Tag Archives: i love perth

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


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


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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

:)


Little Willys

Like it’s name suggests… Little Willys is a cosy, gem of a coffee shop on William Street. It’s a recent opening, so new that the correct signage had only been put up recently. Before the “Little Willys” chalked sign, the old sign from a past business still hung in it’s place. I think it was an Italian eatery or something of the like.

Aside from the friendly, prompt service, the good coffee and the laid back music on offer, there’s something about this place that makes my heart fill with warmth and calm. Maybe it’s the herbs resting in recycled oil tins, the cool leaf thing that the barista signs your coffee with or the table by the window that lets you peek into the lives of those wandering by. I’m not sure what it is, perhaps you can pinpoint it for me if you ever visit.

People would stop in front the cafe with curiosity, scrutinize the menu and deliberate over whether they should stay or move along. I found myself willing them to come in, to stay. You won’t regret it, I thought.

So if you are ever near the corner of Aberdeen St and William St, you should discover Little Willys cafe. Little in name but not in nature.

Where: 267 William St, Northbridge

Open: Mon-Fri 6:00am-3:00pm


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