Little Stove, Bicton, 7 to 5 everyday. 2.5 stars

Summary: If you are in the neighborhood

High lights:

• Tasty food (Roasted tomato, goats cheese and ham, and toasted banana bread)
• Nice neighborhood location

Low lights:

• Coffee (Ordinary - had to go and find a good coffee immediately after finishing breakfast)
  
• Mixed service - can you bring coffee but leave all the plates from the previous customers on the table?  That just seems lazy.  Then the same person tried to deliver our food to table already full of food.

Tiger Tiger for Dinner Dinner

Dinner was a a couple of nice glasses of wine, a plowmans and a liver "parfait".  Not sure about the parfait.  Good taste but a bit runny.

I like Tiger, Tiger, this great little ally location, something that is rare in Perth.

Overall an nice experience for Dinner.

Only low spot is that they closed at 7:30 forcing us to rush a little, only later I realized the official close time is  8 (per the web site).  One thing to close a little early if you have no customers, altogether another to push customers out so you can go home 30 minutes early, suggests you are not really serious about your business. Disappointing for a place that I have generally positive feeling towards

Great coffee from the Fiori masters(http://fioricoffee.com/).

http://tigertigercoffeebar.com/

Wild Fig Cafe, Scarborough/North Beach, 2 stars

Extra-ordinary location, ordinary cafe. 

This place reminds me of some of our first Perth experiences, the tables are far apart and when we arrive there is a big thing about about the fact that we have not booked resulting in us getting a table next to the kitchen while ocean side tables go unused for the hour+ we stayed.  Its hard to describe without resorting to profanity just how @#$@! this kind of behavior is.  The only thing that can be said is that it is almost certainty ignorance rather than malice.  It totally feels like they have the model wrong.  How about closer together tables, creating more of a buzz, cheaper prices, super fast sit down and eat service, smiling staff and first come first serviced. Revenues would probably double.

During the meal the spare chair at our table gets removed and replaced several times without so much as node. The waitress trips on my chair leg as she goes by twice, I move the chair and she still trips on it.  Really this is to much, just sloppy and inattentive to the job at hand and the customers

Joys

• The view
• Some imagination in the menu and very well presented food
• Pleasing architecture and decor, although a bit international

Woes

• Dirty table
• Inattentive service (Not really slow in the end, but 5 minutes to bring water is just to much)
• Poorly trained staff

Final Word

• A great location, kind of squandered.
• We won't go again, not for a while away, and we won't look forward to coming back particularly.
• You can't take visitors to Perth here because the service and attitude are just to embarrassing, a real shame. 

33 West Coast Dr
(08) 9246 9222

Amarin Thai, Subiaco, 3 stars

Decor - Looking a little tired from the outside and dated on the inside.  Menu also feels like it needs a bit of an update somehow.

Dinner - Nice food and service
Pork and beans, Shrimp and Duck in a sweet source

Detail:

• 180 Rokeby Road,  6008
• (08) 9381 9494

Bluewater Grill, Applecross, 3.5 stars

We first visited this place in August 2007 and have been back a few times since, although not as much as I would have expected at the time, given that it is always a good experience.  On Tuesday we where back after about a year.

What:

• Natural Oysters (tasty and fresh)
• Barramundi with Lemon butter
• Veffie Pie
• Green salad
• 4 very nice glasses of wine
• $155

Why: All in all a very nice meal and your cannot beat sitting outside on a beautiful warm evening.

When: Lunch and Dinner and breakfast on the weekends (8am onwards).  The breakfast buffet is expensive and not good value.


What's up: The guys really need to get a bar license so we could go and get a glass of wine when we want one. 


Booking (08) 9315 7700, http://www.bluewatergrill.com.au/

Toast - What kind of Toast? East Perth (2.5 Stars)

After reading some reviews I was expecting something special, perhaps the walnut and fig or yummy chewy bagel.  I am thinking a little more sourdough in the end.

