Dining with the Pair: Vans, Cottesloe

Walk into Vans and you'll see that this is not the usual Napoleon St café.
Fake butterflies hang off wires stretched across the ceiling in an unexpected decor move and the breakfast menu continues this subtle otherworldly vibe.  It has an interesting mix of spicy, sweet and classic brekky dishes with Asian flavours worked in such as mango and coconut chia pudding, son in law eggs and a Indonesian fried egg dish with lap cheong and sambal.



Our food:

Buttermilk pancakes with apple and strawberry compote and whipped maple butter ($19)

The pancakes unfortunately lacked flavour and were drenched in maple syrup. Now I'm not averse to a good drizzle of maple syrup but there was so much syrup that the pancakes had begun to disintegrate in its sogginess. The sweet strawberry purée and honeycomb butter made this a sugar overload even to me and my love of sweets. A small carafe of maple syrup or perhaps some cream instead of the purée would have toned down its sweetness.

Mushrooms on toast with Fremantle life cycle mushrooms, goats curd, 63 degree egg, truffle oil and grilled gluten free sourdough ($24)

The mushroom dish was executed well and had a good combination of textures with the crusty bread. They thoughtfully supplied us with a sharper knife for this dish to cut through the harder sourdough.

Open egg white omelette with stir fried blue swimmer crab, broccolini, pea tendrils, coriander, green chilli nah jim ($26)

The whipped egg white elevated the normally hearty omelette into a very light and fluffy dish. The crab meat portions were generous and well spread so you got a good chunk of juicy crab in each bite. The cilantro, chilli and oil gave off Thai flavours but perhaps a lighter hand on the oil would have made this perfect as it got slightly too greasy near the end.

We didn't take photos of our drinks but the hot chocolate would have been a real winner if only it had been served at a hotter temperature. The milk was not hot enough to melt the dark chocolate and marshmallow leaving a clump of solid chocolate at the bottom. The chai latte was brewed with real chai tea and unlike the majority of tea leaf based lattes it actually had a good balance of mellow sweetness provided by the honey.


Overall
The service although slow was friendly. Not including the pancakes, Vans is worthy of another visit but I'd probably stick with the savoury options.
Dishes for next time: Roast cauliflower and manchego fritters with romesco sauce, soft poached egg, endive and avocado.
Rating: 6/10.

Until next time my fellow foodies,

Serena

Notes

~ Breakfast, lunch and dinner available

~ Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options are available

Vans

Open 7 days a week

1 Napoleon St, Cottesloe

http://www.vanscafe.com.au/#welcome

Dining with the Pair: Davvero

You know those days when you just feel like being outside and enjoying the sunshine, but you also don't want to get burnt alive when you leave the house? Yesterday was one of them. Trying to decide on a place to eat in this intense Australian summer can be absolutely difficult. Finally we decided to try a local Italian cafe, Davvero. Located in the outer courtyard of Floreat Forum shopping centre, Davvero is a bright, open and simply beautiful cafe. It echoes the ambience of a European summer, with whitewashed furniture, and various gifts, truffle oils etc. available to purchase at the front.

We were so hungry that we decided to skip entrees, and just head straight for the pasta dishes. Definitely satisfied our pasta cravings! And they were brought out very quickly. Bonus!

Spaghetti neri allo scoglio 

This was their homemade black spaghetti with seafood. It was well cooked, and the seafood was delicious. Portion size was a little smaller than most places, but still substantial. The seafood was fresh and tasty, and the spaghetti had a mild flavour. It was a nice dish, however, I felt that it lacked a little... flavour? I'm not entirely sure what it was missing, but while it was a great dish, it certainly wasn't amazing.

Chicche - potato gnocchi

The gnocchi was also homemade, and was served with zucchini and smoked scarmorza cheese. All up, the dish had a very mild taste to it. The gnocchi had a more sticky, mochi-like consistency, which I tend not to prefer with my gnocchi. I like it when it is more light and fluffy, although in all honesty I am clueless with what is the more authentic style. This dish was nice, but a little too bland for my liking.

Though we were not all that impressed with our mains, we decided to give dessert a go, because we love our sweets! We were so glad we did, because the desserts certainly managed to impress us!

