Lunch at Gordon st Garage Coffee/Bar/Kitchen

My very last RDO was a few weeks ago, and it will be the last for a long while. This meant it's time to enjoy it the only way possible - organising for my epic holiday and of course catching up for a very late lunch with a good friend.

After practically running across the city (very fast walking pace from one end of Hay street to another - east to west) to get to Gordon St. Garage. An old warehouse turned breakfast, lunch, dinner, late night dining area. Exposed lights, air-conditioning units with lots of different areas for dining - upstairs, outside, main area. A little canteen like, for some reason reminded me of school/university and of course very much like Little Creatures in Fremantle.

Jojo and I were served by a lovely French waiter who has only been in Perth for a few months and will be travelling around Australia and New Zealand in another few months time. Sounds rather bliss. I don't think my travel bug will ever be extinguish. Anyway, he recommended us the soup of the day, but we both weren't in the mood and it just wasn't cold enough at the time. It was sunny and warm, despite it being close to the start of winter.

We started off the afternoon with a flat white for Jojo and a Zenzero, ginger beer with ginseng and apple (warning it is alcoholic) for me. Zenzero was refreshing and did not taste alcoholic at all, but the taste of ginseng, ginger and apple was all there. Delicious in a drink.

Our mains followed a while later. 

Jojo opted for the open pork sandwich with a side of coleslaw.It was served on a wooden slab, which at the moment is all the rage for serving dishes. It was most definitely open sandwich and the bread (not sure what kind because I didn't get a chance to have a proper look) was definitely well toasted and possibly grilled too. I was lucky to have a taste of the chutney and the pork. The chutney was flavoursome and so was the pork but nothing that was outstandingly amazing.

I got myself a quinoa and lamb kofta on a bed of pita bread. The lamb kofta was delicious and the quinoa (one of the super foods prounced "Keen-Wah" NOT "qui-no-a") added that bit of dimension to the chickpeas/hummus and vegetables. I felt rather healthy eating it too! However, the downside was the pita bread was a little tough and definitely was left in the oven a little too long. Like the open sandwich it was served on a wooden slab, which is all very cute, if not a little small for my dish, as I keep getting quinoa rolling out around everywhere, and didn't help that I couldn't cut into the pita bread. Nevermind, it was great lunch, just ate it like 2-year-old. 

Of course an RDO lunch is never complete without dessert. We decided to share a piece and after having a look at their cake selection and their little dessert cabinet consisting of pannacotta, mousse etc. After much deliberation, we settled for the peanut butter gateau/wafer cake thing and was also recommended by one of the waitresses.

It was most definitely peanut buttery and the wafer/biscuit thing at the bottom was chewy and crunchy all at the same time, a nice textural difference to the creamy peanut buttery taste and the dark chocolate. It was a little bit hard to crack through though and again a little messy, but hey at least it tastes great.

Gordan st. Garage is your little casual chilled place to catch up. The female toilets also have an awesome mirror to freshen up from head to toe. The service is a little slow, even at 3pm and there was hardly anyone there, or it is because it was 3pm and there was hardly anyone that caused the slow in service? The one thing I love about this place though is the desserts and you can usually get the full and fresh range in the mornings. They also open late Monday to Sunday meaning you can get your coffee and dessert fix at any time! BONUS.

The food? I don't rate it as amazing and it isn't bad. It's decent and the dessert selection is what is probably going to be bringing me back.

Getting my Sweet Fix

I've been eating out a fair bit recently so feeling rather fat (more eating less exercise - not a good combo..and anyway have to save $$$) anyway, the first Saturday of April was pretty much the last weekend of the French Film Festival, and my little cousin and I went and watched our last pre-booked tickets - Meet Me In Real Life. Lucky for us we didn't have to spend any money on dinner because mum made a traditional Burmese dish (one of my favourites) which was just fantastic!

This meant that we can get desserts! What better place than going to Sweet Fix! Located on James street downstairs from Utopia (used to be a little Utopia.. and next to Immigration offices). It has all sorts of Asian desserts, including ice kachang, tau fu fah (soya bean desserts), ice creams (home made of course) - durian, green tea, black sesame ice cream (all homemade) and of course bubble teas.

It's small place, decorated with brightly coloured stools and mismatched furnishings. The decor is nothing spectacular, perhaps a little tacky, but the area is chilled, relaxed and comfortable.

I had the green tea ice-cream and unlike other places you can actually taste the green tea powder - matcha action-packed! Finally found one that reminds me of Tokyo! and topped with red bean it was just the right sweet fix that I needed. In fact, I thought it was rather generous serving of ice-cream for about $3.50-$4.00. 2 big scoops.

