the homemade pancetta and maple baked beans with poached eggs & spinach ($16) and Renee decided upon the grilled potato stack with bacon, herb-roasted tomatoes, spinach-scambled eggs & toast ($16.50). Mine was cooked well, the star of the meal was the poached eggs which were flavoursome and cooked to perfection! The spinach was not astringent and the beans were a vegetable delight. Renee thought that scrambled eggs didn't have much flavour and could have done with some more herbs; the potato stack was a type of potato slice bake. The bacon was maple-lious!

 pancetta and baked beans above, and potato stack below

Although the sun was intent on making the shade under our table smaller and smaller, Tallulah and I were both relaxed, so Renee insisted on trying out the sweet treats for dessert, and out came a Belgium brownie; it  was very rich with a crispy top but oh-so-delish!

The Verdict:
Coffee  3.5/5
Eggs (the meal!)  3.5/5
Service  4/5
Atmosphere  3/5
Total  14/20


Baby T's score: 4/5 (Tallulah was quite relaxed at Pearfect Pantry - it's just like a holiday in a caravan!)

Would we go again: Probably not as we're not in Innaloo very often, but this one suits the locals!

Website: Pearfect Pantry's Facebook page

Deli Chicchi, Mount Claremont

Looking at the above photos, I realise that I have managed to take photos of Deli Chicchi without a single person in them! How I managed that I don't know, because on this Friday morning there was a respectable crowd of customers, and staff, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere, inside and out (for the record, there is a slither of a person in the middle photo)! We used to come here with our friends, sisters Kristy and Sam. Now that they are living in London and New York, it is just ourselves today!

We grabbed a seat in the booth next to the large windows which wrap around the street corner. Tallulah enjoyed kneeling on the booth, looking out the windows. Later she snuggled up to rest between us on the booth - we got to eat together! No more strange looks from waitstaff wondering why one plate is polished clean and another untouched. We like booths. Here is a picture of a baby in a booth.

She's wearing a bat top. But that's not the point of this blog; you can read all about that in Renee's renosslah blog. This is about the breakfast, and Deli Chicchi know what's good. The diligent waitstaff brought us a menu after seeing us try to scan the blackboard menu. Among the offerings are sweet brioche French toast with raspberry coulis, fresh banana and marscapone ($18.90) and medley of fresh tomato and avocado on toasted olive bread with ricotta and fresh herbs ($18.90). I chose the omelette with chorizo, aged cheddar and spinach, which came served with some rocket on top ($18.90 - a different version also comes with caramelised leek and goats curd) and Renee picked zucchini and haloumi rosti with smoked salmon, rocket, poached eggs (sorry we missed the price for this one, but it's around $18-20). Both of our meals were delicious - full of flavour and difficult to fault. The rosti was rich and tasty- Renee was in heaven it was such a great flavour combo. My omelette was heading towards the consistency of a quiche, and the chorizo really brought it to life. Good, good, good.

 rosti above and omelette below

Baby Fact #27: nursing babies are generally intolerant to cow's milk; thus soy flat white is the new flat white. While I'm not nursing, I have a y/fw as well out of principle. After all, when you think about it drinking out of another animal's teat is kinda weird (though delicious in the case of the cow). Deli Chicchi know how to make a a good soy flat white; these ones were creamy and rich, and the soy flavour much more subtle than when done elsewhere. Good, good, good. While on the topic of drinks, I like the choice of mint- or lemon-infused water, or plain water that they offer at Deli Chicchi.

We left the delicious-looking cakes, muffins, tarts and other lunch items behind to have hot chocolates at the much-talked about Koko Black - this was generally regarded by us as a bad move, and we agreed that we should have stayed at Deli Chicchi!

The Verdict:
Coffee  4.5/5
Eggs (the meal!)  4.5/5
Service  4.5/5
Atmosphere  4/5
Total  17.5/20


Baby T's score: 4/5 (Baby T likes booths!)

Would we go again: yes yes yes its good good good!

Website: http://www.delichicchi.com.au/

Little Stove, Bicton

Moulten Monkey (the drink, not the child!)

 poached eggs with a side of beans

'big stove' with a side of spinach

Notice how our meals look kinda the same? Strange, huh? Renee's poached eggs cost $12 ($3 for the bacon). My 'big stove' has some mushrooms hiding under the spinach; it costs $18, with an extra $3 for the spinach. We both thought that the meal was average - the bacon a little bit oily, the spinach astringent, the beans missing real flavour.

We decided to go to Little Stove, hidden in the suburb of Bicton, after doing some shopping at the Melville markets on a Sunday morning. It's a spacious, and decorated in a homely manner. Our table was next to an Aga stove adorned with paraphernalia from the coastal town of Crikvenica, dating from Yugoslavian times. Little Stove offers other standard breakfast foods like bircher muesli ($12) and roasted tomato with sourdough, goats cheese and prosciutto ($15).

