Tannic Teeth

So you’re fresh from your Christmas holidays with the crisp white pages of 2010 to unfold. Your desk is eerily vacant and suspended in time from the last joyous hours of 2009. You’re back into the daily grind till the cooling days of Autumn brings Easter (with more festivities). You also know what’ll help you along the days is coffee. Bitter, sweet, luscious and hot. And if you’re lucky enough to work in West Perth and be in need of the bean, there may be a little (coffee) house right up your alley (literally).

Pony Express O is a coffee house in reverse. Like me, you could be forgiven to think you’ve come through the rear, or heaven forbid, behind the bar. But you’d be wrong. If you’re trying to be smart and go on the other side of the bar, you’ll be faced with another expresso machine. Clearly the function of this coffee house is bring you to the steamy face of coffee. You get to see the extraction as clearly as the barista. This used to be the Ashton Stables, the building is now heritage listed. The space has been transformed. Art hangs from the walls, high airy ceilings upon to a faux-grassed lane-way under umbrellas. The only equine link is the rib-nudging name, Pony Express O. Get it. Hah Hah.

The brain-child of Garret of Blink in South Fremantle,  it carries some of those elements. Smart use of space, clear access to expresso machines, a funky coin payment system and above all else, fine coffee. Crema is his choice of bean. Get to know it. It’s the new Fiori. His attitude is casual, inquisitive and friendly. It’s a communal joint, where you’ll see regulars popping in, picking up conversations where they left off, and others lounging about reading books and eating their lunches. There is a bring-your-own-lunch policy here. Pony Express O plays its cards well, limited sweet pickings in favour of BYO. Bring your books too or read the paper, and use the foot massager. Yes that’s right. A foot massager.

Pony Express O

21 Mayfair Street West Perth

If you’ve been trundling down St Georges Terrace in the past few months, no doubt you would have seen the construction of one of Perth’s most anticipated small bars slash restaurants. The Greenhouse.

Drawn from the valiant effort of its older sister in Melbourne, Perth’s version has the rooftop garden (complete with veggie patch, fruit trees, and herb rows) and that oh so intriguing external lattice. Yes, those are individual terracotta pots. Yes, strawberries. Hundreds of them.

The idea here is simple. Be green. Minimise the carbon foot print. Make us scratch our heads over the energy inefficient lives we live. From the straw-bale insulation to the recycled plastic-container reinforced concrete, every effort has been made to reduce, reuse and recycle. More planning has gone into this than meets the eye. It’s one of those light bulb moments, where the environment and architecture have combined. It’s the way it should have always been. Ecologically sound, holistic approached. In many ways, The Greenhouse is leading by example.

On the menu you’ll find offerings for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All ingredients are sourced from producers either biodynamic or organic. Crushed peas & basil, poached eggs & toast to break your fast, or the tomato & goats curd tart, mixed leaves, aged balsamic for a midday feast, and dinner time it looks like a tapas. Piquillo pepper & manchego croquettes and pig head & trotter terrine, pickled cherries. Yum. And very reasonably priced.

It’s an interesting little zone, the Greenhouse. It’s unbleached, organic and recycled. It’s unapologetic hippy-esque nature lends to the charm. There is a prodigiously young staff-ship who look like they’re on their way to a Copenhagen; chirpy, hard-wired for action, in the first flush of youth.

Can’t wait to see those strawberries bloom. And for the place to put down roots.

The Greenhouse

100 St. Georges Terrace
Perth WA 6000

Mon & Tues 7am – 5pm

Wed to Sat 7am -12am

It has become somewhat of a Perth institution that lead the way into opening up the now gilded King St. From what used to be warehouse storage and a no-go zone of Perth, the change has been, to use a sorrowful pun – dramatic.

King St Cafe AKA 44 King St, is a contemporary Australian menu with offerings from pizza to cous cous in a laid back atmosphere. It stares across the street at Tiffinay and Louis. Quite possibly the classiest street in Perth.

