Fez, Mount Lawley

eggs benedict

traditional Berbers breakfast

We have finally moved back into our old haunt, Mount Lawley; hooray! Not much has changed since we upped and left to travel around the world (without getting very far). Except for the new public toilets next to the new supper club and new Westpac. And new Turkish takeway. And our favourite Japanese restaurant moving to the other side of the road. Ok, so some things have changed, like the opening of a new Moroccan café, named Fez, in the building that looks like a ship on the corner of Walcott Street and Raglan Road, behind Fresh Provisions.

It seems like an eternity ago that we watched the construction of the ship building, complete with mermaid figurehead on the prow of the building, and it is great to see the café tenancy finally open. And since the city Fez was on our list of destinations on our unfortunately much-shortened ('postponed') round-the-world trip, we were keen to visit Fez Café to see what flavours we were missing out on.

As it turns out, not much. The café has been fitted out in a modern decor, complete with dark colour-pallette, fancy light-fittings, leather wall-seating, etc. In other words, it looks like every other café in Perth, which is such a shame because the interior designers could have had so much fun with a Moroccan theme. Like exquisite rugs, luxurious couches, intricate wallpaper, a bright colour scheme, interesting plates and cups; it looks like we will have to visit the real Fez to experience this. We did like the outside seating and the water that was served in olive oil bottles (but this didn't make up for the lack of atmosphere).

We chose a seat inside, and we were offered a highchair for Baby T by the waitperson who was proficient in service, but lacked the warmth that you would expect in a Moroccan café (we declined as Baby T likes to sit in our arms). Baby T was particularly fussy this morning, and we decided to move to a table outside. We informed the waitperson, who was cleaning the glass door, that we were moving outside, but she didn't think to help me move the water, 2 glasses, 2 coffees, salt, pepper, baby harness, bag, bottle, dummy, sunglasses and serviettes to the outside table (at one point closing the door on me).

We chose from their menu eggs benedict ($16.50) and the traditional Berbers breakfast ($19), consisting of meatballs with eggs and grilled bread. The eggs benedict was good, with rich creamy eggs and a delicious tasty bread that might have been a wholemeal or rye bread? Either way, it was a respectable eggs benedict. The traditional Berbers breakfast again had tasty eggs that complemented the rich tomato sauce and slightly-dry meatballs. In my opinion, though, the sauce was a little bit like a Sicilian pasta sauce and could have been complemented with some extra ingredients (like olives and toasted capsicum) and maybe some Harissa on the side. The grilled bread was great for dipping in the sauce. Overall, there are better breakfasts out there.

We also ordered a flat white and iced coffee (Baby T didn't give us time to peruse the drinks menu further). The flat white came out in a wide, brown cup and was delicious with a tasty, creamy foam that I just wanted more of (but unfortunately Baby T didn't want to stay). Renee enjoyed her iced coffee.

The Verdict
Coffee  3.5/5
Eggs (the meal!)  3/5
Service  3/5
Atmosphere  2/5
Total = 11.5/20


Baby T's score = 3/5 (Tallulah will be ready for a highchair one day!)

Would we go again? Good day to you, Fez. I said good day! It might be fun to check out their lunch or dinner menu. But overall it is pretty ho-hum and quite pricey!

Website: fezcafe.net.au

The Crowded House, South Fremantle

oatmeal

avocado on toast

Frenched toast

Today we are staying with the other set of parentals (this time with my parents who live south of Fremantle), and so today was a morning excursion day with mum/grandma! After a bit more Urbanspoon research we gave our old favourite Aubergine a miss in favour of the new South Fremantle café The Crowded House.

The Crowded House looks like it has been newly renovated; it sits in an old limestone-walled and wood-floored building. The interior is split up into a couple of seating areas and is spacious. Wood-top tables fit the decor perfectly, and there are also leather couches and low tables for those just looking for coffee. To summarise the decor; it's the perfect place to take your mum for brunch! We entered through the red door, sat down, and were attended to with water and menus.

