Lock-Box

August 17, 2010

125b Broadway, Nedlands
Open 7 days -  6.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 6.30am-2pm Sat & Sun.

streetview

I sought out La Galette after my wife tasted their almond croisants at another Perth cafe,where she soon became obsessed with these delectable pastries.

We headed down to Nedlands with our 8yo Cavalier Georgia in tow to sample the much vaunted pastries and try their coffee. A water bowl near the alfresco tables in front of the store for visiting pooches was a nice touch.

The décor was light and bright with a black and white theme giving it an oh’ so French ambiance.

Apart from the Almond croissants also on offer are baguettes, cakes, pies, fruit tarts, friands, brioche breads and authentic sweet and savoury crepes.

The staff were very busy but friendly and efficient, we ordered our croissants and coffee choosing a table outside so that Georgia could socialise with the other four-legged clientele.

Our coffee arrived soon after, mine being a flat white and my bride having a latte, both coffees had good temperature and were well presented with silky textured milk. The blend cut through the milk giving a pleasant and flavoursome taste experience.

The croissants were sheer decadence and every last crumb was devoured leaving  the plates  sparkling clean!!

Coffee by Five Senses

A most enjoyable visit and I’m sure I will be coerced into visiting again  in the not too distant  future, gotta be worth a little brown bean.

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August 2, 2010

968 Albany Highway, Victoria Park WA

Craig Muzeroll moved to Australia in 2001 from Spokane Washington to share his love of coffee in Western Australia and started the first drive-through coffee outlet in Belmont which soon grew into a chain of Muzz Buzz outlets.

After selling Muzz Buzz Craig opened Antz Inya Pantz in Victoria Park to continue with his passion for the bean, Antz Inya Pantz motto is: Everyone deserves a “good coffee day”.

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Nestled in a cosy little shop with the roaster taking pride of place on one wall surrounded by bags of beans from exotic locations, it has a comfortable cosy ambiance that makes you want to settle into the old sofa and sip on java for the rest of the day.

With a good choice of custom-roasted blends and single origins to tempt the taste buds there is something on the menu to satisfy all tastes. Craig even adds a touch of robusta to some of his blends for a bit of grunt!

My long machiato had a rich golden crema, the flavour profile was not lost in the ideal temperatured silky smooth milk, the aftertaste lingered on my palate during my drive back to the northern suburbs.

COFFEE: Ants Inya Pantz  roasted in-house

A popular little cafe run by a passionate lover of the bean, I going to give Antz a coupla beanzzzzzzzzz!!

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June 1, 2010

dimattina-logo

3/19 Collingwood Street,

Osborne Park WA

Hidden away in the industrial hub of Osborne Park is this oasis for great coffee and tasty snacks.

The cafe and showroom display an alluring range of shiny stainless steel big boys toys and coffee paraphernalia and is the front for Dimattina Coffee’s WA roastery and HQ.

Since discovering this little gem last year a Saturday morning visit has become a regular habit for me as I drop in for a caffeine fix between jobs.

Perth’s best kept secret is out–great espresso in Ozzy park–yesss!!!

The coffees are produced with care on the shiny La Marzocco, the blend is always tasty and goes well in milk, also on offer is  a choice of single origins changing on a weekly basis to give coffee lovers new taste experiences from around the globe.

A tasty looking range of cakes and slices call out to me from the display cabinet trying to make me break my resolve and misbehave!

Coffee by Dimattina (of course!)

When visiting Osborne Park a coffee break at Dimattina is a must, got to award them a huge couple of beanz here!!

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May 23, 2010

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16a Cloisers Arcade, 865 Hay St, Perth

Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm

Snugly located in busy Cloisters Arcade, recently opened Lowdown is another quality addition to the ever-growing Perth café scene.

At the helm of this cosy space are Sarah, Claire, Mark and Adam Lowes making this a true family business where they  display their love for good  food, coffee and hospitality.

