Tuck Shop Cafe, Northbridge

In short: Great breakfast/lunch place, worth the short wait.

Food: 7/10

Chorizo, pork belly, paprika potatoes, Spanish onions, and peppers ($19.50)

Kitty had chorizo and crispy pork belly with paprika potatoes, peppers, onion, and a fried egg. The pork belly was divinely crispy and went well with the smoky chorizo and potatoes. The mint and basil were a nice fresh touch. Kitty loves eggs, especially with an oozy yolk.

Pork croquettes with cheese toastie and fried egg.

We were joined by our friend, who had pork croquettes with a cheese toastie and a fried egg. The croquettes had a fine, melt-in-your-mouth texture. They also thought to order a bowl of handcut chips with aioli, which were about standard.

Rigatoni with pork ragout

From the specials board, Bunny picked the pork ragout with rigatoni, and we all agreed this was the standout dish of our meal. The sauce was rich and just right: not overly meaty, not watery, just the right amount of parmesan cheese.

L-R: Orange and almond cupcake, peanut and caramel baked cheesecake

Kitty and friend also shared some dessert. The orange and almond cake had a great balance between its citrusy cake and the sweet, slightly tangy cream cheese icing. The peanut caramel cheesecake was good, though Kitty would have preferred more peanuts.

For drinks, we had two flavoursome chai lattes (one with soy) and one ice mocha. We loved how the mocha came with a mini meringue!

Ambiance: 5/10

Tuck Shop Cafe is a pretty lively place that quieted down a little as the lunch hours passed. We went about 1pm, gave our names to the staff, and waited for about 10 minutes for a table to clear. The atmosphere and service were both friendly.

Value for money: 6/10

Our main dishes were around the $20 mark, and seemed good value for money with the taste and care gone into making it.

Innovation: 2/10

Standard fare like most cafes – we liked how they have a rotating menu and a few different items (their pies and the smoked cod, potato, and leek bake looked worth a try). One can stick your coffee loyalty card to their blackboard so you don’t forget it the next time you come in, which sounds useful – and visually interesting.

Dessert cabinet!

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Tuck Shop Cafe, Piehouse, and Delicatessen
Unit 1/180 Newcastle Street, Perth
9227 1659

Brika, Perth

In short: Laid-back and fairly pricey Greek meze fare.

Food: 7/10

Maridakia ($11)

First out of the kitchen was the maridakia (fried whitebait with oregano and lemon) was average – nice enough to nibble as we waited for the other dishes to arrive.

Suko salad ($10) and pork belly ($24)

The pork belly was served on the bone, had a lovely smoky flavour, and had crackling crispy yet easily cut with a knife. The accompanying ouzo, thyme, and honey glaze was interesting – by itself, it tasted like cough syrup and not entirely pleasant, and it was good with the pork in small doses.

The suko salad (rocket, fennel, orange, figs, onion crisps) was a refreshing dish amidst the rich meat dishes, with the fig and orange segments creating nice sweet spots.

Lamb cutlets ($18)

We also had the lamb cutlets, one for each of us. They were tender and lovely with the tangy shaved zucchini, though Bunny thought they could do with some sauce.

Cheesecake ($11) and loukomades ($10)

The loukomades were fantastic – light and crispy deep-fried dough, soaked with honey and cinnamon, and sprinkled with walnuts. These flavours were right up our alley. The cheesecake has a halva base and served with pistachio and a little berry compote. Although Kitty usually enjoys halva and cheesecake and delighted at the combination, we found this a little underwhelming as the cheesecake part tasted bland – but we thought perhaps its subtlety was lost relative to the sweet loukomades.

Fluffy loukomades!

Alcohol-lite cocktail ($13) and obscured bottle of Napoleone apple cider ($9)

As for drinks, Bunny had the Napoleone apple cider, and Kitty had a special alcohol-lite cocktail made up for her. She liked the look of the Eagle and Anchor cocktail with its apple, lemon, and agave flavours, so perhaps it was based on that. The lite cocktail was zingy, appley, and extremely more-ish!

