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!

Source Foods, Highgate

A breakfast date is always the best way to start a Sunday, even if you've had no sleep! I was so excited to see my good friend Clare and it's a tradition of ours to always meet up for breakfast.

Hunting around for something new, I stumbled upon Source Foods in Highgate. As a vegetarian finding a cafe that is sustainable, vegan friendly and sources fresh local, organic, free range produce is pure heaven! It's also somewhere that I want to support and want everyone else to as well!

Lucky for me their food was a delight on top of all the great things they do and there's also loads of gluten free options.

I ordered the Spinach Feta Scramble ($17) and a berry smoothie ($6.50). The eggs were light and fluffy  with a good amount of feta that didn't make them too salty, just right and added that little something extra. I'm a huge spinach fan, cooked, uncooked, english or baby and I loved how it was slightly cooked and put on top rather than mixed through the eggs, it had a good irony taste which I definitely enjoy. All this comes with two pieces of toast and left me well and truly satisfied especially once I devoured my smoothie.

The staff were super lovely and even though they did accidentally bring out a chocolate smoothie (which looked great but not what I had in mind with my breakfast), they returned with my berry one as soon as it was made and it was certainly worth the wait.

Clare ordered the regular scrambled eggs ($12.50), which looked just as tasty and a big serve along with a vanilla smoothie which she said was so yummy.

We both adored how they served them in jars with a straw, it looked really cute and suited the cafe. It was really easy to get a seat, we got there at 9.30am and it didn't get too busy, most of the seats were taken by the time we were eating but it isn't a cafe where they squash in a million tables and chairs to get more customers, something that gets a big tick from me!

Check out their website or just pop in because I know you won't regret it! I think I may just try out their wraps for lunch one day and I know I'll be back for breakfast again soon.

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!

Fez Cafe, Mt Lawley

Meeting my best friend for on a Saturday morning for breakfast and a catch up on all things that are going on in our lives, is one thing I look forward to the most!
I had never noticed Fez before so I was glad Ashleigh suggested it, always needing somewhere new to try and discover!

I ordered a soy chai latte and it was delicious on a cold morning, perfect temperature, not too sweet and a complete warmer. Fez is quite a big cafe but once you're in your own world of gossip and discussion the other patrons don't seem to bother you so much!

Ash loves her smoothies and wasn't very hungry so she ordered a Mango Magic ($7) it was thick and tasty and filled her up so much she definitely didn't need any food and was perfect to kick start her morning.

 When the signature dish is a vegetarian option, I couldn't possibly be any happier and of course it's something I would choose, so for my breakfast I ordered the Fez Eggs ($17)

I absolutely love when breakfast dishes look like works of art, and, although you don't know where to start to try and eat it, it makes the meal all the more tasty.

The Fez eggs are poached free range eggs, grilled cherry tomatoes, avocado, spinach and herbed fetta on toast. In all reality, this is a winning combination and the fact that it was cooked so perfectly in every aspect made it one of the best breakfasts I've ever had!

With perfectly poached eggs, some thick toast, grilled tomatoes and wilted spinach  the creaminess of the avocado and the herb fetta added a bit of a dramatic textured edge and cut through spectacularly, rounding off and all up tastebud tantalising meal!



I'd be back to eat the same dish again, but I would also love to try out their 17 ingredients wholegrain toasted macadamia apricot museli!

Check out the website for Fez Cafe at http://www.fezcafe.net.au/

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.

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!

Milk and Honey, Northbridge

Generally, heading into Northbridge on a Saturday morning isn't actually the most delightful place - if you are going along the main strip where the trash from the night before is still lingering. It is, however, full of cute breakfast places. Just out of the main clubbing area are some perfect cafes, but right on James Street there is one I had never really noticed, called Milk and Honey.

It has a real open and airy feel about it, with a menu that's just enough without being over complicated but showcasing enough variety.

Ashie & I met there one sunny Saturday for pancakes, eggs and as always a catch up!