A Fetco CBS 2021 coffee brewer (similar to a Clover) was acquired making Lowdown the first café in Perth serving this style of coffee. It’s great to see some diversity appearing in our fine city.

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The display of flat breads laden with tempting delicacies looked very inviting along with the cakes and slices which are made on the premises, I’ve made a mental note to return for lunch in the near future.

On my first visit my priority was  to road test the Fetco and ordered a long black PNG Kimel PB, I experienced a lovely smooth clean  mouthfeel with  a creamy  body and highlighted  the characteristics of the Peaberry nicely, a great coffee to sit and ponder the problems of the world. I would love to try a lighter roasted COE bean on the Fetco sometime!

Today I  ordered a Lowdown house blend espresso consisting of Mexican, El Salvador and Kenyan beans which produced a medium-bodied espresso with punch which left a lively and lingering aftertaste, I could tell this would go well in milk.

A flat white was next on the agenda, it arrived at an ideal temperature and texture adorned with a dainty rosetta. The blend cut through the milk producing a most pleasurable taste experience that lingered on the palate.

Coffee by Fiori artisan roasters

Great coffee, great food, friendly service from a passionate coffee and food focused team, well worth a coupla of beanzzzz………..!!

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May 2, 2010

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510 Great Northern Hwy

(opposite Houghton Winery)

Swan Valley WA

Open: 9am-5pm Wed-Sun.

The Taylor family moved to the Swan Valley in 1978 and have transformed their once home into a Gallery displaying lino cut prints, fabrics, wallpaper, greeting cards and other works of art and is a great way to spend some time browsing. The gallery is complemented with a great cafe.

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Taylors has a cosy rustic ambiance with lots of galvanised iron, old jarrah tables, shady gum trees and a collection of memorabilia from rural and mining sites which are scattered around the spacious grounds creating a very relaxed atmosphere.

The cafe has  a good selection of tasty breakfasts, lunches,tempting  cakes and desserts with  fresh fruit juices on offer.

Today we visited for lunch, on a lovely Perth Sunday we ordered the quiche, a Taylors burger and a panini of smoked chicken and tasty tomato relish. All of our meals were well presented and a pleasurable experience on the palate. My wife and son washed it down with a pub squash and I savoured a fresh grapefruit juice which complemented my panini nicely.

We followed up with flat whites and a capo, they were pleasant on the palate with the blend coming through the milk nicely.

Coffee by Dark Star boutique roasters

A great place to visit for a meal or afternoon tea set amid  a calming and  relaxed atmosphere.

No beans here but well worth dropping in for a meal when visiting the Swan Valley.

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March 27, 2010

london-court

London Court, Perth CBD

(St George’s Tce end)

London Court is an Elizabethan style arcade, the decorative Hay Street Mall entrance  clock chimes every quarter hour and is a replica of one of the dials in the clock tower that houses Big Ben in London. The St George’s Terrace end of the arcade has the iconic George and the Dragon clock facade, adorning the arcade are statues of  Sir Walter Raleigh and Dick Whitington. It takes one back to Tudor times as you amble down this quaint reminder of times gone by.

Mini Espresso is a recent addition to the thriving Perth CBD cafe scene and is the inspiration of experienced ex Boucla barista Luke Arnold.

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Mini Espresso has a cosy but uncluttered fitout with a three group Wega producing the nectar we all crave for.

The blackboard menu offers a simple but tasty sounding selection for punters looking for a lunchtime bit to eat at very reasonable prices.

Luke presented me with a fine viscous looking espresso crowned with a lovely rich crema, I was hit by an initial fruity zing and velvety  mouthfeel followed by rich chocolate/cocoa notes that lingered on the palate for ages.

On my first vist to Mini I partook in a short mach–it had ideal temperature and was adorned with a splash of finely textured milk and to my joy it produced a most pleasurable and rich caffeine hit leaving a smile on my face and a lovely reminder of the shot lingering on the palate.