Green tea ice cream with red bean paste

Little cousin got the ice kachang minus the cream corn. The ice was nice and fine and wasn't too chunky so you don't feel as though you were eating big pieces of ice - so props to that. It had this really strong banana flavoured smell through it though (do not like banana flavoured things.. just the smell and taste is so artificial.. well duh!). Not bad though, and cousin reckons sweet fix does one of the better ice kachangs.

Ice Ka-Chang

Overall, Sweet Fix provides you with a nice Asian dessert fix without a huge expense and without the massive lines seen at Meet Fresh. It's also more chilled and relaxed and you don't feel rushed, nor is it noisy. So why not get your sweet fix on?

Standing Room Only

One of my favourite coffee places in the city is the Standing Room Only. It is located in Picadilly arcade,a little room where there are only bar stools in one corner and only enough room for people to stand around and wait until their coffee order is ready. It's there for you to get good coffee and get it quickly. And at coffee happy prices (with good coffee to boot) why wouldn't you stand around and wait?

At Standing Room Only, the selection of coffee blends are extensive. They have their default house blend, which I believe changes every now and then, then there is a single origin guest and a single origin bean by 5 senses (which is one of my faves!). They provide filtered coffee only. Usually filter coffee aren't the best but Standing Room makes it with love and with all the apparatus on display, you know they know what they are doing.

There is also a choice of brewing methods, which is pretty cool, it ranges from espresso, syphon, V60, pour over and cold-drip. If you aren't a coffee nerd and not sure what it all means, just ask the friendly staff there and they will be more than happy to explain.

The guys here have made me change my mind about the whole coffee brewing process. Perhaps it is possible to get good filtered coffee, well, at least at Standing Room Only (can't guaranteed other places will..)...

I love their long macchiato, they are pretty good, in fact have an espresso, the coffee here really shouldn't be masked by anything else.

This place for your coffee lovers, no frills, just good coffee with friendly staff. And if they aren't swamped by orders have a chat and learn a little about how to concoct a good coffee, or the different types of coffee beans or the difference between filtered and non-filtered coffee and different methods of brewing. You be amazed by what's available out there and the taste difference.

coffee break

It's rather exhausting shopping for homewares, manchester, furniture etc.

So after a yet another day of shopping (seeing as shopping days are limited to Thursday, Friday night shopping and weekends it's taking a while) my parents and I decided to take a break over coffee, latte for me and cappacino for my parents and of course a lovely lemon tart to go with it. The lemon tart was zesty with a touch for sweetness and crumbly pastry - surprisingly balanced lemon tart and the coffee, wasn't burnt and wasn't too milky and was decently made.

Lucky for me, the only thing left to buy for the house is a vacuum and perhaps more decorating stuff, which I can get anytime.

Coffee on rainy days

Nothing is more charming and alludes warmness than exposed walls tight corners with black leather sofas. It screams New York!

That's what Brew-Ha in subiaco is. Oozing with coolness and yet still warm.

It's especially good to just sit in the corner leather sofa drinking a flat white and eating this perfectly balance of sweet and tangy (and not too over-powering) passionfruit tart and catching up with an old friend, whilst outside it's pelting down with rain.

The cherry on the cake would have to be that you also just finished yet another hell-ish Saturday shift on one of the busiest wards ever!

Life's great!

*hearts*

“I love how it makes me feel- it’s like my heart is trying to hug my brain!”

-30 Rock Kenneth Parcell (talking about coffee)

oh sweet coffee~!

His voice fliters through the room of gossiping females getting updates about their weekend happenings, "Would anyone like coffee before the meeting?", little to no-one pays attention to him, except the girl with rosey red lips that sits on the edge of the table with her arms acrossed her chest grasping her black file, "Yes, I will, I'm dying for a coffee!".

The boy and girl look at each other for a moment, both unsure of what to make of it, both hoping to go together..
They head across to the silver elevator doors, walking so closely together, despite their being so much room around them. Ever slighly careful not to brush, and yet hoping they will. Her black elbony hair bouncing behind her - she thinks to herself - thank god I'm having a great hair day!.

The silence builds between them and she lets loose a large smile, a nervous giggle and exclaims "I'm dying for a coffee!". He looks across to her and he smiled, "So, I'm guessing you are a big coffee fan then?", "I'm totally addicted" she flashed her smile again, "Aren't you?"

Their body relaxes as their enter the elevator and conversation starts to flow. Both only having eyes for one another.

Just  before the lift touches the ground.. he leans over and whispers into her ear "I think I may be falling for you.." Her ivory cheeks powdered red and her ears burn with those words as a smile escapes her lips and she whispered back.. "I think I've already fallen.. will you catch me?"