Tag Archives: coffee

Toastface Grillah, Perth

The humble toasted sandwich holds a pretty special place in my heart.

It all started with the arrival of our family’s first Breville jaffle iron. I think I was about six. At the time, a toasted sandwich made with two Kraft singles and white sliced bread was my personal idea of perfection. The crispy edges. The oozing middle. The constant fear of burning my tongue on molten processed cheese.

I still go back to this combination regularly – it’s one of my favourite comfort foods.

So naturally, my interest was more than piqued when I was followed by an account named Toastface Grillah on Twitter.

Coffee, grilled cheese and a definite hip hop trivia reference? Yes.

You’ll find Toastface down Grand Lane, between Wellington Street and the Murray Street Mall. Look past the bins and the grubby laneway. Think of the sandwiches.

I’d recommend checking out the map on the Toastface website for directions.

There’s eight sandwich options available, ranging from the classics like the Get Yo’ Veg, featuring cheese and Vegemite, to the amusingly named Pear Grillz, featuring blue cheese, pear and lime chutney.

TFP and I were both convinced it’d be an excellent idea to spend the entire day sampling the whole menu – something I still think I would have happily done, if I hadn’t been expected at work that day.

On this visit, thanks to my sandwich loving friends I was still able to get a good look at at least half the menu.

Ham and Cheese ($7.00), with cheddar, ham and mustard pickle

Pear Grillz ($8.00), with blue cheese, pear and lime chutney

Danny Zuccho ($8.00), with brie, prosciutto and zucchini

Brie and jam ($8.00), with brie, mozzarella and jam

I traded half of my brie and jam with TFP, scoring a half of her ham and cheese. Two very diffferent but equally delicious sandwiches!

The coffee is solid too, and our group’s slightly random (but normal for us) orders including a traditional long mac, soy flat whites and two long blacks offered a good sample to back up that statement.

I can’t wait to try the rest of the sandwiches at Toastface. Next time, I may consider allocating more time for my visit. A three cheese for breakfast, followed by the apple and gouda for lunch? With a possible Get Yo’ Veg for an afternoon snack….

Open Monday to Friday, from 7.00am to 4.00pm
Visit the Toastface Grillah website for the full menu and map

Gordon St Garage, West Perth

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Take a former auto electrics workshop on a quiet street in West Perth. Unleash an eclectic mix of industrial meets op-shop chic furnishings. Add a dash of freshly roasted coffee and a generous mix of breakfast classics with a few twists.

Gordon St Garage, brought to you by the men behind Balthazar (Nic Trimboli), Il Lido (Daniel Goodsell) and Duende (Graham Arthur), looks set to turn Gordon street into a destination for food lovers in West Perth.

Glass cloche-covered plates of baked goods are a welcome sight as you enter this airy former workshop. As I hear yet another rumble from my belly, I find myself thinking that this isn’t like any garage I’ve ever encountered.

We arrive on a quiet Sunday morning. We’re up early, thanks to our dawn-rising pooch, and eager to see what all the fuss is about. The first surprise as you enter is the sheer scale of the place. Looking at the number of tables inside, I find myself immediately thinking about the logistics of managing the floor during a busy service.

There’s at least half a dozen staff on the floor, and three behind the coffee machines as we enter. We wait by the front desk, as we’ve already spotted a group who arrived ahead of us being shown to a table.

One of the guys behind the coffee machine spots us, and tells us we can just go ahead and seat ourselves. It seems like a weird instruction to me, when there’s clearly a seating plan – larger groups of six or more are seated away from the main floor, and groups of two to four are slotted in in the middle.

Luckily we’re scooped up by a passing waitperson before I have much more time to think about it, and shown to a table for two.

Our coffee orders are taken the second we’re seated, and my faith in the service seems to be restored for the moment.

The Garage breakfast ($24.00), covers all the fry-up essentials, and it’s exactly what I’m craving on this drizzly grey morning.

Start by selecting your style of eggs (I went with scrambled), pick your toast (sourdough or rye) and bring on the rest. Here at Gordon St Garage, that means a ‘pin wheel sausage’ (a pork sausage flecked with fennel, presented like a mini cumberland sausage or boerwors), streaky bacon, wood-fired mushrooms, a sweet smoked tomato, fried potato and house made baked beans.

The fried potato is a carb lovers dream. The potato innards are fluffy and soft, and much more substantial than the average hash brown.

I’m also impressed by the smoky, streaky bacon, which definitely comes from a decent supplier (it’s not your standard, borderline anaemic bacon by any means).