Little stove redeems itself with its interesting drinks. My molten monkey is an iced mocha with banana, and was delicious. Renée ordered a flat white that was too foamy.

The Verdict
Coffee   2.5/5
Eggs (the meal!)   2.5/5
Service   3.5/5
Atmosphere   3.5/5
Total   12/20


Baby T's Score:  3.5/5 (Tallulah thought that there was enough room at Little Stove to swing a baby. We didn't test this theory.)


Would we go again? No, there are much better breakfasts to be found.


Website: http://www.littlestove.com/

Mrs S, Maylands

 "Am I too young for coffee?"

Renee's meal 

Ross' meal

Some forgot to invite Mr S to Mrs S' party. When we visited Mrs S (located in a spacious premises on 8th Avenue on the corner next to the Maylands station) on Friday morning, the place was completely full of Mrs.es, Ms.es and Misses (we grabbed the last vacant table). Not one of Perth's 3/4 million males. Not that the decor of Mrs S was off-putting to men - it is quirky and interesting. The menu was posted on old Golden Circle kids books (the ones with the gold and black spines), and the table numbers were letters cut out of fibreboard. It was bustling and fun, the perimeter full of quirk. It was not intimidating; it was welcoming of all genders and ages.

I ordered the mushrooms, eggs, feta and Turkish bread ($16.50) . Renee chose the cornbread, bacon, eggs & maple ($15.50). There was plenty of other things to crave on the menu too, like toasted brioche, peaches and vanilla bean marscapone ($12). The food was amazing. But more so, it tasted like it came from your grandma! Renee's cornbread tasted like pumpkin scones (one of my grandma's staple foods), and the (plum?) relish that came with my dish tasted like it was crafted with love by a grandma. Both dishes had a nostalgic flavour that no other cafés we have been to has had. The dishes were cooked perfectly, and there we no complaints from either of us!

The coffees too were great - my flat white was creamy with the right amount of coffee, and Renee enjoyed her iced coffee maybe a little too much. No complaints here either!

Before we left, a couple of guys came in for breakfast - back to normal café gender ratios. Guess I can't find anything to fault Mrs S for anymore!

The Verdict
Coffee  4.5/5
Eggs (the meal!)  4.5/5
Service  4/5
Atmosphere 4/5
Total = 17/20


Baby T's score = 3/5 (Tallulah had a great time pushing her feet against the table, but was wondering why the staff gave her parents a weird look when they tag-teamed eating their meals. And no, Tallulah, no coffee for you just yet!)

Website: No website, but check out the Mrs S blog that was being updated before the café opened!

Tiger, Tiger Coffee Bar, Perth

This is Tiger, tiger's courtyard, which passersby might catch a glimpse of if they look into a passageway whilst walking down Murray Street in the west end of the city. It has long been one of our favourites, and I know that Renee was almost a permanent fixture here when she was working in the city PT (pre-Tallulah), so it has been a long time coming for us to review it. We had the chance to do just that when we ventured in to the city last weekend to do some shopping.

Tiger, tiger has great coffee. We both ordered flat whites, and as expected they came out looking like they would taste rich, bold and delicious (they did). Sugar was served in lumps, but, unlike other lump cafés that one might find in Vic Park, Tiger, tiger's lumps were all different sizes. Which was good, as the coffee was great enough that very little, if any, sugar was needed!

By the way, don't you love their blue tables? With the inside/outside theme and random tigers found around the place, the vibe is relaxed and welcoming. In fact the owner came over and chatted with us for a while. Tallulah, who came with us today, was not the only baby joining their parents for breakfast that morning. I was about to take a photo of her before we left, but just then she started crying. So no photo today (there will be pics next time)!

Anyway the food! Avocado, herbs and feta on sourdough will set you back $14; Dr Seuss' ham, poached eggs, oven roasted tomato on olive ciabatta is $18. Renee grabbed 'The Tiger' which is 2 poached eggs with avocado & TT rosamond sauce on sourdough ($15); I had eggs benedict ($15). The food is amazing, but Tigertiger's problem is one of proportion. Renee's breakfast had too little of their chutney-like sauce to go with the eggs and avocado, particularly with the massive amount of toast. I thought the same - if you are going to serve three massive slices of toast, there should be enough of the good stuff to put on it. To be fair, my order got mixed up and so they put my eggs benedict on toast rather than rye bagel. Also, did I mention that the hollandaise sauce was amazing?

 'The Tiger'

eggs benedict

The Verdict

Coffee  4/5

Eggs (the meal!)  3.5/5

Service  3.5/5

Atmosphere  4.5/5

Total = 15.5/20

Baby T's score = 3/5 (Bring on kid dates at Tiger, tiger!)

Would we go again? Yes, it's great to find somewhere good to go in the City that's not located in a food court!

Website: http://tigertigercoffeebar.com/o/