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Showing posts with label beans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beans. Show all posts

Sunday, 28 July 2013

No. 4 Blake Street, North Perth

Oh the delight of finding a dish you want to tell the whole world about, I did just that after I visited No. 4 Blake Street for the first time!

It was a chilly yet beautiful Saturday morning and heading to the cafe (formerly known as Blake's) was a bit of a gamble, you see I like to hunt the internet for a menu before I arrive - shameful I know. I mean, why can't I just wait for the surprise? Well, I am a vegetarian, so it's in my nature to check thoroughly before I venture out to somewhere new and it's also probably because I like to always know things right away, patience is not a virtue I am equipped with unfortunately.

Arriving at the cafe it looked packed without being crowded and definitely enough room for us and even a few more. The waiter asked whether we wanted to be seated inside or out. Although is was chilly, outside was a lot quiter and more relaxing, I find that everywhere I go so we opted for the latter.

Inside the collection of baked treats was well received. I loved how they positioned the table in the middle of the cafe, it gives everyone a chance to really have a look, plus, let's be honest - it looks adorable and the lemon and lavender cupcakes with little butterfly wings looked delectable!








The cafe looks posh, very posh, but there was nothing stuck up about the way we were treated. I'm not really a fan of anyone or any place that acts pretentious. I was still a bit sleepy and although I wasn't hungover, I must have looked it when the waiter asked if I wanted a gin and tonic instead of a coffee! The fun and friendly relaxed nature made me instantly warm to the place, on top of this, the service was just simply impeccable. These are some well trained waiters/waitresses!

I did of course go for a soy hot chocolate. It was creamy and delicious but definitely could have been hotter, I also had a strong dislike for how small it was. There's something about those little glasses that cafes constantly use that I dislike immensely, I could gulp it in one! D ordered a soy flat white and although it was tasty, once again could have been hotter.



Most of the time when I head out for breakfast, I opt for eggs, I think it's the fact that during the week I make sure I have a decent yet healthy breakfast and eggs are always a weekend treat. This menu changed my mind. As much as I desperately wanted to try the poached eggs, I couldn't say no to the porridge and boy was that the best breakfast decision I've ever made! I honestly can't even explain the heaven in my mouth...you need to go try it for yourself! It was creamy but the oats still had that tiny bit of bite and whoever thought of adding pistachios on top of porridge is a genius! Not forgetting the strawberries that were slightly cooked down into a compote.




D went with his favourite poached eggs a side of beans and a potato cake (he was really looking to order a hashbrown of course). The beans were delicious and the eggs so perfectly cooked, it was impressive and the potato cake was 'pretty good'.



I would advise you to check it out for breakfast or any other time of the day as I think they will really deliver. Here's the menu, have a mouth watering look for yourself!



No 4 Blake Street on Urbanspoon

Thursday, 20 September 2012

Cafe Elixir, Wanneroo

After seeing its ratings on Urbanspoon and being told by many how great the breakfasts were, D & I ventured to Cafe Elixir one Saturday. Just to note, Elixir serves an ALL DAY BREAKFAST.


Boy was I dissapointed. I may usually start off with some positives of a cafe and finalise with pointing out what I didn't like or what I would have prefered but this, this was a nightmare.

After walking in we were told it was a 10-15 minute wait for a table, no problems as we didn't have a booking. We sat on the side and waited patiently (no one else was waiting), we see a table free up and with no help from the waitress we sit down there anyway as people were coming in and we didn't want it taken. After waiting a short while we made our orders and were told it was going to be at least 15 minutes until our drinks would come out and a further 30 minutes until the food comes out.

After waiting around an hour, a ridiculous amount of time for our meals (even to the point we asked the waitress where they were), I was excited to dig in and fill up my now growling stomach. The complaint from D came first, but it was yet to be the final of the morning.

His poached eggs on toast were so undercooked they disappeared the moment a knife slightly touched them, into his already very thin bread and became a yolk/white spread, none of which was tasty and most certainly could not fill you up.

As I cut into my eggs, I instantly realised I was to be disappointed too. No, both of my eggs were not undercooked, only one was and the other was so overcooked it was completely hard and not tasty at all.


I looked around to notice other reactions from patrons, I wasn't surprised, one man sitting near us picked up his piece of bacon (which looked extremely undercooked) and threw it on his plate shaking his head, seems we weren't the only ones with terrible food and service.