The menu is short, but put together well with a range of options. I had oatmeal with banana, walnut brittle and lavender honey ($13.50) and Renee had avocado on toast with coriander, spring onion & lemon ($12) with a side of poached egg which was accepted without a blink by our waitperson even though eggs were not listed as a "side" on the menu. Our parental representative chose Frenched toast which comes with stewed strawberries, chocolate sauce, brioche and crème fraiche ($16). Mum loved her Frenched toast, and Renee thought the avocado on toast was absolutely delicious, and didn't need the poached egg add-on (I note that she didn't complain though!). The poached egg was very soft, almost watery in consistency, and was easily soaked up by the bread. My oatmeal was equally as good as the other meals, and came with a circle of walnut brittle served upright in the oatmeal. At the end of the meal, all of our plates were scraped clean!

flat whites, long macc topped-up & iced coffee

The coffee was also very good. Two flat whites and a topped-up long macc came out first, and as we enjoyed them so much we ordered seconds of flat whites plus an iced coffee. I've now decided that long maccs will be the level meter, as often a long macc will be strong and bitter. The Crowded House's macc was delicious, and much better than the maccs on offer elsewhere. Their iced coffee was also delicious, being strong but balanced.

Tallulah was welcomed by The Crowded House, even though she was a little grizzly this morning. Renee found to her delight that the spacious bathroom included a changing table, and thus scores extra points! Parents with prams should note that there are a couple of low steps to negotiate to get in, but nothing too challenging.

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

Tallulah's score = 4/5 (Tallulah's mum thinks everyone should have changing tables!)

Would we go again? I think my mum is hooked; time to take dad out, mum!

Website http://www.thecrowdedhouse.com.au/ I'm sure they will improve it soon!

Hoopla Espresso, Kensington

toasted vegetable with pesto flatbread

ham & cheese croissant, flat white and kid's books!

vanilla cheesecake

more coffees!

Poached has returned to Perth. Temporarily living with the parentals while looking for more permanent accommodation, we decided to find somewhere to have a morning brunch nearby. A quick search later, we discovered a new place in Kensington called Hoopla Espresso, located in a little row of shops near the intersection of Douglas Avenue and South Terrace. Hoopla is a fairly new establishment which prides on their ability to serve up a good coffee. And serve up a good coffee they do well!

We started off with flat whites ($3.90) each. Hoopla do not serve up a stock-standard blend, but rather Dark Horse blend roasted with various ingredients, with aromas of cherry and red capsicum - yum! This is coffee with serious flavour, and definitely scored high with us. Puritans may not like the flavouring, but we did; we went back for seconds (with cake!), grabbing another flat white and a topped-up long macc. These were just as delicious (breaking a disturbing trend elsewhere for average second coffees!).

To the food - Hoopla's menu is limited; you won't find egg on their menu. They serve up things like toast ($4), muesli with vanilla yoghurt and fresh fruit ($6.50) and some assorted paninis. I ordered a ham & cheese croissant ($6.50) and Renee had a vegetarian and pesto flatbread toasted panini. Both meals were good, but nothing to write home about, it's all about the coffee. We did decide to have a slice of vanilla cheesecake ($5.80) with our second coffees, and it was good; thick and heavy, but not rich. I don't know how they achieved that combination, but it made the cheesecake very edible!

Renee multitasking!

Hoopla encourage children, with some kids books lying around. We also noticed that there was lots of room (for prams). I had fun reading some Winny the Pooh to Tallulah. We were saying how well Tallulah was behaving. Then I noticed a wet patch on her top and asked "did you spill water on Tallulah?" "No." "Well she's wet, and its spreading, and it's kinda yellow tinged... oh!" We decided that was a good time to leave!

The Verdict
Coffee 5/5
Eggs (the meal!) 2.5/5
Service 4/5
Atmosphere 3.5/5
Total = 15/20

Tallulah's score = 4/5 (Tallulah enjoyed having kids books to read, and appreciated that there was lots of room for parents to park prams)

Would we go again? Yep, anytime we're in South Perth with the parentals, Monday to Saturday.