The beans are sweet from sun-ripened tomatoes, and have a lovely smoky flavour from being simmered with a ham hock.

The only downer for me is the pin wheel sausage, which is porky, but lacking in moisture. I don’t think it’s a kitchen issue, but rather a lack of fat in the sausage mix.

The pulled smoked ham hock on rye comes with boston baked beans and grilled goat’s haloumi ($17.00).

J digs in with gusto, and declares it delicious, though in the end, he thinks it would have sung even more with the addition of a soft poached egg.

He tells me the addition of an oozing golden yolk would tie everything together perfectly – even the peppery rocket leaves – which at this point, sit idly to the side of his plate.

I thoroughly enjoyed the nibbles of ham hock, beans and squeaky haloumi I managed to pilfer from his plate, but can’t help but agree that an added egg would have sealed the deal for me too.

Coffee is a morning must have for us both, and I’m chuffed to find my soy flat white ($4.00 plus 0.50 for soy) is right on the mark in taste, temperature and texture.

After taking a sip of his long macchiato ($4.50), J’s also impressed, enjoying the blend used by the baristas. He’s still wishing their roastery was already in action, but we’re told that side of the business will be kicking off soon.

You can already pick up supplies of all kinds, including Hario products (like the V60 drip coffee maker), syphons and burr grinders.

Taking a sticky-beak upstairs, I found a selection of comfy couches, Scandinavian-style sideboards, and a quiet space that looked like it would be perfect for a cozy coffee or glass of red on a winter afternoon.

By the time we were ready to leave the Garage, things had picked up considerably. Though we had both enjoyed our meals, we did end our morning wondering how things would go for the Garage as business picked up.

The service, though genuinely friendly, was patchy and at times frustrating. Though service at the beginning and end of the meal seemed to be mostly in order, it seemed to be lacking somewhat while we ate.

Staff avoiding eye contact and incomplete service are pet peeves that I was disappointed to notice here. If you don’t look at me once, you’re not going to notice my empty coffee cup. And you won’t have the opportunity to offer me another round. Or to clear my plate, or suggest I have some cake with my coffee.

There’s definitely room to improve, and I’m really hoping that the motto of the former tenant of the building which still remains on the wall – ‘do it once, do it right’ – is not just aspirational.

I was happy with the food, so I’d be happy to return to see how things pick up.

Open from 7.00am – late for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Love Thy Neighbour, Northbridge

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When it comes to warm and fuzzy feelings for my fellow man, I’ve got to confess – I’m a much nicer person once I’ve had my morning coffee.

And breakfast. Let’s not forget about the most important meal of the day!

On a recent Saturday, my husband J (die-hard coffee nerd) suggested we drop by at one of his favourite coffee finds in Northbridge, the aptly named Love Thy Neighbour (LTN), and I was very keen to see if their caffeine and grub would help improve my mood.

Their coffee, made with the house blend ‘seven’, was strong, flavourful (with a slight fruitiness) and damn good. It comes from Single Origin Roasters in Surry Hills – which I’m pretty sure I wandered past at least once on my last visit to Sydney.

J was equally impressed with his traditional long macchiato, and neither of us hesitated when we were offered a second round.

J’s brioche breakfast came with softly scrambled eggs, house cured trout on a lightly toasted individual brioche. The Organic Loafers brioche was beautifully light and pillow-soft with a golden glow that only comes from the addition of fresh egg yolks.

Actually, this was declared some damn good brioche. I’m sure it would have been perfectly satisfying on its own, with a generous smear of jam.

But partnered with the salty-sweetness of the trout and the creamy eggs, this golden, buttery bread was even better!

When there’s a biscuit on the menu, you’d better believe I’m going to order it. It took all of eight and a half seconds for me to make up my mind, and I’m hoping if you visit LTN, you’ll do the right thing and make the same choice.

The American-style biscuit is rarely seen on Aussie menus, a rare mysterious breakfast (and any time) food that’s probably closest to a scone, but usually lighter in texture, dusted in cornmeal, and often made in it’s homeland with the snowiest of unnatural looking cooking fats – Crisco.

The money shot – the bacon was hiding.

I don’t think the partially-hydrogenated-police have anything to worry about with the biscuits on offer at LTN.

The lovely light biscuit served here sandwiched a generous combination of fresh spinach, bacon, spicy homemade chutney, cheddar cheese with a softly set egg over easy.

I was glad the egg was cooked to the point of being slightly oozy, but just enough to ensure it didn’t dribble out of my biscuit.

