Mirage, I see

This is a blog for the coffee lovers! Thank you to guest blogger Pradeep Gurung for his coffee trekking and writing, he also took the photos (and he does know his stuff when it comes to coffee, we’ve tried it!)

Coffee crawling is what I like doing – and I do it whenever I get the chance. Whilst I do have my favourite cafes that I visit regularly, I check out new places to see how they match up. Two places stood out over the other on a recent crawl. They were: Brother Cafe; and Black Cherries Espresso Bar.

Brother Cafe is located in the suburb of Menora and has been open for only a few months. This place uses Toby’s Estate coffee, based in Sydney, which now has a roastery in Perth – meaning the beans don’t have to go through the shipping process it went through before. I’d never had a good experience of this coffee prior to my visit to this cafe, so I was hoping this place would change my opinion. And it did! Although I prefer a light roast profile, the espressos, in my two visits, were very pleasant.

Apart from the sexy coffee machine that they have, Kees van der Westen’s Mirage Veloce, the place has ample space inside and has a small alfresco area. They also have food on offer; and are open Monday to Saturday. An ideal place to stop to grab a cup of coffee on the way to work. A place worth visiting, I say.

Black Cherries Espresso Bar in Fremantle Markets was the place I always wanted to check out for a long time. And I did for the first time two weeks ago. Not only had they moved to the middle of the yard (they used to be in the corner) I noticed they also got themselves a new machine: Mirage Triplette Classic. Seeing that, I almost clapped in excitement. I’d never tried Dark Star Coffee prior to my visit there but read about it being a darker roast, something which I’m not a fan of. I ordered an espresso which was very fruity and sweet and none of the darker roast element was noticeable in the cup. I was content and left with a smile on my face. On my next visit I tried an espresso and a long black. This time I did find some bitter elements of the roast, which overcame the flavours of the espresso a bit, but it was still good. I sat at the bar and spent almost an hour and a half reading a book while sipping my second coffee. It’s amazing how serenity can be found in a place such as Fremantle Markets. The staff are very friendly and are happy to have a chat. The ambience of this place is quite amazing and you get a communal feeling that just makes you enjoy the coffee even more. A must visit, I say.

Brother 

Address: 300 Walcott Street, Menora WA Perth

Phone: 08 9272 5787

Black Cherries Espresso Bar

Address: Fremantle Markets, Stall Number ‘The Yard’, South Terrace and Henderson Street, Fremantle

Phone:  Timothy Lock 0413 735 196

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Text Shots, what?

Text Shots is an odd name for a cafe. But then this isn’t your standard cafe.

I only found Text Shots recently, and I live half a block from it!

Nearby Angove Street is well known for it’s good coffee shops, but this cafe is easily missed as it’s a few blocks down on Scarborough Beach Road. Text Shots is wedged between Nandos and some modern shops, opposite the big BP on Scarborough Beach Road.  It’s a neat simple layout of red and grey interior, local gig posters, photos of local regulars, magazines and menu’s are all you’ll find on the wall.

It’s called Text Shots because you can text them with your order (on 0448 874 687) and by the time you arrive they’ve usually made your coffee ready to go. No waiting in long lines to order then 10 minute waits for coffee… genius!

Plus unlike most ‘convenient coffee’  or ‘drive by’ cafes the coffee is actually amazing. They use 5 Senses coffee and every cup is made with love and attention. All the coffee goes into BioCups which seems to be better for the environment somehow (according to the writing on the boxes) and if you’re a coffee addict they sell ‘coffee cards’ for $20 (6 coffees!)… genius!

Free wireless and great staff also make this a favourite for me to do my lap-top work from time to time. The staff are just beautiful, friendly and hilarious. Sometimes it’s hard to find a great cafe with staff who aren’t ‘too cool’ to serve you. These guys are the bomb and keep the cafe in order even when it gets busy.

And the food is tops too.

I’m not going to go on about Text Shots much more.

Best to keep this post simple and to the point, because that’s what Text Shots is like.

Simple, logical and personal. I like!

Coffee bean artworks on the wall

Colouring in books for kids!

Photo wall of the regular customers and locals


Barefaced Stories

This post was written by Libby Klysz regular improviser with the Big Hoo Haa and now a regular listener of stories. You can hear Barefaced Stories at The Bird on the last Tuesday of every month or on RTR FM with Peter Barr each week. 

