Tannic Teeth

…and nobody gets hurt.

For this is my manta in the morning.

Okay. I may have a slight caffeine addiction, but I like the feeling caffeine gives to my brain – that tingly masseuse reinvigorating my neural pathways. And it tastes freaking good too, that is, if you have the right beans.

If you are a coffee buff in Perth then you would know 5 Senses. If you don’t know the brand, then I urge you to try them.

Essentially it started out as a PNG coffee grown by a small village in Papua New Guinea called Simbu. The local government funded a project to assist in sustainability and diversification. The coffee is grown on mixed use land so the growers are not reliant on coffee as an income per se.

This has three fold advantage:

• the environment is not cleared for a monoculture – thus biodiversity remains.
• the growers are not subject to punitive prices offered by multinational coffee houses – locking them into a cycle of poverty.
• because the land is mixed use, the growers can give the coffee bushes more attention to pest and disease management whilst still growing other crops for their own subsistence.

I won’t explore the flavour and aroma characteristics of this coffee because I don’t understand enough about coffee to do so.

All I know is, it’s very palatable for the tongue and the conscience.

There are probably only a hand full of restaurants around Perth where you can go at any time of day, day of week and get consistent quality food. Cantina in Mt Lawley is one of those places.

It’s looks like it’s an a small cafe that burst at the seams and spilled tables and chairs into the near by arcade. I’m sure this has been a crafted entrance as much as the menu is every few weeks. Yes I said every few weeks. There are a few dishes that are the mainstay but other than that, the produce is seasonal. I like that transitory nature of things. It keeps things interesting. Interestingly Italian.

The wine list is well chosen with imported reds sharing the carte du vin as much as Aussie ones.

I tried the slow cooked duck cannelloni with pine nuts. It came out bubbling like some primordial lava pool in a stoneware dish that retained the heat long after it disappeared. That was prequeled by seared chorizo with caper berries, The chorizo is as good as it gets this side of the equator. It’s made by local señora, Rosa.

This place is a no brainer if you don’t want to be disappointed.

Cantina 663.

663 Beaufort St, Mt Lawley

I have a friend whom I did some photography for at Belle Bijoux in Subico.

I must admit, womens accessories don’t really catch my fancy, but it was a good opportunity to learn how to use lighting to your advantage. I had brought my flash in preparation to use it, but the ceiling was dark purple. Not really worthwhile when you’re bouncing flash onto a white mannequin.

Bo Ra is the brain child of a friend who enjoys making bows and cute fancy little ‘girly’ things with vintage clothing. They are all unique and hand made. They’re cool and quirky and have the cute factor down pat. The fact the Belle Bijoux has personally selected her items in store says something about Bo’s designs.

If they looked good on me, I’d wear one too.