Jed's Food Store, North Bondi

Zapatista Eggs, $16.50

I'm a morning person and I love a vibrant café scene, but honestly, I don't like spending money on breakfast. I'm always more pleased with what I can make at home. Jed's however, debunk my breakfast-bitterness with an eccentric brunch menu that I'd happily part with pennies for. Breakfast eggs get exciting with themes of the Yucatan, Jamaica and Japan. Case in point: the 'Zapatista Eggs': Chiapas style egg scramble with corn tortilla, pickled cactus, white corn, coriander, avo, crumbled cheese and green salsa. Colourful, creative, wholesome meals where exotic spices and garnishes bring the flavour, rather than buttery sauces and bacon fat. My kinda breakfast place.


Jed's Food Store
96 Glenayr Avenue
North Bondi

Breakfast + Lunch - 7 days

Mary Street Bakery, 6050

2 parts flour, 1 part hipster, add yeast, bake.

Finally, Perth gets its first new-age artisan bakery. Cos, if you read the food journalism, its totally the in-thing right now. And the hipsters have already found their way to MSB.

You'll be welcomed by the familair faces from Cantina/El Publico/ACE, who warm you with their knowledge, charismatic demeanour and carefully mismatched shirts. The refreshed fit out is on the money, too. White-out walls, mixed wood features and the occasional totally non-naff hanging pot plant. It's a formula for paired back decor that makes you feel at home. There's a good barista on deck, but i'm yet to come around to the Pound coffee bean. It's a bit too easy-drinking for my taste.

Soy Cap, $4

Day 2, lunch hour

The creative baked goods will make you curse a gluten-free diet. Beautiful loaves, bread-based brunches, gut-busting cakes and biscuits, daily pie and sausage roll specials, and Aesop to wash the grease of your hands afterwards.  One Beef and mushroom pie, $7 was smashingly good; a buttery golden pastry housing rich meaty innards. Extra credit for the house-made tomato sauce, which we used liberally!

Today's pie; Beef and Mushroom, $7

Oozey beef, break-away pastry

Escargot, $5

If you can't face a carb-a-thon, you'll be pleased at the sight of seasonal soup ($13) and salads ($11), plus a couple of more substantial lunch items, this day involving Mullet, barley, baba ganoush, radicchio, $21 and another of Slow cooked lamb. The Mullet dish was plated with the similar rustic flair as those dishes I enjoy so well at sister restaurant, Cantina 663. I loved it and would order it again. Steer clear however, if you have an aversion to coriander!

Daily salads; chickpea and spiced pumpkin, $11

Mullet, Radicchio, barley, baba ganoush, $21

After two visits in two days, I say, I can't think of a better tenant to fill the dried-out Soto space. I've pretty much already consigned those guys to oblivion. Mary Street Bakery, it's a little bit hip, but its down-to-earth too. Tastes YUM, feels comfortable and it's so 'now'.

Food: 4/5 (Traditional methods meet newfangled flavours. Fresh, homemade and modern).
Coffee: 3/5 (Crafted well, but too subtle for this pigeon)
Service: 5/5 (Vibrant, amiable and they know their product)
Ambience: 4/5 (Warm, casual and not overdone-hipster)
Value: 4/5 (Pretty much spot on. Salads $11, Pies $7, Sweet baked goods $5, Breakfast $11-$20

Love Thy Neighbour, 6003

In a word: humble

Rear entrance and courtyard neighbouring Ezra Pound

LTN aren't trying to be anything far-out or exotic, just a warmhearted place with quality comfort food, at reasonable prices. Coffee is strong and the home style brunch has that (currently trending) American-Canadian twang. Boston Baked Beans with poached egg come under $15 and are warming and delicious. A rich tomato sugo seeps through the rye bread forming soggy tomato-y goodness. This is the kind of food and feeling you fancy on an overcast/antisocial/hungover day.