People who know me know that I love listening to stories. Especially stories about people’s lives. I love hearing about where people have come from and how that fits into today.

So Barefaced Stories is a pot underneath a rainbow for me: STORIES! Real stories! Lots of them!

The premise is simple: real people, telling real stories, without notes: just sharing their experiences with a group of people happy to listen.

It is one of the most engaging, entertaining and cathartic evenings currently on offer in P-Town. Where else do you go to hear real life escapades from journalists, explorers, lawyers, comedians and wrestlers- all in one sitting? You don’t have to be a trained performer to tell stories at Barefaced; some of the most fascinating and engaging tales have come from people with everyday jobs. It is a genuine privilege to listen to them all. Some are funny, some are sad, some are point blank ridiculous; but every story is entrancing in its own way. I have laughed till I cried. I’ve also just cried. I freaking love it, and get sucked in by the authenticity every time.

Every night is different as a new collection of people brave the mic and start talking for about six minutes on a loose theme. The line-up is a mix of predetermined storytellers and punters who have put their names in a hat.

Barefaced Stories is the brainchild of Andrea Gibbs and Kerry O’Sullivan. Hot on the heels of a successful pilot show during The Blue Room’s Summer Nights, this monthly show popped up at The Bird earlier this year. The capacity crowds during the recent Storytelling Battle are testament to the success of the show.

Barefaced Stories is on the last Tuesday of every month, at everyone’s favourite lounge room away from home: The Bird, 181 William St Northbridge. Doors at 7pm for an 8pm kick off. Entry is ten bucks, and worth every cent. For more details check www.barefaced.com.au

*Disclaimer: Yes, I have been known to tell the odd story at Barefaced Stories. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s the price I pay to listen to everyone else.

When: Last Tuesday of Every monht

Where:  The Bird, 181 William Street, Northbridge

Time:  8pm (doors open 7pm)

Website: www.barefaced.com.au


Tea anyone? Chapels on Whatley

This post has been written by Gab Barnes, student and self diagnosed tea addict of Perth.

I love tea.

Tea in all its forms, I’d say on average that I drink at least six cups a day. Some might say that that is too much, but I don’t care, as I probably have an addiction. And really, what’s better than being addicted to something so delicious, with no fat and heaps of antioxidants?

I’m yet to hear of a single fatality from overconsumption of tea. So for me, Chapels on Whatley is heaven.

Recent renovations have transformed it from a quirky store filled to the brim with Chinese antiques and various other China-related goods, to an amazing café ideal for tea lovers everywhere. At Chapels you pay $5.50 for tea, which gives you unlimited quantities in however many types of tea you care to drink. And they have quite a range!

My preference is Green, but they also have Black, White, Oolong, Flower and Pu-Erh. I have no idea what Pu-Erh tea is, so I’m excited to try it next time I go. Obviously they have coffee and an array of delicious foods for breakfast and ‘brunch’. I tried the Korean vegetable pancakes and they were extremely tasty.

On top of this, they still sell all the same products that they did before. Amazing candles, tables, crazy slipper things…there is a lot. Plus teapots and cups of all different shapes and sizes, and actual tea. Some time soon I hope to attend one of their tea tastings.

I am so proud of Perth for producing such an amazing café, most particularly one that serves so much of my favourite beverage, and with such style.

Where: 196 Whatley Crescent, Maylands 6051, opposite Maylands Train Station

Website: www.chapelsonwhatley.com.au/

Opening Hours: Open six days, 8.00am – 5.00pm, closed on Tuesday. To avoid disappointment book for breakfast on weekends.

Contact: 08 9272 7738


TV Park!

At the recent Wild West Comedy Festival a US comedian, Tom Rhodes, spent a couple of minutes of his closing gala spot making fun of Perth people and their complaining about Perth.

I can’t remember it verbatim, but his parody of Perth people went along the lines of:

“Oh no, not ANOTHER perfect day, I just can’t handle it. MORE sunshine and fresh air? I think I want to kill myself”

And he expressed his surprise that Perth could be so down on itself, when he thought it was such a great place.

This week a local comic told me Tom Rhodes had really enjoyed his time in Perth, and one of the things he’d thought was particularly hilarious and unique was seeing a giant TV in a local park. Which he then dubbed TV PARK! A park that a lot of us walk past on our way to restaurants, clubs, pubs or just the train station…that just happens to have a giant TV in it.