It’s a deliciously different departure from the usual Saturday morning fry up that still manages all the main hangover food groups – in a neat carby package!

Truth be told, even though I was relatively stuffed after this, I did entertain ideas of other breakfast “snacks”.

And how could I not, with the promise of smoked white chocolate ice cream, spotted on the blackboard as we wandered inside?

Consider my interest piqued. If I ever try it, you bet I’ll be telling you all about it.

Oh hai, J’s phantom hand!

Love Thy Neighbour are located at the rear of William Street Arcade, next to Ezra Pound. The team have recently expanded the seating area, so there’s choices for all – inside and out, bikes optional.

Opening hours

Monday – Friday
6.30am – 5.00pm

Saturday
7.30am – 4.00pm

Closed Sundays

Metrio & Co, North Perth

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When my friend and colleague G recently mentioned a new cafe on Angove Street with ‘delicious pancakes’, I made a mental note to check it out.

It’s a street I’m more than familiar with, being home to one of my all time favourites, The Flying Taco. I’ve watched the neighborhood grow and change since I first visited it, when my sister Flexnib lived there years ago.

We managed to snap up the last table outside to enjoy the Saturday sunshine. After checking out the blackboard of breakfast options, I returned to the counter to order. The service was efficient and friendly – just what I want when it’s busy.

J chose the Salsa poached eggs, $17. The softly set, oozing poached eggs were perfection with lashings of spicy tomato salsa.

Juicy and sweet tomatoes worked their tasty magic with slivers of finely sliced red onion and creamy avocado.

I’m personally not too keen on overzealous use of balsamic plate dressing – sure, it looks nice, but sometimes it’s just too overwhelming a flavour. In this case, however, I think it set off the sweetness of the tomatoes beautifully. And J didn’t seem to mind much either.

Of course, pancakes were on my mind, and I wasn’t disappointed by Metrio’s fluffy Pancake stack with maple syrup, $12.

I think Metrio & Co’s chef might just be a fan of Bill Granger’s ricotta hotcakes. I’m pretty certain my foodie-spidey sense detected the addition of ricotta in the mix, adding to the light, airy texture of the pancakes on offer here.

I was pleasantly surprised to find them delivered with a side of tart berry sauce and creme fraiche, which was a lovely change from the usual cream or ice cream options I’ve become accustomed to expect.

I did wonder whether this was the usual presentation of this dish, though, as neither the berries or the creme fraiche were mentioned on the menu. Not a problem, by any means, but worth mentioning in case this was just a random off-menu bonus!

Our lazy Saturday morning wouldn’t have been complete without coffee, and Metrio & Co have definitely brought their A-game on the coffee front. Their Fiori coffee was made with beautifully textured milk (even for us soy drinkers), at a great temperature. Winning.

Afternoon tea at the Hyatt Regency Perth

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My friend A joined me yesterday for a spot of shopping in Perth, and a leisurely afternoon tea at the Hyatt Regency Perth.

Afternoon tea starts at 3.00pm, and is served from Cafe at the Hyatt, with seating in the lovely surrounds of the Observatory Lounge.

Cold desserts – including passionfruit pannacotta, lychee and coconut pudding,
mango pudding, Eton mess, chocolate mousse and tiramisu

We were shown to a table for two, and our host Yvonne gave us a quick rundown of what was on offer.

The friendly servers visit each table and topping up our glasses (and cups) with as much sparkling wine, tea, coffee as we like. This suits us just perfectly, as shopping and walking is thirsty work

There’s a comprehensive dessert bar – which features cakes and other sweet treats, gelato, freshly cooked Belgian waffles, biscuits, meringues and cold desserts (puddings, pannacottas and mousses).

Meringues and biscuits

Finger sandwiches – egg and mixed greens, front
and salmon with chargrilled eggplant, back.

The servers also join us tableside and present us with a selection of finger sandwiches. They’re deceptively substantial, despite their positively dainty appearance.

Fillings included salmon and chargrilled eggplant, egg and mixed greens, and salmon cream cheese with cucumber.

I particularly liked the subtly smoky chargrilled eggplant with the rich salmon spread. An unusual combination, but one I think would be excellent for future lunchtime sandwiches.

There’s also an extensive section with hot finger food, including crispy goat’s cheese fritters, eggplant and zucchini frittata, curried savoury muffins, brie and mushroom tarts, filo tarts, and chicken and vegetable curry puffs.