Pannacotta with raspberry and white chocolate 

We originally had ordered the chocolate parfait, however they weren't available that day. Instead, they made this pannacotta with white chocolate and raspberry sauce. This was such a surprisingly dense, creamy and rich pannacotta. It almost was too rich by the end! I especially like the cute little lovehearts on this one.

Semifreddo alla pesca 

This was deliciously refreshing. Peach semifreddo served on a biscuit that was puffed brown rice and chocolate wafer. It was so nice to eat in the warm weather! Again, the semifreddo was much creamier than I expected. I am a huge fan of anything creamy, so I was very happy with this.

All in all, Daverro is a great place to go if you want to enjoy the sunshine, and have a conversation with something in a serene and pretty environment. I would highly recommend the place for tea and a dessert! The staff are all extremely friendly, and are good conversationalists. I think I would like to try it again, perhaps for dinner so I can sit in the beautiful outdoor area.

Sara

Davvero Caffé E Cucina

Monday - Tuesday (7:30am - 3:30pm)

Wednesday - Saturday (7:30am - 10:30pm)

Sunday (8:30am - 3:30pm)

882 Beaufort St, Inglewood

http://www.davvero.com.au

Dining with the Pair: Kuza

There weren't a whole lot of places open on New Years Day, so when we came across Kuza in Vic Park, we thought we'd give it a go. It has a very modern and more upmarket interior, with a monochrome colour scheme and a feature wall filled with various Japanese wines and sake bottles.

The menu is quite expansive, with plenty of choice for sashimi, sushi rolls, entrees, and even lunch sets.

Our drink:

Iced rose tea

We ordered drinks first while perusing the menu, and the drink that caught our eye was this amazing iced rose tea with lychee, strawberries and mint. This was a most refreshing and tasty iced tea, especially given the high temperature that day. The tea flavour itself was very mild, but the rose and lychee was a really lovely combination. It was sweet without being sickly and the fruit added great flavours to the drink. I absolutely love rose flavoured anything, so this was definitely a winner for myself.


Our food:

Seafood pancake

Our first entree to arrive was this modern take on the お好み焼き(okonomiyaki), or Japanese seafood pancake. This particular version was quite nice, though the seafood flavour was not that strong, and the overall consistency was not as thick and doughy as the traditional ones. Other than that, it was still a nice start to our meal.

Fried crumbed oysters

This was a really interesting dish. Fried oysters covered with panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), and served with a potato and mayonnaise sauce. I personally found the crumbed exterior to be too overpowering for the oysters, however, the dipping sauce was the most delicious surprise! It tasted like a very gourmet potato salad, and was well flavoured and complemented the oysters really well. It was definitely one of my favourite touches from this place.

Crab croquettes

The crab croquettes were quite nice, but very potato heavy with barely any crab, or at least crab that could be tasted. It came with a very nice topping of mushrooms, which was cooked well.

Miso eggplant

This is one of my favourite dishes to order at Japanese restaurants! The one I like the most so far is at Satsuki, and while this one was definitely one of the better entrees, it just doesn't quite compare. Still tasty though, so I can't complain!

On to the mains! I simply had to get the うなぎ (unagi = eel) lunch set. Anything that comes in a set is always fine by me. Possibly one of the many reasons I am always travelling to Japan. The cutest touch to this set was that the 卵(egg) was branded with the restaurant's name!

Serena decided to try one their ramen. She went with the original ramen with pork. The main thing is that it came with a soft boiled egg, which not enough ramen dishes seem to come with! Other than that, the broth was quite tasty and the pork well cooked.

Overall:

The place was quite nice, and prices were pretty average, contrary to my initial impression. The dishes all came out in a timely manner, and overall it was a pleasant meal. Probably not one of my top choices for Japanese, however it was great to try a new place!

Sara

Dining with the Pair: Kailis Bros

It was a grey and rainy day, but we decided nothing could stop us from getting our seafood fix. This was our first time dining at Kailis Bros for lunch, and it proved to be just as good as we had expected.

There's the fish market on one side, with plenty of fresh fish and seafood on display for purchase. And then on the other side is the restaurant, a great balance of homely and formal, with ample space between tables. The staff were all very friendly and were quick to provide an activity sheet for our little guest.

Our food:

To start off with I ordered a variety of oysters! There were the natural oysters, which were fresh and tasty with a squeeze of lemon, the kilpatrick and my personal favourite (and quite the novelty) a tempura version with wasabi mayo. It was so light and crunchy, without that heavy batter taste and just tasted absolutely delicious.