It’s official name is the ‘Northbridge Piazza‘ but from now on I’m using the new name of ‘TV Park’, courtesy of Tom Rhodes.

Calling it TV Park makes it feel like a giant lounge-room, and it’s kind of what it is… just without the roof and with a few extra strangers round. The people that hang out there are often as relaxed as they’d be at home, stretched out on the grass, using the free wireless, chatting to friends, or enjoying whatever is on the screen.

Often it’s showing random sports broadcasts, train timetables or just TV, but they’ve also got programmed events, local films and other things happening which you can find out about here.

Every Wednesday they show a feature film, and every Saturday they show kids content. If you go on the right night you can grab one of their free beanbags to get comfortable, or if you’re around during the day get some shade under the little huts.

If you want snacks you can grab food from any of the surrounding restaurants, or the Corner Cafe (under the screen) and dig in without worrying about spilling food on the (grass) carpet.

Try it out sometime. It’s not every day you see a giant TV in a park, unless you live in Perth.

Where: Corner of James and Lake Streets, Northbridge

When: The screen is on 24/7, 7 days a week, but for particular screening info visit

http://www.showmeperth.com.au/location/northbridge-piazza


Love of Libraries

During my final year of high school I would spend countless hours on the third floor of the WA State Library. I would take a seat by the window and arrange my books in a uniform manner on the desk. I was ready for the hours of study ahead of me. Well at least I would look like I was studying hard, more often than not my mind would wander to what I was going to have for lunch or why the pigeon on the ledge looks like it only has one eye.

The state library is a lovely place to go for peace, quiet and books…lots of them. The internet is also freely available. You can hop on to an express terminal or make a booking if you need longer than 15 minutes. The library even offers a free wifi system that you can connect to. What I think is really cool is that even when the library is closed on public holidays, you will often find people lined outside with their laptops, frantically finishing essays or setting up Facebook events. How many places can offer you a free service even when they are closed?

I love that you can borrow books; all for FREE. It’s free to join if you are a WA resident, all you need is proof of identity and current residential address. You can take home a bunch of goodies and the only restraint is that you will have to return them at some point. So once you read the book you can give it back and it gets passed on to another punter. But what you get to keep is the story, the ideas or that little piece of information that you didn’t know before. Even if you manage to somehow get nothing from the items you borrowed, as long as you return them on time, it won’t cost you a thing.

If the state library is a little too far out of the way for you, maybe you can pop down to your local library? Just as good, only smaller.

Where: 25 Francis Street
Perth Cultural Centre, Perth (a short walk from Perth train station)

When: Monday – Thursday    9.00am – 8.00pm
Friday    9.00am – 5.30pm
Saturday – Sunday    10.00am – 5.30pm
Closed on all Public Holidays from July 1, 2009

Link: http://slwa.wa.gov.au/


Luna Leederville’s secret cafe

Ok it’s not a secret, but it feels like it is.

This evening I was walking down Oxford Street, looking for a quiet place to read a book but all the cafes were packed. I kept wandering up the street, not really sure where I was going but hoping I might find a table in a corner of somewhere.

Then I saw it.

This cafe is like something from a Harry Potter movie. A cute, odd-ball place that you always forget is there until you see it again.

Hidden beside Luna Cinema (actually attached to Luna Cinema) is a corridor of red seats, pot plants, fresh coffee and art-postcards. It’s the Luna Cafe. It’s across the traffic lights, down the road from the busiest part of Oxford Street – so there aren’t many passers by – and for almost an hour I had the cafe largely to myself.

Because it’s part of the cinema it’s mostly quiet until there is a rush of movie-watchers showing their tickets and looking for cinemas. Occasionally it’s a stopping point for them as they grab a coffee before or after a movie. If you’re interested you can listen in as they walk out of the movie and catch snippets of their 2-second-movie-reviews.

“I really enjoyed that”

or

“It was a bit heavy going at the start”

As a bonus they also have arcade games as tables (!!) and very sweet staff.

Where: On Oxford street next to Luna Cinema (ask the Luna staff if you can’t find it), Luna Cinema 155 Oxford Street, Cnr Vincent Street.