Just when I think it couldn't get any worse I find a massive chunk of eggshell in my breakfast. How this even happens nowadays, I have no idea. The lack of care about the meals was so obvious, the thing that bugs me about some cafes is how they cram in as many people as they can to make money, but that's when the service and food falls well below par. We informed the waitress when she collected our plates and said she would speak to the owner when we come up to pay.


The one positive thing about my breakfast, the beans. These homemade beans were cooked so well and with the perfect amount of spices that it wasn't overpowering for breakfast but not quite too subtle either. A great combination. The hashbrowns were nice but broke away the moment you touched them.

As we went up to pay the owner asked "why didn't we send the meals back?" I politely replied that we had been waiting so long for our food we weren't going to send it back to wait even longer. He basically said "you know you wouldn't have to wait so long if you sent something back," in a completely rude tone but ended up charging us only $20 in total, which was decent of him, but expected also. Just a note, being cocky and rude is not a way to win back customers who have had a terrible experience at your cafe.

On a side note, due to working very close to this cafe now, I recently went for a takeaway soy chai latte. It was so disgusting I threw it out halfway through. Just to let everyone know, I would never usually do this. I usually get the most for my money, but this latte was undrinkable. It was lumpy the entire way through with chai latte powder because someone was obviously too lazy to mix it properly. Plus the cups are ridiculously small for the price they charge.

I won't ever go back to Elixir, but I'd like to know your thoughts if you've been, comment below!


Cafe Elixir on Urbanspoon

Monday, 18 June 2012

Cnr, Northbridge

One morning we decided to head to the city for awhile to shop around and what a better idea than head in there for some breakfast!

After much deliberation and not-really-deciding-at-all for where to go, we chose to just drive to Northbridge then walk around until we found somewhere! Honestly, sometimes this is the best way to find hidden secret but delicious places.

Walking through Northbridge lead us to the main piazza area and hidden at the back of it was a cafe that looked beyond suitable for our breakfast needs - Cnr (corner). As a vegetarian, places that cater for vegans are always a major plus - Cnr even provides some meal as raw vegan, so big props in that department!

The moment we walked in I absolutely adored the feel of the place, we sat on comfortable mis matched chairs which were comfortable and totally different to a normal table and seat setting. The 'table' was indeed very tiny, which is fine if you are just getting coffee but for two plates of breakfast it ended up being a big squashed!

The decor is super cool a real warehouse feeling without looking tacky and awesome signs all around.


My meal came out a little cold and I wasn't overly impressed with it. The fried eggs were overdone, small yolks and the hollindase had a thick layer on top like it had been sitting there for awhile. The avocado was perfectly ripe and the toast was delicious, so I made sure every bite included all bits from the plate and it tasted pretty good.

Generally I'm always happy with my selections but I definitely wish I had D's. I tasted the mushrooms and they were a perfect size and super delicious, the side of beans looked amazing - but again a little cold.



I would definitely recommend grabbing a yummy fresh juice (sorry for the blurry pic!)


I wasn't discouraged though, I left with some takeaway macaroons - who could resist?! And I will definitely be back to give it another go - I have a feeling lunch here would be something worth talking about. They have a pretty average no-real-information website but you can find them on Facebook where it is a bit livelier.

Cnr Cafe on Urbanspoon

Thursday, 17 May 2012

Sayers, Leederville

Oh there's no denying how much I adore Sayers. It's simply the cutest place with such incredible food and the presentation far exceeds any other cafe I have been to around Perth, so far. You really have to be lucky to get a spot on a Sunday morning, it's quite popular and I've had to dine elsewhere sometimes.

On this particular morning I was all about the museli. What I loved so much about it is it really tasted homemade. Chunky whole nuts scattered throughout, delicious seeds and oats and served with a jar of greek yoghurt & compote of blueberries and milk in its own old fashioned mini bottle!

 Darryn had some perfectly poached eggs with a side of Sayer's beans and toasted ciabatta bread. Their toast could possibly be one of the best I've ever tasted and it's all finished off with a drizzle of some fine olive oil - which he loves, so that's a bonus!
If you haven't been, you're more than missing out - you're wasting your tastebuds!


Sayers on Urbanspoon