I had a mushroom omelette, this was huge, sometimes omelette's can be a little dry due to the nature of how well cooked the eggs are, this was borderline but still delicious. The balsamic glaze and fresh rocket reallly made it stand out from anything bland and the toast was perfectly crisp but soft inside!

Ashie's pancakes looked simply adorable! They were quite thin and not too many which didn't take on that stogey feel some pancakes do, I'd say they were more in between a crepe and a pancake. They were covered with fresh strawberries, banana and a strawberry compote with cream, yum yum.

I also ordered a freshly squeezed juice, it really was delicious - as you can tell I managed to drink some before taking the photo!

I think there are many other places to explore before I head back, but it was definitely a lovely breakfast. Their menu might have changed but here's one I took at the time.

The Wild Fig Cafe, North Beach

The Wild Fig is about a two minute walk (if that) from my house, I've always loved the cafe because they do a vego night on Wednesdays and are all about fair trade. I've been to breakfast a few times here and although it's quite nice, I wouldn't say it was my favourite.

On Mother's Day I had plans in the night so I couldn't have dinner with mum, thus comes the decision for a morning walk and breakfast! My friend Nat says I talk to mum on the phone like she is my best friend, it made me laugh, we get along great and really love our girlie outings whether it's to the Ballet, movies or tea-for-two and cake!

Mum ordered the eggs on fire - fried eggs, bacon, spinach, spicy sun dried tomato potato cake, avocado and corn relish ($18.80) and really enjoyed her meal!

 

I had the wild veggie - scrambled eggs, roma tomatoes, field mushroom, baby spinach, goat's cheese, spicy tomato relish and olive toast. I adore goat's cheese for it's tarty and creaminess and think it's an essential component in any 'big' breakfast. The texture works perfectly. I'm not really a massive fan of cooked tomatoes and these made my plate soggy, thus running into the eggs and it really wasn't the best breakfast in the world but not bad either. The olive toast really is the star though, I'm all about savoury and this was just delicious.

Mum absolutely loves their fig toast - which is sourced from Lawley's bakery (delicious!) So we added that to our meals as a side dish. It really is quite spicy from the fennel but the flavour is just right when adding the fig jam. It's thick and toasted on the outside just right with a fluffy centre.

 This is my mum, no doubt she will hate this photo but I think it's cute because it was such a fun morning.

My old housemate and good friend Matt and his girlfiend Keryn used to go to Wild Fig quite a bit for breakfast because it's so close, every time without fail he has got the Grizzly Bear Pancakes ($18). Basically it's pancakes with bacon, eggs and maple syrup. I really don't like the idea of the sweet and savoury mix up, but they're his favourite and I think I've only heard of one time of them not being good!

I'd always come back, but probably not for breakfast. This place is perfect for coffee and cake whilst looking over the ocean I've had a brilliant Chai latte here (where they serve it in a bowl like the traditional way) and the cakes and brownies are simply delectable.

The Wild Fig now has another cafe in Swanborne called The Naked Fig, (because of the nudie beach I assume) so if you live more that way then check it out.

Their website for both restaurants has just been updated and is http://www.thefig.com.au/

Toast, East Perth

There is quite possibly nothing more incredible than finding a cafe, restaurant or even a bar that becomes a desire of all your wants, needs and time. When you find this niche, cultivated by good food, drinks and ambience you need to share it with your best friends and alas my friends and I have found our cafe of favourite flavour, Toast.

Never have I been more excited to find a cafe, because it is simply focused on breakfast and nothing else.
A complete all day breakfast might I add... Up until about 5pm.

The beauty of Toast is not only the incredible food, but the fact that it is located in the chic end of East Perth overlooking the river where the sun always seems to shine.

I almost always get their cheesy scrambled eggs with chives, roasted tomato and rye toast ($16.90). They are always perfectly cooked, simply delicious and the toast is really to die for. Occasionally the eggs have been maybe a little too cheesy but  with a side of mushrooms ($3.50)  it all works! Unfortunately I can't find a picture anywhere of it but alas I have been here more times than I can count which means I have definitely tried something else.