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In conjunction with Eat Drink Perth–Fiori Coffee and Mini Espresso have been hosting coffee appreciation sessions offering three distinct coffees including the famous Indian Monkey Coffee, the sessions have been booked out by keen coffee enthusiasts and first timers curious to discover the world of specialty coffee.

Coffee from Kam and crew at Fiori.

Looks like Luke’s on a winner here. Gotta be worth a coupla beanzzzzzzzzz!!

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March 3, 2010

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100 St George’s Tce, Perth

Mon-Tues 7am-5pm

Wed-Sat 7am-midnight

A totally new and exciting concept to Perth, Greenhouse is located at the St George’s Terrace entrance to swish new Enex100 retail complex.

Greenhouse was brought to fruition by Joost Bakker who initially built the concept in Federation Sqaure,  Melbourne for a three month season, the Perth Greenhouse will be a permanent fixture on the landscape and has been a hot topic of conversation around our fine city.

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Check out the website to see how it was constructed in only six weeks, view the time-lapse photography detailing the construction and the use of re-cycled materials wherever possible.

www.greenhouseperth.com

By now every media outlet in Perth has covered Greenhouse concentrating mainly on the food, decor and accentuating the environmental friendliness of the place.

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I have passed by several times hoping to try their coffee but Greenhouse has been bursting at the seams with people lined up waiting to get in, today we finally managed to score a table and  ordered our coffees–a short mach and a flat white, an attentive waitress kept our water glasses topped up while we waited twenty minutes for our coffees to arrive.

My short mach was temperature perfect, nice crema, medium body with rich choc/cocoa notes and a lingering aftertaste.

The flat white looked the goods, crowned with smooth microfoam, a caramel coloured crema circling the rim on the cup, the blend cut through the milk producing a smooth creamy chocolate taste experience, a couple of good but not great coffees.

Coffee by Fiori, Osborne Park

Perth has embraced this totally innovative new addition to our cafe culture with gusto.

Three beans for the innovative design and decor, one bean for the coffee

For a food perspective check out:–

www.bowlofhoney.com/fine-dining/greenhouse-perth

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February 22, 2010

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Mayfair Lane, West Perth

(behind the Commonwealth Bank)

Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-3pm

Hidden away off Mayfair Lane in a heritage-listed old stable with rough-hewn and caulked timber floors, rustic brickwork,  stainless steel benches with two very shiny three group Wega espresso machines. A large communal table is the centrepiece of the inside area, adorning the walls of this area are some striking photographic artwork which the artists have for sale. The umbrella-shaded alfresco area has a long shelf with stools running down the side  creating a pleasant setting for a lunchtime break.

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Coffee is the focus with Garrett (he also runs Blink in Fremantle) with whom I had a lengthy discussion about coffee, he has a wealth of experience in the hospitality industry, a sign on the wall tells customers they are welcome to bring their lunches to enjoy with his coffee, a small selection of biscuits and slices are the only food on offer. Coffee is served in takeaway cups, an honour system exists whereby if you have the correct change you just drop it in the chute located in the countertop. I love the layout whereby clients can interact with the barista and share the coffeemaking process instead of standing in front of a counter.

There was a steady flow of eager clients calling in for their daily nectar of the gods so I joined them and ordered a flat white. My flatty was an ideal temperature capped with silky smooth microfoam and a lovely golden brown rim of crema, the blend cut through the milk giving a most pleasurable taste experience and a lingering choc/caramel aftertaste.

Two very well dressed business executives arrived and decided they would have traditional short machs today. I watched as they savoured the viscous liquid in the cups and departed with a huge smile on their faces.

Coffee by Crema Roasters, Kalamunda

I love the rustic ambiance and relaxed style Garrett has created and the passion he displays for what he is doing, sure to be a popular destination! Worth  a couple of beanz

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