Boston Baked Beans on Rye Sourdough with Poached egg, 

Home cooking isn't the only thing to warm you up at LTN. The pint sized cafe rests inside William St Arcade. It's closed off and hushful. Introverted, yet cool. Mahogany coloured decor and personable baristas, lend that familiar vibe. LTN makes you feel at home. 

Poached eggs on Rye Sourdough $9.50

If you're on a diet, take full use of the table service and avoid the counter at all costs. The sweets are deadly! Some guest appearances: Banana Caramel Layer Cake, Mississippi Mudpies, Oreo Cupcakes and many more gut-busting Americana experiments! Peanut butter is a favoured ingredient.

Food: 4/5 (Simple hearty food, lovingly prepared)
Coffee: 4/5 (Velvet smooth and on the stronger side. Like!)

Ambience: 5/5 (Buried at the end of an arcade. Warm, quiet and mellow.)

Service: 5/5 (Affable and relaxed. Not all up in your business but pleased to serve you)

Value: 4.5/5 (On a hipster budget. $9.50 for eggs on toast. No. B.S.)

Typika, 6010

Britney Spears ‘Toxic’ and Anastacia ‘I’m Outta Love’ were the last tunes I expected to hear when I visited the latest hotspot for a fashionable brunch last week. I like to indulge in some noughties pop now and then, just not over morning eggs and artisan-roast coffee. Thankfully, the taste in brunch hour music was the only point out of shape here.

Typika has become an instant favourite among Western suburb ladies of leisure and you don’t have to spy hard to see why. Exciting menu, quality cooking, smart service and a behemoth space that features a state-of-the-art coffee roaster. With floor-to-ceiling glass walls, the lab-like roasting room takes the limelight at Typika. The mammoth yellow building is a bit of an eyesore from the street, but there's a buzz inside and you sort of feel like you’re dining in a stylish, pumping factory. 

The AM menu is fresh, thoughtful and full of things that sound like something you’d want to try. Typika really used their genius when they dreamed up the Spiced Beef Benedict ($18.50). Gooey poach eggs and tears of slow-cooked beef come smothered with Harissa (Tunisian chilli paste) spiced Hollandaise. A defiant version of a breakfast classic. It’s that dish that creates buzz, and launches a hundred Instagram tags. The dish that your boyfriend/dad/big brother will probably order. 

Eggs Benedict with salmon on house baked gluten free bread

Not having the backbone for beef at 10am, I went for the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. The helping of fleshy pink salmon, wilted spinach and Hollandaise, was generous. What really impressed me was their Multigrain Gluten Free Bread ($2? extra) which they bake on site. A combination of Tapioca, Soy and Rice flour, this was seriously the most deceptively gluten-free bread I have ever tried. Springy, fluffy and wonderfully not like cardboard! 

The tour de force: coffee. Well, it was very good. Full-bodied, rich and smooth. The only downside are the steep prices, but admittedly, I wasn’t surprised by them in this neck of the woods, especially as the owners (of Cimbalino) are famously elevated pricers.

Also on offer are some little deconstructed cake pots and biscuits that would make fine breakfast dessert. Next time! 

With food this exciting and coffee this good; finally that mediocre Atomic place has some healthy competition. 

Food: 3.5/5 (Big portions, bold flavours and fantastic house baking)
Coffee: 3.5/5 (In house roasting is pretty good)
Service: 3/5 (Efficient but dismissive at times)
Ambience: 3/5 (On the fence. Bustling, open....questionable music)

Value: 3/5 (Not cheap. Paying for quality and locale.)

Mount Street Cafe, 6000

You could come here for a nice breakfast, a great coffee, or a slice of house-made chocolate hazelnut cake, but really you should make time for the contemporary Asian fusion menu. It's fantastic. Hailing from Longrain (Melbourne, Yelp it), the chef ups the ante on Asian favourites like - Vietnamese pho with ox-tail wontons ($12), Pork belly braised in, wait for it - coffee - with radish and green apple ($28), and Chinese style duck crepes with orange and hoisin sauce ($12). Zing-zang!

