Excelsior Deli, 6008

I chanced upon Excelsior Deli whilst running errands in the Western Suburbs the other morning. The pleasant location is accessible yet somewhat secret. A small detour from the Subiaco commercial hub, this cafe-delicatessen is positioned on a leafy Shenton Park street.

I stopped in for a Soy Long Mac after observing the gadgets and damn, it was delicious! The combination of - Synesso machine, 5 Senses Compton Road blend and a moustached barista- is proving a heady mix! Smooth and creamy texture with a hazelnutty, buttery taste. Perfect with soy milk and the best i've had in months! It reminded me a lot of the stuff at The Daily Espresso Bar in Swanbourne, who guess what? - use the Synesso/5 senses/hipster barista formula too.

The nifty space has seating to convenience a variety of visitors: 4 seaters, alfresco seekers, newspaper readers and a big table up the back with a bit more privacy that would work nicely for client meetings.

Back table ideal for meetings

There are some tidy looking sweets like Portuguese tarts, chocolate banana bread and oval berry friands which look either home made or very well sourced. You could also make a satisfying brunch of one of the savoury items. And also: gelato! I'm not sure of the brand or if its homemade but it stood out as high quality to me.

     


Need to get caffeinated in Subi? Detour to Onslow Rd. You wont be disappointed.

Coffee: 4.5/5 (Food and drink is not cheap but oh, that coffee was gewwwd!)

Service: 3/5 (Nay the fastest coffee up, but they're concentrating on consistency)

Value: 2/5 (Regular Soy Long Mac = $5)

The Dancing Goat, 6011

Named after the effects coffee bean consumption is said to have on goats (they go a little nuts...I imagine it to be a little something like this);  is my favourite place to devour a Breakfast Burrito.  Not too heavy and completely satisfying, these babies are a little bit cheesey and a little bit healthy.  Choosing from a hero of mushrooms or bacon, its wrapped with creamy scrambled eggs,  delicious corn salsa and a teasing of sweet chutney. 

Mushroom Breakfast Burrito

Live a little far from Cottesloe?  Well conveniently, The Dancing Goat has a sister cafe on William St in Northbridge.  Little Willys mirrors the big sister menu and executes it just as well.

Both venues have a humble and effortlessly cool charm that complement the character of the surrounding suburbs so well.  The barista work deserves a bit of praise here too. The coffee - damn good, the barista - damn good-looking.   

Not surprisingly, The Dancing Goat gets a lot of repeat business with half the customers being on a first name basis with the staff. Well why wouldn't you be a regular with tasty brunch, a laidback vibe, and some yummy coffee and eye candy to motivate you in the morning?

Food: 4/5
Coffee: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Mood: 4/5
Space: 4/5

The Pear'fect Pantry, 6014

Approaching this unassuming little café which hides behind a laundromat, you might think you’d stumbled upon a school canteen in the Perth hills. The furnishings that look like they’ve been sourced from either IKEA or a yard sale, only add to this humble little cafes character. 

A homely ambience usually comes in the form of plush couches, twinkly lighting and pretty music. At The Pear’fect Pantry it springs from the way you sort of feel like you’re at your friends house you used to go to for after school sugar and stuff your faces with Wagon Wheels. But this place offers much more than Arnott’s assorted favourites.  Fluffy frosted cakes and crumbly slices sit in the counter and you can see mother hen baking away in the 90s kitchen at the back.

Gluten-free choc-raspberry brownie $5.50

On an mission to find the best brownie in Perth, the gluten free raspberry-chocolate brownie was my pick of the sweet stuff. The brownie was good but i can't say it was worth the $5.50 it cost me.

The brunch menu here is great too. Presenting patrons with a menu thats got a bit of interest and traces of Mexican flavour; ideal for a hangover.   Two amigos chowed down black bean/pitta bread/guacamole breakfast and last nights G&Ts were forgotten. Who says a hearty morning meal is incomplete without eggs?

Mexican black beans w/ avocado, spring onions, nut cheese (vegan cheese?) & fired (not fried) tortilla.

Food: 3.5/5

Coffee: 2.5/5

Service: 4/5

Ambience: 1.5/5

Space: 2.5/5

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