For my main I went with a fish pie which was so large! But it was so tasty, I still managed to finish it all. The pastry was light and flaky, and the inside was a creamy fish stew with potatoes and other vegetables. Definitely worth a try!

Overall:

A great place to go if you want a nice atmosphere to chat in. The specials menu is really interesting and the dishes are a little more unique than the standard menu, which is always a nice change.

Happy eating!

Sara

Sugar and Nice

Monday - Sunday (7am - 11pm)

101 Oxford St, Leederville

http://www.kailisbrosleederville.com.aua

Dining with the Pair: Sugar and Nice, Inglewood

Sugar and nice is a sugar lover's paradise. If you're needing a bit of a sugar kick, this bakery has got lots of baked goodies and an interesting selection of vintage trinkets to peruse in while your food is getting ready. Glass jars filled with childhood favourites like fruit loops and sherbet cones mixed with the accompanying scent of sugar in the air were enough to get me feeling like a kid in a candy store. So when I saw the crowded counter topped with cupcakes, cookies and brownies (oh my!),  my excitement level had peaked. Despite the small seating area, we managed to get a table straight away, giving me some time to snap some photos and deliberate some more over what I should try from the cabinet next time. Apologies for the lower quality photos, the place was quite dimly lit and it was getting dark outside but hopefully you get the idea :)

Our drinks:

Chai latte

Milky and topped with cinnamon sugar (how could they not?). The chai flavour could've been a bit stronger as after eating all our sweet treats I needed something to balance out the sweetness. Intrigued by the pretty pink liquid, Sara ordered the rose lemonade (on the drink shelf in the first photo) and although I'm personally not a fan of carbonated drinks I did try a few sips. The rose flavour was strong and I can imagine this would make the perfect summer picnic drink. While we were trying our drinks, the man on the table next to us asked if he could use our sugar pot for his coffee so perhaps there needs to be some sugar packets or pots available on every table?

Our food:

Cookie dough cronut

Coated in a icing glaze, white chocolate drizzle, a sphere of egg free cookie dough then finished with a sprinkle of crunchy granulated sugar on top; this cronut was definitely more exciting then the usual filled ones. The inside revealed lots of golden flaky layers and a surprise lighter cookie dough flavoured mousse which helped to emphasise the flavour in every bite. There were lots of different components but they all worked together without being overwhelmingly sweet.

Raspberry and white chocolate blondie

A good sized slab of buttery, crumbly goodness with bursts of chewy dried cranberries and a slight saltiness from the pistachios, this was a blondie done right. Blondies tend to err on the too sweet side since they are made from white chocolate especially when there's dried fruit involved but this blondie had a great balance between salty and sweet.

Overall

A great tea time place with a large selection of tempting treats. My only suggestion would be to have a drink menu on display so people are aware of prices and what's on offer before they reach the counter. Also a glass of water would have been nice to accompany the food just to wash down the sweetness a bit. Other than that this place is worth a visit to try their creative cronut flavours, I guarantee your sweet tooth craving will most definitely be satisfied!

Dishes for the next visit: Mac and cheese (my all time favourite!),  the cookies and cream slice and the milo and fruit loops cronut 

Notes

~ Small breakfast/brunch/dessert options but mostly cabinet food

~ Vegan, nut and dairy free options available

Serena

Sugar and Nice

Monday - Friday (7am - 5pm)

Sunday (8am - 5pm)

882 Beaufort St, Inglewood

https://www.facebook.com/sugarandnice882

Dining with the Pair: Pixel Coffee Brewers

There's something magical about going out early in the morning when the city is not yet awake and everything is so peacefully quiet that even a casual breakfast becomes an exciting adventure, a reward for dragging yourself out of bed. Today, this reward came in the form of Pixel Coffee Brewers.

Arriving in Leederville just a few minutes past 7, the usual hustle and bustle of the brunch food strip was absent and everything was dark apart from an inviting glow coming out from a tiny little store with mismatching blankets and little succulents out front. Walking into Pixel, you instantly feel a little at home with it's grand total of four tables and a counter, fresh flowers on every table and quirky mermaid prints on the walls. Even though the area was so small, it's not claustrophobic as the white walls and long wooden tabletops do well to open up the space. I was surprised to see people already ordering coffee and food from the cabinet but with just the right amount of quiet chatter, no noisy coffee machines and the smell of food cooking; I can see why this cosy café makes the ideal early morning hang out.