Fun

Great location in this quiet little haven away from the traffic. Simple decor with a slight French bent and efficient service.

On this day a cool breeze blows and the cafe buzz is enticing.

Food
Alas, ordinary.

We had the potato, mint and feta pancakes with smoked salmon, poached eggs, sour cream and chives and the fig and walnut toast.  Both not what we hoped.  To much vinegar on the poached egg never impresses and invades the other flavours.  The mint and feta go unnoticed (or perhaps not even present). 

Coffee to was fairly tasteless and far from the best that is around.  Macc, or Tiger Tiger or Mini or any number are way better.

http://toasteastperth.com/

Macc, 19 Blinco St, Fremantle

Some what incongruous in its surroundings.  A mix of residential and old light industrial, this area is in the throws of a significant slow change.  So slow that it is more like Limbo than change, perhaps it waits for the ROE highway extension that could threaten for ever.

Food: Great coffee, basic regular food, cafe like service, overall a great neighbourhood place with the eccentricity of fringe Freo.

For us: Fruit toast and home made Jam and double egg/ bacon on a bun.

Finding: Mon-Thurs + Sat 7am-3pm, Fri + Sun 7am-10pm

Fummary: Not a location destination but great local eatery.

Might be interesting during the week if you can get access to the arts studios in the same building.

Chelsea Pizza, 145 Sterling Hwy, Nedlands

Some of the best Pizza in Perth, a bit of an institution.

The best: FLORENTINA - Prawns, anchovies, mushroom and green capsicum. I am getting hungry writing this...

Open: 5pm to late every night,  http://www.chelseapizza.com.au/

Whisper wine bar, Fremantle

Great wines from the little bar Essex street.

Not sure about the decor inside the ground floor.

La Galette de France, 125 Broadway Rd, Nedlands

This place comes with a big reputation, that always a red flag.  Another review states "La Galette de France makes the entire population of Perth patisseries look like hacks".  There is no doubting that this is good food, not sure it is the best in town.   The service results in the drink coming way after the food leaving me wondering if they talk to each other all.


Food: The spinach quiche has too must spinach, overpowering what should be a delicious egginess and the ham and cheese croissant was a little overcooked.  Still this is a bit picky, overall a delish.

Find: Nedlands and 25 Mends St Shop 3, South Perth

Fummery:  If I am in the area yum, if not won't travel

CNR, Northbridge

Nice coffee.

Avo and Tomato is always a great combination, the home smoked smoked salmon less expertly created.

Nice open relaxing feel.

Cnr of James St and Lake St, Northbridge
Food:  Modern, Avo and Tomato on toast - yum
Hours: 7 till 7pm later on weekends

Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle, 2 stars

Walking through the door is like going back in time 15 years, maybe 20.  Well overdue a face lift.

Had a number of breakfast, lunch and dinners here.  nice enough,

Buffet breakfasts and lunches are good, just a little old fashioned.  The bread is tip top brand, the orange juice not fresh, the scrambled egg to watery, the coffee bitter and flat.  Overall, not bad just really not great.

Dinner consisted of overcooked meat and nicely prepared veggies.

Summary:  My 90 year grandmothers favourite place.

Ventuno Pizzeria, Sydney

I think this could be a favourate place if I lived in Sydney.  Really comfortable feel, friendly people, view out over the water and truly yummy pizza.

Had the Affettato con prosciutto crudo di San Daniele, cacciatorini e olive (Antipasta meat plate) and Mixed green salad and a couple of great glasses of very tasty wine.

http://www.ventuno.com.au/

Fish at the Rocks, Sydney

Nice, Local feel, busy on Monday night and friendly service.  Fresh pasta of the day was amazing, fish and chips less so.....

When I want to share a starter, I want to SHARE a starter - so please don't split it on 2 plates, let me share the plate.

http://www.fishattherocks.com.au/

Lord Nelson Brewing Pub, the Rocks, Sydney

Average, slow bland service, trading on it location and name.  Great sitting outside in the sun.