All posts tagged: brunch

Beaches Cafe, Cottesloe

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When it’s 40 degrees in the midday sun, it’s better to wake up early and have a walk along the beach or around the river. So on Boxing Day, we did just that. 9am and the beach was mobbed with people walking and playing with their dogs – it was great to see. We worked up a breakfast hunger and after our walk headed to Cottesloe to get some brunch. The place we went last year for an amazing brunch was unfortunately closed so we wandered down the front and reached Beaches Cafe. It was very busy – probably because it was one of the only places open for breakfast. You order your food at the counter and pay – cash only. As there were 9 of us, we had to pay a deposit and run to the bank. They serve a wide range of juices and smoothies plus hot and cold breakfasts. They also have around three specials each day. One of our party asked for one of the smoothies to be made with …

The first Brunch. Toast, East Perth

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I’m probably one of the luckiest people that passed through Heathrow last weekend. Normally I would be so happy that snow had stuck to the ground but not then. Two days before we were due to fly to Australia, the snow came thick and fast and temperatures dropped to their lowest for 20 years. There was carnage at Heathrow airport, which was the worst affected airport in the country. Great. We weren’t able to get much information as our airlines phone lines were engaged for two days – finally we got through to Heathrow on the morning who said that our flight was scheduled. We arrived to queues to even get into the airport – they weren’t letting you in unless your flight was going. Struggling to hear the Heathrow workers, we stood behind a mass of people eagerly awaiting an announcement. Then it came, our plane had just landed from Singapore – and we were in. Straight to the check in, straight through security and a short wait before we boarded the plane. We …

Lantana – the best brunch in London?

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The Greedy Diva recommended Lantana when we met up shortly after I had visited her hometown of Melbourne. I told her how impressed I was with the breakfasts, brunches and cafe culture in Australia and how frustrating it is to come back to London and not have great food like that widely available. Put it this way, there isn’t a Starbucks on every corner over there. I was in Australia for a month and in that time visited Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. Most of the places that I ate served delicious food and I didn’t have a bad meal (apart from the Vietnamese that some of you may have read about). I was excited by the fact that most places, even little convenience stores sold what appeared to be delicious, delectable homemade banana bread and (I am told) great coffee. Two places that really stood out for me were Fringe in St Kilda, Melbourne and The Food Pharmacy in Dunsborough. Above is French toast with fruit compote and creme fraiche at Fringe. Being a food …

Ginger and White, Hampstead

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Australians are taking over London, yaaaaaaaay! Well, I’d actually like to think so purely based on the fact that they are bringing their incredible cafe culture to London. Please sirs, we want some more! I’m talking about Ginger and White in leafy Hampstead. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better day last Sunday. I woke up at 9, hopped in the car and drove to Hampstead. Nestled down a quiet countryesque lane next to houses built for our shorter predecessors, Ginger and White boasts a cute range of breakfast, brunch, teas and coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker myself but I adore looking at a silky smooth flat White. The first thing you notice as you walk through the door is the vast amount (or maybe it looks vast as the counter is teeny) of home baked cakes, breakfast muffins and pastries. All housed in front of shelves stocked with kilner jars full of pulses and spices and delightful pastel tea sets. Venture further inside and you’ll find a large communal table (above which …