Menu

The menu is just as minamilist as the decor with only seven dishes on the breakfast menu however I still had trouble deciding on just one. I was a bit sad that the pix plate was off the menu.



Our drinks:

Chai latte

Not very sweet and topped with a thick layer of glossy foam (as in one quarter of the drink was foam!) and my favourite crusty cinnamon sugar top. It had a good amount of spice and tasted more authentic then those chai lattes made from pre-made powder mixes and syrups favoured by most franchises. Something I liked was that it was served at a good warm temperature since I always am too eager to try my drink and end up with a burnt mouth.

Queen Rose: A blend of organic Fujian (China) white peony and rose petals ($5.60)

A light colour with the most delicate, floral perfume, this tea tasted just as dainty as the smell. The tea leaves come in a porcelain strainer and you can ask for more hot water for free top ups, which is good value for your money.

Flat white ($4.00)

I don't drink coffee but it certainly looked beautiful in the pale blue crockery.  D ended up ordering a second cup of coffee in a different blend to have with the cake and said that it was just as good as Typika.

Our food:

Pumpkin plate: Wood fired organic sourdough, roast pumpkin, two poached eggs, herbed cream cheese, maple almonds and herb salad. *grain or rye available ($17.50)

I tend to choose the sweeter breakfast options but today I felt like a savoury egg dish. The poached eggs were slightly firmer than expected but thankfully still had a runny yolk. The pumpkin was quite hard making it tough to cut through but tasted nice with the soft cheese and crunchy nuts and seeds scattered around the plate. The herbs were fresh and helped to lighten the dish despite it's hearty elements. Maybe I was a bit more hungry than usual but I felt like it could've done with another slice of bread especially as the slices were on the smaller side and there was enough toppings to eat with it.

Stormy mushrooms: Soft polenta, two poached eggs, mushrooms, parmesan and kale chips ($20.90)

As suggested in the name, this is an ideal winter dish with the rich yolks from the egg mixing with all the crispy crunchy elements served on a bed of smooth polenta. It looked delicious and stands out against the usual mushies dish served with poached eggs, tomatoes and toast.

5 grain porridge: Quinoa, brown rice, millet, buckwheat, amaranth puffs, pistachio, maple, blackberry poached pear and flowers *gluten and dairy free ($13.90)

Sara ordered the porridge, which is totally out of character since she is firmly against ordering porridge and museli out (unlike me who loves a good café porridge). Luckily for her, she was very pleased with her choice and found it just as filling as a traditional hot breakfast although she thought the pear was a bit too hard. I also had a taste and loved the natural sweetness and nutty, oaty blend of grains used.

I know you're thinking, 'Cake for breakfast? Really?' but once you've scrolled through pages of photos of their made in house, beautiful whole cakes topped with flowers, meringues, fresh fruit and dripping with icing on their instagram page; we could not walk out of Pixel without trying some. Since we were there so early, there was only two half cakes on offer: lemon raspberry cake and hummingbird cake.

Hummingbird cake

A thick slab of carrot slice with a nice layer of cream cheese frosting which was so moist that it didn't become a crumbly mess when you cut a piece. Mixed into the cake were pecans for an added crunch, pineapple, carrot and then it was topped with freeze dried raspberries for a slight tang and the obligatory flowers. I was very impressed with the serving size and taste of this cake.

Raspberry, pistachio and rose water slice

Totally instagram worthy with its pretty pastel layers, this slice was definitely the best looking thing on display this morning. Served cold, the flavours were subtle with an almost icey texture and would make a great treat in summer. Like most raw treats, it wasn't too sweet. I personally preferred the hummingbird cake better but Sara loved this slice particularly the base.

Overall

It was easy to see the thought that went into the presentation with a simple bowl of porridge jazzed up with a sprinkle of seeds and colourful flowers. Even though we walked in almost right on opening time, the staff were friendly and prompt; bringing us menus straight away and showing us to our seats. They were also well informed on the taste of the different coffee blends and gave us helpful suggestions on which foods to try from the cabinet. Thanks for a great start to the morning Pixel!