We find ourselves immediately obsessed with the curry puffs – the filling is spot on, with tender chunks of chicken, potato, peas and a fragrant curry sauce, which even includes fresh curry leaves!

Curry puff innards shot

They’re wrapped up in bubbly crisp pastry, and fantastic dipped in sweet chili sauce. It’s difficult to stop at one. (I had three )

After our savoury stomachs are taken care of, we move on to sweets. There’s a lot on offer, so we opt to share a plate of cakes and fruit.

A was immediately impressed with the strawberry cheesecake as it reminded her of her Mum’s strawberry shortcake.

I was initially attracted to the layered green cake, thinking it was pistachio flavoured.

I was pleasantly surprised to find it was subtly flavoured with a creamy lemon-lime filling. Not what I expected at all, but lovely!

As soon as I spotted this bowl of chocolatey goodness, I knew we would be friends. A large bowl of chocolate ‘bark’ has a prominent place at the dessert bar, next to the gelato section.

There’s milk, dark and white chocolate bark, which has a gnarled rough appearance. I was delighted to realise the bark was made with puffed rice – like fancy chocolate crackles for grown ups!

We all suddenly lose our sense of decorum around this bowl and I spy sophisticated ladies who lunch gleefully destroying the beautiful display to get to the goods.

It wouldn’t be afternoon tea without freshly baked scones, and the scones at the Hyatt’s high tea certainly deliver.

There’s a generously filled bowl of thick whipped cream, and a sweet selection of jams available at each table.

We enjoy our scones topped with thick cream and strawberry jam, which hails all the way from Austria.

The scones look pretty standard, but they proved to be impressively feather-light and fluffy, despite their crunchy exteriors. I’m really more of a soft-sided scone kinda gal, so I guess this experience proves – never judge a scone by its exterior!

I wasn’t content to stop there. Oh no. I’d been staking out the waffle section, watching with eagle eyes from our seats by the fountain.

The piano man probably thought I was giving him the eye – but I was actually checking for signs of freshly cooked Belgian waffles.

I’m very pleased to report my weird waffle watching paid off. They were light and tender-crumbed with a fantastic crisp exterior. A and I shared this one with a dollop of thick cream and a drizzle of maple syrup – but there was also an evil looking chocolate sauce and fresh fruit sauces on offer.

As we neared the end of our afternoon, I realised we hadn’t sampled any of the cold desserts. Food blogger fail.

It would have been remiss of me to leave without trying at least one of the options available.

I tried the Eton Mess, which was a lovely take on this traditional Brit dessert (I know I’m supposed to say ‘pudding’ but that seems like a misnomer).

This version featured layers of sweet chantilly cream, strawberry and passionfruit coulis, a drizzle of dark chocolate and crumbled vanilla meringue.

This afternoon tea gets A’s seal of approval

My partner in crime A declared the afternoon tea at the Hyatt a major success. We both had a lovely afternoon, and really enjoyed the selection of food available.

The surroundings are calm and relaxed (no struggling to hear the conversation you’re having with your friends), and the staff are friendly and attentive making it a comfortable dining experience.

Afternoon tea is served on Saturdays and Sundays between 3.00 – 5.00pm, for $48 per person, and includes tea, coffee, free-flowing sparkling wine (or soft drink).

Reservations are recommended. You can book online at the Cafe at the Hyatt website.

Disclosure: we enjoyed this afternoon tea courtesy of the City of Perth, as part of Eat Drink Perth.

Daily Planet, Mount Lawley

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During the pre-Christmas rush, J and I decided to stop in at Daily Planet, the newly opened cafe adjacent to the other planets – Planet Video (okay, do we keep calling it video, even though they no longer rent videos?) and Planet Books.

We, like the rest of Mount Lawley, had been watching the space for months, waiting to see what would happen as the renovations progressed.

Huevos Rancheros, $22.50

The wait was finally over a couple of months ago, and we were keen to check it out. It was busy that Saturday, and we were lucky to snag one of the last tables.

J was pleased to see Huevos Rancheros on the menu, being a fan of all things Mexican. This wasn’t a classic interpretation, but it was tasty all the same.

Two fried eggs crowned a huddle of plump butter beans, which were cooked in a spicy tomato-based sauce. Spicy chunks of chorizo added a punch throughout.

Though he really enjoyed the spicy beans, J was disappointed to find the egg yolks overcooked. It looked to me like the whole lot was probably finished off under the grill, to heat the beans, but ultimately this led to sad overcooked eggs.