Opening Hours: 6pm – 9.30pm (they open when the busier movie times are)

Links: Luna Cinemas, Leederville


Hobart Deli

This is a blog by Anna Macoboy who also blogs from her shop Mr Sparrow.

I did star jumps when I found Hobart Deli!

That’s the unattributed quote on the back of their promotional postcards, but if I was a star-jumping sort, that’s certainly what I would have done when I discovered this awesome little number.

Hobart Deli is a sweet little cafe on a particularly lovely corner of North Perth, with a nice, friendly park across the road and lots of sunshine flooding in.  It’s a real neighbourhood cafe, stuck in the middle of suburbia like the much-loved corner delis of my childhood.

Lovely big shared tables and benches fill the small space, and shelves are stocked with books, cards, and a small selection of gifts and toys.  The fit-out is fabulous – low-key but with all the right elements:  good paint job, great light fittings and nice old tables.

There are cabinets full of delicious-looking treats and an inventive breakfast menu. I’ve been twice for coffee and once for breakfast. My bacon and egg wrap had a bunch of other fancy things thrown in and was extremely tasty. The coffee has never blown me away but has improved each time I’ve been, so it’s bound to reach blow-away status soon.

None of this really matters, though. The real reason to go to Hobart Deli is the atmosphere. It feels like the sort of place you’d take a stroll to on a Sunday morning, find yourself bumping into friends and neighbours, and end up spending most of the day there. And as long as you save a seat for me, that suits me fine!

Where: 45A Hobart Street, North Perth WA

Phone: 08 9444 8686

Email: hobartdeli@gmail.com

Opening Hours: Monday – Friday 7-5, Weekends 7-4
Soon it will be opening for dinner on Thursday nights only


Tag Perth With Love

If you love someone, you should tell them…

That’s why we thought we should find more ways to tell places in Perth that we love them.

And by ‘we’ we mean ‘you’ ;)

That’s why we will be sending out FREE tags that you can address to your favourite places in Perth with messages of why you like (love) them so much.

It could be your local cafe, a bar you can’t resist or a park bench you eat your lunch on.

We only have a limited number so follow these simple steps to get tagging.

_________________________________

1.Get a tag

Email perthiloveyou@gmail.com with your name, postal address and the number of tags you’d like (feel free to pass onto friends) and we’ll send them out to you.

2. Address with love

Write the place in Perth and why you love it on the tag.

3. Leave or share

You are welcome to leave it there for as long as it lasts, or if you want to share the love you can take a photo and send it to us to put up on the blog.

_________________________________

And just so you know…

This is really just for the love of it. We are not using this to promote  the ‘Perth, I Love You’ blog – the tags don’t have any link to this blog or any websites, just space for you to write your messages.

This idea came from one of our contributors – Ofa Fotu.

_________________________________

Want to be more involved?

Postage is expensive. So if you own a small shop, venue or place that can give out tags for free too please get in contact and we’ll send you a mini-stack of tags and list you on our blog so people can collect them from you.

:)


Old Love Presents

This is a guest article by Emma Zammit, who has recently moved to Perth from Sydney.

Perth, I love you.

I have only been living here for 7 months. After moving from the hustle and bustle that is Sydney, I was welcomed to Perth like a mate who has had a few beers. A lazy arm slung over my shoulder and a slurred “you are going to love it here”, and I do.

Moving to a new state is just as daunting as moving to a new country. You still need a street directory because every street is so foreign. You need to pick up the state lingo and language. There are different types of food to explore. Do you know that we don’t have cream cheese in Sydney…oh no wait. Yes we do.

In my exploration of Perth I have been fortunate to find little stores that have made my heart burst. One in particular was a little shop in Subiaco called Old Love.

Old Love to me represents Perth’s cool culture and what sets it apart from other states. It is a unique store whose owner has been collecting all types of things from the 50′s and 60′s such as books, beds, quilts, tea towels and postage stamps. Her love for all things vintage inspired her to open up her own store. From there she has turned the tea towles into cute little clutch bags, the postage stamps into necklaces, old records into ashtrays and much more.

Do yourself a favour and instead of buying your next present at Myer, pop into Old Love Presents instead and you will find someone a little treasure.

Where: Village Close,Denis Street, Subiaco

Phone: 08 9388 6668

Website: www.oldlovepresents.com


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