Ambiance: 6/10

Brika is largely open-air, and on the balmy night we went the place was cozy and the Greek music was particularly nostalgic for Bunny. It’s also fairly noisy. The service was at times perfunctory due to the busy-ness of the place. We really appreciated the wait-staff’s initiative in suggesting the alcohol-lite cocktail and making it happen with the bar staff.

Value for money: 4/10

It’s a good thing we weren’t very hungry this particular night, because the serves are fairly small and pricey.

Innovation: 2/10

Had a range of interesting dishes on the menu, and there’s not many other Greek restaurants like this one.

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Brika
177 Stirling Street, Perth
0455 321 321

Taylor’s Art and Coffee House, Swan Valley

In short: A satisfying breakfast in a very cute café.

While in the Swan Valley we also had breakfast at Taylor’s – a delightful little place with an interesting setup. Taylor’s converted an old house into an art gallery and café, and made use of their rural location by having tables both inside and out with a rustic aesthetic.

New Norcia croissant filled with double brie, smoked salmon, dill, red onion, and rocket. Bacon added. ($22)

Food: 6/10

Bunny had a New Norcia croissant filled with double brie, smoked salmon, dill, red onion, and rocket with bacon on the side. It was of a perfectly acceptable standard, but did not have anything special to lift it above the norm. The smoked salmon was soft and went very well with the dill, but again nothing special – although Bunny may have been spoiled by the particularly succulent packet of smoked salmon we bought from the supermarket just before the trip. The bacon was cooked English style and tasty, although a little dry, but this is to be expected when Bunny asked to have it added to a dish.

Kitty had cornbread with chipotle butter, guacamole, dressed rocket, bacon, and a poached egg. The chipotle butter was smoky with a tiny bit of heat. It went well with the cornbread, and the guacamole added a nice freshness to the dish. She also notes that on a previous visit for lunch, Taylor’s does a great tasting plate.

Cornbread with chipotle butter, guacamole, dressed rocket, bacon, and a poached egg. ($16)

Ambiance: 9/10

We sat outside for this meal to enjoy the beautiful weather, quirky furniture, and spacious layout. There are also some art pieces near the tables that we examined while our meal was being prepared. We particularly enjoyed being out among the trees, and we noticed that they cater for children by providing a sand-pit and toys near the outside tables (really popular on the morning we went!). Some people also brought their dogs. After enjoying our meal, we went inside and looked at the fabric and paper prints available for sale. It was definitely one of the more interesting places we’ve had breakfast lately.

The service was prompt and efficient, although they initially brought out Bunny’s dish without the salmon. Kitty and a friend with child in tow had once come on a Monday when the restaurant was closed, and the staff (who were there on their planning day) kindly recommended other child-friendly places nearby where we could eat – she walked away with a smile on her face!

“A Drop in the Ocean”, Joyce Tasma. Cane, aluminium, flotsam and jetsam.

Jude Taylor’s prints

Value for money: 5/10

Pretty much what you would expect to pay for breakfast in Perth.

Innovation: 5/10

The quirky layout and art pieces around the dining tables were interesting. The menu also included options that are not your standard Perth breakfast fare. We were also interested in the fact that they have a rotating menu, so we look forward to going back.

Taylor’s specials menu board.., the cakes looked delicious!

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Taylor’s Art and Coffee House
510 Great Northern Hwy, Middle Swan
T: 0447 441 223

Stewart’s at Brookleigh, Swan Valley

In short: A good meal with a standout dessert (coconut panna cotta) and nice ambiance.

We stayed briefly in the Swan Valley a weekend or so ago and ate our way around the area- expect a few more posts about restaurants from this region! On our last day, we had dinner at Stewart’s at Brookleigh – worth a try if you’re up this way.

Food: 7/10

Our entree was seared Rottnest scallops, saganaki haloumi, with sauce vierge. The scallops were beautifully soft and paired well with the flavoursome, salty haloumi.