Hattifnatt, Kichijōji, Tokyo

menyū 

iced coffee 

Tallulah having a stretch 

brown rice and plenty-of-mushroom doria 

avocado taco rice

Yesterday we headed off to the Ghibli Museum, known for Japanese animation films like My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away - cute! Keep an eye out on our Renosslah blog for some pics soon. The museum is located in an area called Kichijōji, which is one cute area! Our favourite Tokyo Guide, Hello Sandwich, helped us find us a spot to fill up before hitting the museum, with that spot being Hattifnatt!

The best way to describe the Kichijōji Hattifnatt is a children's cubbyhouse. The entry is through a tiny door, and the ceiling is so low it is impossible for us tall gaijin to stand up straight! There are elements of traditional Japan in there too, such as taking our shoes off and sitting on cushions with low tables. The walls and ceiling of the main eating area was completely painted in a mural full of animals (and children with guitars), and it was a child's dream! A kid's birthday party was under way when we arrived, and children were running about, finding types of animals as a game, ringing the bell for service and generally having a great time! Tallulah definitely fit in here.

Another benefit of sitting on the floor was that Tallulah could have some time out of the sling (knowing she couldn't fall anywhere), and she spent the whole time checking out the colourful room.

With Tallulah successfully distracted, we scoured the pictures in the menu. I found avocado taco rice and asked for that and Renee thought that the picture of the 'brown rice and plenty-of-mushroom doria' looked good. The doria came with a mini-salad. We chose iced coffees as the accompanying drinks.

The avocado taco rice was delicious! It was avocado, salsa and egg on top of lettuce on top of mince and rice, and it was delicious! The avocado was superb on this dish. Renee quickly found out that under the layer of white sauce (she had a craving for cheese) was her arch-nemesis, the mushroom; plentiful in quantity. No amount of pushing food around could get rid of that mushroom taste! The mini-salad, however, had no mushroom (yay!) and had a tasty dressing.

The ice coffee, once creamy milk and sugar syrup had been added, quenched our thirst.

Being time to head off to the museum, we put our shoes back on (which involved me putting my shoes on first, then taking Tallulah from Renee so that she could put her shoes on - babies make thing harder!) and headed back into the world where ceilings and door frames are at least 2m high. Note: this does not include our apartment where door frames are low; I have a few lumps on my head!

The Verdict
Coffee 3/5
Eggs (the meal!) 3/5
Service 3.5/5
Atmosphere 5/5
Total = 14.5/20

Tallulah's score = 4/5 (Tallulah loved this child-like café)

Would we go again? Yes, and they have another one in nearby Kōenji that we want to check out!

Website You must check out Hattifnatt's website, it is sooo good! It is located here.
Kichijōji station is located on the Chūō line, Sobu line, Tozai subway line and Inokashira line.

Café Wendy, Tokyo

bacon, egg & cheese tortilla 

 lunch

One thing we have learnt about having a child overseas is that you can't just leave the hospital and be on the next flight home! So we found ourselves living in Tokyo in an area called Hasunuma. It is fair to say that Hasunuma doesn't quite appear on any list of cool Tokyo areas like Shimokitazawa or Kichijo-ji, but nevertheless we went on the hunt for some brunch spots.

Luckily, one such spot opened its doors just after we moved in, called Café Wendy, and it looks pretty cute with its pot plant garden and cute façade. So in we went for a bite, with Tallulah in tow! Café Wendy has a small breakfast menu that features a bacon, egg and cheese tortilla, as well as four different types of hotcakes (including banana, maple & cream) - the breakfast is available until 11:30. We arrived a bit late and asked for the tortilla, and they were happy to make one for us! I also ordered their lunch special, which had rice and pork topped with a fried egg, a salad and an onion broth. We also asked for cafe lattes each. Café Wendy also offers a cake and tea set, which we didn't have today but will definitely go back to try!

We have had a couple of breakfast burritos in Perth, so we were interested to see how the tortilla compared. A couple of bites later, and we both confirmed: the tortilla is better than the breakfast burritos back home! It had a good mix of flavours; the salsa had a bit of a kick to it (unusual for Japan) and the cheese was perfect. It was a winner. My lunch was also a winner - the whole lot was flavoursome and was polished off!