MSC is located at street level of Riverview apartments. Eucalyptus trees abound

The prices tip the higher end of the scale, but this shouldn't come as a shock considering the standard, or the privileged location. The only surprises you'll find is - a truly tranquil unchartered territory that serves up divine haute-Asian fusion cuisine. Just note that quality takes prevalence over quantity. Think delicate small portions, but exquisite. 

I ordered the Pan Fried Pink Snapper with Apple Potato Puree and Radish Salad ($28). Artfully presented, the plate was an appetising juxtaposition of textures and flavours - crunchy/creamy, and sweet/salty. Beautiful.

Snapper with apple potato puree and radish salad, $28

I was was eyeballing dishes placed before my neighbouring diners, and they were doing the same onto me. I think I eye-witnessed just about every dish on offer (quite a small, yet well formed menu), and they all had me making mental notes for next visit. And there will be a next visit 

Sit at the bar for prime kitchen viewing

The ambience and service reflects the direction of the food - modern, a little bit slick, but open and peaceful. The Eucalyptus leafy, Cul-de-sac location really lends to the tranquil setting.

Modern alfresco dining area

Also note - so you're not in for a rude shock, that parking is limited and its not exactly cheap. 

Food: 4/5 Contemporary, creative, a feat of balance and texture

Ambience: 4/5 Peace and quiet, shut away

Service: 4.5/5 Enthusiastic, fast and pleasant. 

Sayers Sister, 6000

Well hello there, lovely! It’s the grander, younger and I daresay -prettier, younger sister of the famous Sayers café in Leederville (not that the original isn’t easy on the eyes). There’s also a hellofa lot more legroom, elbowroom and general airiness than its ancestor. Seating is comparatively ample too - more places to dine with a group, high chairs to solo coffee, chairs to lounge in and corners to linger. 

The lovely Stephanie Sayers at the till

Communal table and high chairs

After much deliberation eyeing the menu, I opted for a Sayers classic- the potato rosti with wilted spinach, roquette and poached eggs, substituting the bacon for smoked salmon. It was plated with the same finesse and cooked with the same precision as the many I’ve had before – the only difference was the addition of baked apple compote in the rosti. D-E-Licious! There was a liberal helping of greens and the eggs were poached to absolute 10/10 excellence. What is their secret? They were seriously Gourmet Traveller cover material, these poached eggs. The mountain of a dish was topped off with a zingy homemade mustard vinaigrette that left me wishing for more.

Potato rosti 

I only picked a few distinctions between the menus at Sayers and Sayers Sister. I found the food delicious, cooked perfectly and plated beautifully, but I was sort of hoping for a few more degrees of separation between the two. 

Now, I won’t rush into things and declare unwavering love after the first go, but this sexy younger sister has positioned itself very well for a top position on my list of new favourite cafés in Perth. 

Get down and check this lady out before fame gets the better of her. I came on day two and whilst it wasn’t hectic, it wasn’t quiet either.

Food: 5/5 (Tasty, interesting, cooked perfectly - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree)

Coffee: 3.5/5 (Taste - YUM, but sadly a bit burnt, I think the barista was in training)

Service: 5/5 (Affable, fast)

Value: 3.5/5 (Bit on the pricey side but you are paying for quality)

The Kiosk, 6051

The Kiosk is a brand new cafe sitting quietly at The Rise complex in Maylands. Its on the budding Eighth Ave but across the other side of Guilford Rd., away from the likes of Mrs S, Milk'd and Rifo's. 

There is a small brunch menu which is not dissimilar form sister cafe, West End Deli. The name of the game is in-season produce, prepared well. There isn't a lot of over processing or cooking. It's all very wholesome and fresh. 