The chorizo was lovely and spicy, and a welcome addition to the beans. But they could have done with a little more colour, for that caramelised perfection that suits this sausage so well.

Eggs Benedict, $16.50

I opted for the brekkie classic, Eggs Benedict, which turned out to be a much more successful dish.

Listed on the menu as poached eggs, ham, hollandaise sauce over a potato cake, I was intrigued. As a lifelong member of the potato fan club, this departure from the usual could only be a good thing – or so I thought.

Except that there was no potato cake! (In my head, I’m imagining Con the Fruiterer saying ‘what, no potato?’)

Perfect poached eggs. Fantastic!

But potato cake or not, this was a great version of this breakfast classic. Lovely fresh ham, which was clearly sliced off the bone, two perfectly poached eggs and some delectably creamy freshly made hollandaise.

The whole lot was served over some crunchy toasted sourdough, which was a fantastic vessel for the ham and eggs.

Dia de muertos meets Evil Kenievel!

Since our visit a couple of weeks ago, I’ve read some less than complimentary comments about Daily Planet on Urbanspoon.

I acknowledge there’s probably some kinks to be ironed out, and definitely room for improvement, as is the case with any new business.

On our visit, we found the floor staff really friendly, and they were very responsive and quick to notice dirty plates and empty water glasses.

The staff member behind the register was also quick to rectify a problem with our bill, when we noticed an extra $30 worth of hot chocolates had made it on to our tab.

So while I think there’s room to improve, because overcooked eggs are absolutely a cardinal sin in my book, I’m not willing to write off Daily Planet just yet.

Have you eaten at the Daily Planet?
What did you think? Tell me in the comments!

Becasse Bakery, Westfield Sydney

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Just a quick post to share the beautiful thing that is the Becasse Bakery Banana and Salted Peanut Brittle Tart.

Perfection in a tart, quite possibly.

This tart features a pate sable base that’s crumbly and light and is filled with a creamy banana creme patissiere.

The texture of the peanut brittle rubble reminds me a little of honeycomb – a sweet-salty crunch which is a great contrast to the smooth custard.

There’s flecks of real banana in the pastry cream which you can see as well as taste – and I’m always a sucker for the real thing over weird artifical flavouring.

Best enjoyed with your beverage of choice – a Stolen Recipe iced tea for me, and a short macchiato for J.

Read about our other food adventures in Sydney

Sydney day 1: BBQ King, Haymarket

Sydney day 1: Via del Corso, Westfield Sydney

Sydney day 1: Spiedo Bar and Restauran t, Westfield Sydney

Sydney day 2: Bills, Surry Hills

Breakfast at Bills, Surry Hills

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We woke up on our second morning in Sydney with only one thing in mind – breakfast.

And it wouldn’t have been a visit to Sydney without breakfast at Bills, the Sydney institution that made breakfast the meal du jour, thanks to Bill Granger’s creamy scrambled eggs and fluffy hotcakes. For the moment, I’ll ignore the inability to use an apostrophe correctly (but my finger will itch to hit the apostrophe every time I type ‘Bills’).

Bills own organic coffee from single origin roasters, soy flat white, $4.40

We sat at a sunny table outside and got down to business. J and I both started with coffees, and TFP enjoyed a freshly squeezed orange juice.

Freshly squeezed orange juice, $6.50

At $6.50 a glass, Bill’s OJ is not the cheapest around, but it certainly was tasty (I ordered one after my coffee). Every thrifty cell in my being was screaming ‘$6.50?!’ but after tasting it, I didn’t mind so much. Bill’s OJ is sweet, definitely freshly squeezed, and with all offending pulp strained out. Worth it.

Scrambled eggs with sourdough toast, $13.50

J had to order Bill’s famous scrambled eggs. Scrambled eggs are one of the dishes which made Bill’s breakfast famous, and it’s no wonder. They’re light and creamy, with a soft curdy texture – without being too set or unpleasantly runny.

Don’t let the picture above fool you. They look almost well done, but they yield easily, having been made with lashings of cream. I’ve checked out Bill’s recipe, and he instructs cooks to avoid over-stirring, to aim for softly folded curds.

These eggs are perfect with the hearty sourdough toast served alongside.

Sweet corn fritters with roast tomato, spinach and bacon, $18.50

TFP chose another Bills classic – the sweet corn fritters, which were served with roasted tomato, fresh spinach and bacon.

These fritters were bound in a light batter with no sogginess in sight. I must try Bill’s recipe – they really showcased the sweet flavour of the corn.