Seared Rottnest scallops, saganaki haloumi, and sauce vierge ($16)

For mains, Kitty had the duck confit with broccolini, beetroot, fetta, and pine nuts. The vegetables went well, and there was something very more-ish about the soft fetta combined with what tasted like a honey-balsamic dressing. She feels like there have been better duck confit dishes out there – this was a little dry.

Duck confit ($39)

Bunny had the spaghetti with chilli mussels and prawns. He felt that the dish was fairly standard despite the nice prawns. The mussels were small and not as succulent as it could be, and the spaghetti didn’t taste like it was fresh; it wasn’t what he’d hoped for at this price-point.

Spaghetti with chilli mussels and prawns (~$37)

The stand-out dish of the meal was the coconut panna cotta with pineapple salsa, rum-spiked raisins, and candied pistachios. Kitty was surprised at how coconutty the panna cotta tasted, and not just a whispered suggestion of coconut like some “coconut-flavoured” things are. And Bunny loves all things coconut! The candied pistachios added a nice crunchy contrast, and the pineapple and raisins went well (even if Bunny left them all for Kitty to eat).

Coconut panna cotta, pineapple salsa, rum spiked raisins, and caramel pistachio crumbs ($12.50)

We also had churros with “chocolate dippy eggs” – at first we were like, “what are dippy eggs?!” but lo they were hollowed out egg-shells with the chocolate inside. The six churros were crispy on the outside, light, and went well with the chocolate; probably better than your San Churros fare.

Churros with chocolate dippy eggs ($12.50)

Ambiance: 8/10

Service was prompt and friendly. The interior was cosy and cottage-like with quirky decorations. On a downside, we noticed a musty smell and some flies bothered us, but these are probably not representative of the restaurant.

Value for money: 4/10

This is on the expensive side, but not unusual for Perth.

Innovation: 2/10

There were some interesting things on the menu (e.g., chicken confit, coconut panna cotta), but nothing very unusual for this kind of restaurant.

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Stewart’s Restaurant, Brookleigh
1235 Great Northern Highway, Upper Swan
T:  9296 6966

Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar, Mt Lawley (Takeaway)

Looking back over 2014, we noticed that we ordered from Crust Pizza in Mount Lawley fairly regularly. We started getting their pizzas as they’re so convenient: they’re one of the few places near us that do free delivery (that is, if you sign up to be a VIPP on their website for free and spend a minimum of $20) and their online order form makes the process easy. We like how their website lists most of your past orders. Crust pizzas are great in a pinch! In general, we find that their pizzas are flavoursome and generous with toppings – they  don’t skimp on the meat! We’d say they’re a step above Dominos-type pizzas. The salads are nothing special.

Moroccan Lamb (left) and Sriracha Beef (right)

As for what pizzas to try, here’s our list below. We’ll keep updating the list below as we undoubtedly work our way through more of their pizza…or at least until we find other good places that deliver!

We like and recommend:

• Wagyu Prawn: This one is our favourite; the Hollandaise sauce goes really well with the tender beef and prawns.  Update 6/4/15: This flavour has been discontinued. 😦
  
• Pulled Pork and Slaw
• Moroccan Lamb
• Sriracha Beef: Could use more coriander though.
• Argentine Carne: Has a great tangy sauce on it!
• Truffle Rossini: Subtlly mushroomy and creamy. The steak on this is delicious.

We’ve tried and think are okay:

• Wild Mushroom Wagyu
• Moorish Lamb
• Kimchi Chicken (the last time we had it, it was a bit too salty)
• White Prosciutto (Kitty is drawn to potato on pizza – double carbs! – Bunny doesn’t think this one is very exciting)

We’ve tried and think they’re nothing special:

• Florentine Ricotta
• Sausage Duo
• Singapore Chilli Crab (way too sweet)

Overall Rating

Food: 5/10
Ambiance: N/A
Value for money: 5/10
Innovation: 1/10

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Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar
69 Walcott Street, Mount Lawley
T: 9227 1288