The portions aren't huge and the style more about snacky type brunch offerings like house baked baguette with a pick of side - roasted tomatoes with goats cheese, mushroom ragout with blue cheese and black bean cassoulet. Quality and refinery are the preference over large quantities of hearty foods. This not the place for a hangover brunch but for a lighter , healthy mroe sophisticated fare.  

pumpkin, green bean salad

The portions aren't huge and the style is more about snacky type brunch offerings like house baked baguette with a pick of sides, like roasted tomatoes with goats cheese, mushroom ragout with blue cheese and black bean cassoulet. Quality and refinery are the preference over large quantities of hearty foods. This not the place for a hangover brunch but for a lighter , healthy mroe sophisticated fare.

baguette, scrambled egggs

black bean cassoulet

 We also ordered one serve of the house baked baguette with scrambled eggs, $11. Two serves of the Gluten free zucchini bread with poached eggs, $11.  Plus a side of black bean cassoulet  and some roasted tomatoes with goats cheese, $8.

zuchini bread, poached eggs

 The tastiest part of our meals was the black bean cassoulet. The spiced bean mix was delicious. The zuchini bread was very light and fluffy although it was missing a punch of something minty or salty. Could have done with some more zuchini or a cheese through it. Eggs were cooked so they were gooey and silky, and not stodgy and curdled.

zucchini bread, poached egg

roasted tomato, goats cheese

Probably more impressive were the display of cakes. A gluten free chocolate, raspberry and coconut variety particulary caught my eye. There were other unconventional cake creations, as well as meringues, Portuguese tarts and top-heavy muffins.

Service is quite slow; I don't think they are set-up for a busy brunch trade and it's still early days. Overall the food wasn't super delicious but I like that it was very light on the grease and different to what i'd make at home. The barista is a serious whiz too. I'd stop here for a take-away coffee any day!

Food: 3/5

Ambience: 3/5

Service: 2/5

Value: 3/5

Fortysevenkirwanstreet, 6014

Existing quietly among the leafy homes of Floreat is Fortysevenkirwanstreet. Here you will find a cafe that treats brunch with far more finesse than poached eggs on toast.  Peaceful ambiance, creamy coffee and a dish for every mood.

My favourite menu item would be the Mushrooms and Asparagus breakfast.  Comprising a small mountain of three of my favourite yummy things, it is a dish of plenty.  Button mushies, perfectly seared asparagus and a generous glob of soft, salty goats cheese.

Mushrooms, asparagus, rocket, spinach, goats cheese on multi-grain toast

On the mornings when you're craving that savoury saltiness, I recommend the Potato and Leek Bake. An oven made hash brown making nice with smoked salmon, runny egg and crowd pleasing Hollandaise.

Potato & Leek bake, smoked salmon, poached egg, rocket, hollandaise

These days every second cafe seems to have a Middle Eastern style egg dish.  Served in some sort of claypot/basket/rammekin, its offered as a alternative breakfast item...now not so alternative. Fortysevenkirwanstreet is no different, creating their own (delicious, still) version of a Shakshuka.  The sauce is thick and rich, teeming with tomatoes, peppers and fetta cheese. Eggs are cooked just right with a lovely inclusion of fresh herbs.                         

Shakshuka

The Bircher muesli is one of the most attractive birchers i've seen.  A mound of shredded apple, sultanas, cherries and toasted macadamias, it is very fruit-rich. This ones a bit light on the oats-factor for my liking and I couldn't taste a hint of cinnamon but its an enjoyable, wholesome breakfast all the same.

Bircher muesli, cinnamon apple

Shakshuka sticks around for lunch and joining it are  dishes involving (from memory) Pork Belly, Slow cooked meat and parpadelle, a salad of smoked trout, egg, potato and my choice that day; salad of beetroot, baby zucchini, green beans, mixed leaf and fetta tzaztiki. Fresh, summery, scrumptious!

Beetroot, herbs, beans, zucchini, roasted onion, tzaztiki

Tempting you at the counter bench are a small selection of ready to enjoy goodies like paninis, mini brioche, custard tarts, chocolate-postachio brownies and sweet and savoury muffins. We couldn't help but grab ourselves a treat for the road.

Blueberry -coconut slice.

Custard tarts

If you like a brunch menu with interest and enjoy being tucked away from hustle and bustle, Fortysevenkirwanstreet is for you.

Food: 4/5
Coffee: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5
Space: 3/5