Dishes for the next visit: Stormy mushrooms, acai bowl and more cake (hopefully the vanilla and rose cake)

Rating: 8.7 stars out of 10

Notes

~ Limited seating (4 inside tables, bar counter and outside seating)

~ Orders are taken for and paid for at the counter

~ Breakfast is served daily until 2:00pm

~ Vegetarian and gluten free options are available

~ No bookings

Serena

Pixel Coffee Brewers

Monday - Saturday (7am - 3pm)

Sunday (8am - 3pm)

2/226 Oxford St, Leederville

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pixel-Coffee-Brewers/796134963789800?sk=timeline

Dining with the Pair: Sapore Espresso Bar

Red velvet pancakes? Gourmet thick shakes? Yes, please.

Sapore Espresso Bar is a trendy cafe located opposite the Belmont Forum Shopping Centre on Belmont Avenue. They incorportate seasonal local ingredients in their dishes and make their own baked goods, sauces and sides including baked beans and granola. Their dedication to making good tasting food and gorgeous pictures of their pancakes, it made it onto our must-try brunch places list.

Arriving just before lunch time, it was pretty quiet so we chose a cosy table in the corner. The breakfast menu is two pages long and full of interesting sounding dishes so we were spoilt for choice.


Our drinks:

Choc-peanut butter shake ($8.50)

I ordered the choc-peanut butter shake which was served in a glass mason jar with luscious swirls of chocolate sauce on the side of the glass, a mountain of whipped cream, vanilla ice-cream and topped with chocolate coated peanuts. Even though drinking out of mason jars seems like a trend of the past, it was perfect for appreciating the layered elements of the drink. With a light chocolate flavour and a hint of salty peanut butter, it tastes like a more creamy and less artificially sweet tasting reese's peanut butter cup.

Choc-peanut butter shake (left) and caramel popcorn shake (right) for $8.50 each

Sara had the salted caramel popcorn shake which was also topped with ice-cream and cream but with caramel popcorn instead of the peanuts. The flavour wasn't as strong as the chocolate peanut butter one and tasted like a slightly buttery version of salted caramel. The popcorn topping was crisp and tasty unlike the popcorn you can get at the supermarket that is thickly coated with too sweet caramel, which would go all soggy when used as a decoration. Both drinks were thick and creamy, not too sweet and well worth the price.


Our food:

Red velvet pancakes ($18.90) 

~ with cream cheese ganache, berry compote and vanilla ice-cream

These pancakes are the ultimate birthday pancakes. They're more of a dessert but included on the breakfast menu so as we both have a love for all things sweet, it didn't take any convincing to order this. It is on the breakfast menu 

The pancakes were thick without being dry and dense with a slight cocoa flavour. Overall the pancakes weren't that sweet so the ice cream added that note of sweetness which complemented the slightly sour berry coulis and delicious cream cheese ganache. I could not get enough of the cream cheese ganache! I just need a jar of that goodness and I'm set for life. The picture of utter decadence and beautifully presented, it tasted just as good as it looked and I highly recommend you giving it a try.

Red velvet pancakes (front)

Corn fritters with tomato avocado salsa and two poached eggs ($17.50)

A staple at many cafes, the humble corn fritters dish is not always done well. Thankfully, that was not the case today. Three well sized corn fritters that were packed with corn and not at all too doughy (a tragedy that occurs at many cafes) were also perfectly seasoned. You know it's a good dish when you can eat individual elements and it still tastes delicious. The fritters tasted even better paired with the fresh salsa and the smooth yolk that ran out from the poached eggs. Another stunning dish.

Overall

The service was friendly and efficient, the atmosphere comfortable and spacious and the food generously portioned and stunning. Like true food lovers, we finished everything we ordered. Altogether, this led to a satisfying brunch that left me well stuffed and put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. I'm already planning another visit to try those truffle scrambled eggs and the breakfast board that I had my eye on today.

Notes

~ Orders are taken for and paid for at the counter

~ Breakfast is served daily until 2:00pm, lunch is served daily from 12:00-2pm

~ Vegetarian and gluten free options are available

~ Toilets are available inside the cafe and are clean and well equipped

~ Free wifi inside :)

Serena

Sapore Espresso Bar

Open 7 days a week

4/275 Belmont Avenue (corner Fulham Street), Belmont

http://saporeespressobar.com.au