Solomon's Cafe, 6050

This city may not be foreign to clean eating and alternative food philosophy (organic, paleo, vegan and raw), but what we haven't seen before is conscious eating dispensed in a sophisticated setting. While nearby PAWS and Veggie Mama (who I adore!) make great places for a no-frills healthy and ready lunch, Solomon's provides the ambient surrounds to enjoy this kind of food from sunrise to duskiness. Waited service, careful plating and attention to detail. Its all very California.

Solomon's by night

From the street, Solomon's looks small, quaint. Inside you'll discover the restaurant stretches back into real estate you didn't know existed. Its spacious without losing intimacy and a sun-lit courtyard surprises you at the back. Walls are mostly of exposed brick and wood, dotted with trinkets the (very sweet and passionate) owner has collected on his world travels. The staff are SO lovely. Its their passion and vested interest, which makes you want to return again. Even the chef said hello when I passed the kitchen.  

An earlier dinner date at Solomon's saw me sample a trio of sides; Crsipy Kale Chips, Sweet Potato Gnocchi and Blanched Mixed Greens. I wanted more and so backed it up with a solo lunch treat the following week. To start of I had an order of the Crispy Beetroot Chips, $6. The wafers of beetroot are dehydrated and served with salt and wedges of orange.  A tasty light starter.

Crispy Beetroot Chips with orange and salt, $6

I followed up with an entree serve of Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Coriander Pesto, $16. Oblong pieces of light dumpling were buttery, nutty, delicious, but the lack of pesto made the dish a bit dry.

Sweet potato gnocchi, entree sz, $16

Food is inventive, but the prices don't fit the quantities. If you have a big appetite, be weary. The mains are small, but designed to be enjoyed with one or two of their interesting all-vegan side dishes. The menu changes slightly depending on what could be bought fresh from the market that day.

Bottom line: healthy new-age food, in a comfortable setting. Passion and heart flows through the decor, the people and the cooking. Ah dear, two visits in and i'm already sounding like Portandia.

Food: 3.5/5 (Healthy, appetising, different)

Ambience 4/5 (Welcoming, relaxing, ZEN)

Service 5/5 (Heartfelt, sincere and the owners are there)

Value 2.5/5 (Prices are a bit excessive)

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