The coffee, unfortunately, was not as good as the food, being ground coffee with hot water and milk added to it, like how your mum likes it. If you come back here, our tip is have tea!

The interior was cute and seats 8-10 people, it's also open for diner and they have a selection of international beer available. Our favourite part was the large oval-shaped marble 'globe' table:

We didn't get very far on our RTW trip!

The owners were friendly, and tried to accommodate Tallulah by placing two chairs next to each other like a dangerous-looking cot. We declined and held onto her, but appreciated the thought. Otherwise, Tallulah enjoyed her quick brunch outing!

The Verdict
Coffee 2/5
Eggs (the meal!) 4/5
Service 3.5/5
Atmosphere3.5/5
Total = 13/20


Tallulah's score = 3.5/5 (Tallulah appreciated the chairs/bed)

Would we go again? Yes, to try some cake and tea!


Website No, but here's a map showing the location! The nearest subway stop is Motohasunuma on the Mita line.

Kinder Surprise!

Our beautiful daughter Tallulah

So something a little unexpected happened to us the day after we ate that delicious breakfast at Parlor Ekoda....I was admitted to hospital with stomach cramps (no, it wasn't food poisoning!) and the next thing you know we have ourselves a beautiful little daughter called Tallulah!

Yes we know its quite unbelievable but it's true, we didn't even suspect we were pregnant! So our plans changed and our super round the world trip has been put on the back burner and we have been living in Tokyo for the past couple of months! I started a blog documenting this amazing mind boggling adventure we are on, so if you want to know more do check it out at www.renosslah.blogspot.com

So we will be adding new section to our scoring system: Tallulah's Score= baby friendly! Watch this space!

Parlour Ekoda, Tokyo

Renee's mouthwatering vegetable sandwich 

Iced Latte and flat white 

Delicious selection of bread 

Pecan tart - yum!

Destination: Tōkyō! We have arrived, but not first without filling up on kaya toast at Singapore Airport (kaya is this weird green spread with a flavour that is indescribable, but sort of alluring; read more about it on Wikipedia).

Our only guide to Tokyo is Hello Sandwich, which takes us to places that you will not find in any other guide book. On this day it took us to the suburb of Ekoda, which is just outside the Yamanote rail line which loops around central Tokyo. And are we glad that we found Parlour Ekoda! (パーラー江古田, map)

A good coffee can be hard to find in Tokyo, but not as hard as finding a good breakfast. The traditional breakfast usually includes rice and dried fish; and the breakfast that you can find in one of the numerous American coffee chains is often an average sandwich or worse. The coffee is, on occasions, barely drinkable (the rest of the time it is left behind).

But this is not like us, talking all negative and stuff about such a great city, and so onto the good stuff! Being on the lookout for the best, we eagerly grabbed seats at the small table inside Parlour Ekoda (the other 4 seats are at the bar). We ordered a flat white (which is only possible as the owner trained in Melbourne) and an iced latte. We then settled into the menu, which is basically a choice of 4 or 5 fillings inside any of the Parlour's bread. And this is not just any bread, this is all out French-style bread which looked phenomenal! Renee had her vegetable roll on a rye sourdough roll, and I chose a walnut loaf with a mushroom and chicken filling. The owner warned me that mine would be difficult to eat due to the shape of the loaf (it was - all my filling fell out before I could take one bite)! But we both agreed, these rolls were reaaaaaally good - the bread was fresh and the fillings delicious!

Our coffees (iced latte and flat white) were both reaaaaaally good as well, and we both had to have more. I ordered a short macc, and Renee had another ice latte. And unlike many Perth establishments where the second round falls short of the standard set by the first round, the short macc and second iced latte were delicious!

We finished off with a pecan tart, which like the rest of the food was good. We left feeling very positive about Tokyo!

The Verdict


Coffee 4.5/5
The eggs (the meal!) 4/5
Service 4/5
Atmosphere 4/5
Overall 16.5/20


Would we go again? 
Yes, we would!


Website http://blogs.dion.ne.jp/parlour/ (maybe, maybe not!)