Here is the egg white omelette with roasted capsicum, cherry tomatoes, spinach, ricotta and pecorino cheese ($17.90) Served with rye toast of course. A lot of people tend to deter from egg whites but this was just as tasty and any regular omelette!

Another awesome thing they do at Toast is make their own juices. I can't go passed  the cowboy juice ($6.50) of watermelon, orange and apple.

Ah Toast, you will forever be number one in my mind. This place gets packed out though, occasionally we have had to wait up to 10 minutes, but it really is worth it.

Check out their extensive breakfast menu

Voyage, Sorrento

My friend Clare and I went to uni together for three years. To go from seeing each other practically everyday to not having enough hours in the day to even do simple tasks completely sucks. So we decided to catch up over breakfast and it has become a regular thing we do!

It's always so wonderful to chat to a friend on a crisp morning, especially when you are overlooking the beach from your seat. We headed to Voyage in Sorrento on a sunny Sunday. This was my first time here, it always looks busy and the menu looked great, plus Clare had been quite a few times so I had high hopes.

Without a doubt I was going to get nothing else but Norma's Salsa ($18.50).

This contained absolutely everything that I love in one and was presented beautifully.  Poached eggs with grilled vine tomatoes, avocado, wilted spinach and mouth-watering marinated feta on crispy delicious toast.

I couldn't really think of anything better for breakfast, the deciding factor on coming back for me, is always how the eggs are cooked. These were simply poached to perfection!

The only negative thing about this cafe is the fact that they want you in and then they want you out quick smart. Borderline rude, but it was enjoyable none-the-less and I'd love to go back and try something else off their menu such as; Brioche French Toast served with orange water & vanilla mascarpone, poached fruit and maple syrup ($16.50) or the Omelette with mushroom and sage ragout, truffled goat cheese and toast ($18.50).

Check out their menu for yourself! http://www.voyagekitchen.com.au/

The Dizzy Witch Cafe, Northbridge

Finding places that serve a heap of vegetarian food are few and far between in this city. Generally for breakfast, it isn't really an issue, but it's still nice to come across a place that is focused around free range, fresh produce and quality, whilst being adorable and not overcrowded. So welcome to The Dizzy Witch Cafe!

 Northbridge isn't exactly where you think to spend your Saturday morning, especially if you had been there the night before but there are some hidden gems once you head off the main drag and into the back streets. Ashleigh, Julia and I headed in to feast of something delicious. The best thing about this place is the names of the menu items. The actual cafe isn't decked out like a witch's house but they incorporate the theme through their menu (such as the Warlock's Last Meal which is a big breakfast) and it's simply enchanting.

I'm a sucker for a good soy chai latte and this delivered with creaminess, spiceness and that special warmth required down the back of your throat on a tired morning.

This is Ash's cappuccino, I can't remember her thoughts on it, but it looks pretty good!

Julia ordered the Vegetarian Wizard Meal ($19) which had scrambled eggs - (never, ever, gooey where Julia in concerned), toast, grilled roma tomato, avocado, mushrooms, potato rosti & wilted spinach. It looked pretty unbelievable and she gave us a try of the delicious rosti's which were definitely a winner.

I was without a doubt jealous of Ashleigh's breakfast. She ordered Dizzy’s Muesli ($9) it looked simply delicious and definitely home made as they suggest. So many nuts and grains and it came with a side of vanilla yoghurt, some milk and honey.

 

I opted to try something a bit different. I usually like to stick to similar tastes and nothing far too extreme for the morning but I decided to order the Moroccan Eggs ($15). It had fried eggs with home-made dukkah & hommus, mint, red onion & tomato relish on Turkish bread. I'm an absolute sucker for the crunchy, chewy and soft mixture of textures in Turkish bread so this was already ahead in my books. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the dukkah added even more texture that complemented the hommus and relish delightfully.

 

We didn't wait long for our food and the ambience is really lovely, I'll definitely head back sometime soon.

Check out their website: http://www.thedizzywitchcafe.com.au/%20