Ricotta hotcakes with fresh banana, honeycomb butter and maple syrup, $17.50

I wouldn’t say I’m usually a sweet breakfast kinda gal. Sure, I like a pancake as much as the next person, but I’m generally more inclined to be ravenous and will usually pick a full English (or similar).

On my first ever visit to Bills, I decided it was time to dispense with my “usual” and go with my gut. And my gut was telling me it had to be hotcakes.

The description of fresh banana (so elusive since Cyclone Yasi) and drool-worthy honeycomb butter was simply too hard to resist.

The hotcakes were feather-light and fluffy, and if I were more of a guts, I would have surely ordered another round. The sweet combination of honeycomb butter, fresh banana and sticky maple syrup was perfect.

Sidenote: I’ve just spotted the recipe for the hotcakes on Chocolate Suze’s blog and am now hatching plans to make some of my own this weekend…yum

All in all, a lovely meal, which is now firmly cemented in my mind as the quintessential Sydney breakfast.

For information about other locations around Sydney and overseas, visit Bills website

Hey Juji, don’t you live in Perth? What’s with all the Sydney posts?

My sister TFP, my fiance J and I recently went on a ten day holiday to Sydney. Food was high on our agenda, and we visited lots of great places.
I’ll be posting the highlights from each day, so stay tuned!

Read about our other food adventures in Sydney

Sydney day 1: BBQ King, Haymarket

Sydney day 1: Via del Corso, Westfield Sydney

Sydney day 1: Spiedo Bar and Restaurant

Coffee from Via Del Corso Pasticceria E Caffé, Westfield Sydney

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After departing from Perth at 6.00am and enduring a four and a bit hour flight, there were a few pressing needs at hand. One – a fresh change of clothes. Two – something to eat that wasn’t warmed in a pie oven. Three – caffeine.

With needs one and two taken care of, we decided to check out the recently opened Westfield Sydney. Located on Pitt Street, it’s the much talked about home of Zara (squee!), David Jones, high end fashion labels and a number of restaurants and take away outlets. I think I could have probably spent the entire day (and the entire contents of my savings account) there and not been bored.

We took the escalators up to the level five food court, where we were faced with a dizzying number of food options. Luckily, as our quest was for coffee, we didn’t need to make that decision….

We spotted Via Del Corso Pasticceria E Caffé and decided it looked like a good spot for coffee. The cakes and pastries in the glass fronted cabinet were tempting, but we all opted to stay clear knowing we’d be enjoying a big meal for dinner.

After some arm twisting, J and I managed to convince TFP to have her first coffee in over ten years. Ten years! I’m well aware my sister doesn’t drink coffee, but when she said it had been that long, I was still a little surprised.

TFP went with her former coffee drinking go-to, a short macchiato. J and I had flat whites (mine was soy).

The coffees were lovely, with a rich aroma and taste. My soy flat white tasted almost chocolatey, and I struggled to keep myself from downing it in one gulp.

These were just what this hopeless caffeine addict needed. The perfect afternoon pick-me-up. Afterward, we headed back to our hotel to freshen up before dinner…

And what a dinner it was! (post coming soon)

Hey Juji, don’t you live in Perth? What’s with all the Sydney posts?

My sister TFP, my fiance J and I recently went on a ten day holiday to Sydney. Food was high on our agenda, and we visited lots of great places.
I’ll be posting the highlights from each day, so stay tuned!

Read about our other food adventures in Sydney

Sydney day 1: BBQ King, Haymarket

Running on caffeine

4 Replies

October has been long. And hard. And my greatest ally in it all, besides J, has been my ever-present friend caffeine.

My latest acquisition giving me my morning, afternoon, and sometime evening jolt hails from Vietnam via Lucky Asian Grocers in Northbridge.

This $5 Vietnamese drip coffee maker is where it’s at. Really. I love it.

Unlike my other coffee friend, my Nespresso Pixie, this coffee maker relies on drip power (ha, power) to give me the goods.

I’ve found it oddly soothing to watch the dark, oily looking liquid pool in my glass.

I’ve been enjoying it in what I understand is the traditional style, with a generous blob of condensed milk. Sometimes with ice, sometimes without. Either way, it’s an excellent cup.

Luckily for me, the first three weeks of this month will be a much more relaxed time – with my secondment over, the crazy long days and stressful event planning I’ve been working on won’t be an issue any more. Phew.

And in less than 48 hours, I’ll be in Sydney, eating my way around town

Juji Chews

A Perth food blog