For ten years it’s been operating, churning out it’s own breads, roasting it’s own coffee and providing the people of Perth a friendly, artisanal experience.

Not a bad environment to be in, when you’re sipping to the cup of inspiration. The coffee is very well made and fruit toast is amazing.

Speaking of amazing, the wine list is probably one of the best in the state. Any (Australian) wine worth its salt you’ll find gracing the carte de vin.

The place is decked out with the functioning bakery at the back, mirroring the other side where a coffee roaster sits flanked with rows of roasted beans. It adds to the grass-roots feel of the place, the open air kitchen pushes further the theatre of food. You may stay longer than you had intended, for this is what happened on this particular day.

And if you were after a live performance of whatever takes your fancy, His Majesty’s it’s less than 30 meters away.

7am till Late every day

44 King St Perth

Take your time. Enjoy.

I acknowledge it has been a while since the last small bar review because life seems to have its way of insisting to apply more attention to where it’s needed most.

So it was refreshing that to get back into a small bar late on a sunny afternoon in Fremantle.

Mrs Brown is the name. And she ain’t as boring as she sounds.

As the story goes Queen Victoria had a little thing for a Scottish servant called John Brown. Perhaps it was more than the companionship he offered or how he fiercely protected her. Either way, Vicky and John became something of an informal item, hence her name Mrs Brown. The location of the small bar (not the late monarch) is on Queen Victoria Street. The location of the bar is a good enough excuse for that name, I say.

You could be forgiven into thinking that this place brings back memories of The Stanley. In some ways it does.

There is a Flipside burger bar next door, and patrons are welcome to bring food over.

Even decor of the bar feels the same. Shabby-chic. Retro meets federation. Have a squiz at the portrait of Mrs Brown and spot the 10 modern elements. Check out the crazy welded lighting feature or play with the magnetic words. It’s mature-age fun.

Wines appear from across the international board, there is one tap beer and the rest are well selected bottles. A top range of spirits crown the shelves, Hendrick’s Gin appears to make an impromptu feature along the stairwell wall.

Grab a burger from next door, sit down with a G & T and watch the world blur by.

Mrs Brown

241 Queen Victoria Street

North Fremantle

P:  9336 1887

Monday to Saturday – open to midnight
Sunday – open to 10 pm.

While some small bars are going for a specific experience, there are others that take a broad canvas approach and hit all bases with a good deal of effort. There can be space for good meals, a casual sit down coffee, and when the time calls for it, a stand up bar.

Places like these are few and far between. One of those happens to be The Cabin.

Now the first thing you will notice as you walk up the set of steps towards The Cabin is the dedicated disabled access lift. Big tick in my book. Another thing is theme. They have gone all out — and seemingly no expense spared — to deck the place in a cozy ski lodge feel. Exposed brick, unpolished wooden tables. Faux taxidermy hangs from the walls and real hides on the floor. Pity it doesn’t snow in Perth.

The kitchen placed on that side of the bar, still declares it’s presence. The menu during the week is serious enough to stop any grumbling tummies where as on Friday and Saturday the focus shifts towards grazing-tapas style offerings. Coffee? Sure, take a seat. Inside or on the balcony? The given name of bistro is not far off the mark. It’s a kind of flexible fusion between small bar and petit restaurant.

The beverage cross-hair is smack bang on wines. The list has been chosen by the former sommelier of Must Wine bar whose name escapes me. It’s quietly considered, with not one New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc offered by the glass. Drink their great Rieslings offered instead. Reds are Australian or from our Latino brethren across the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

With Summer on its way, it’ll be cocktails and chilled whites. For there could be, short of one of life’s guiltier pleasures, to overlook ‘The Strip’ in Mt Hawthorn, cold Riesling in hand and watch the sun pull it’s dying veil from the city. And wish for snow on a 40 degree day.

The Cabin

174 Scarborough Beach Road. (Cnr Coogee St)

Monday to Friday - midday to 12.00 midnight

Saturday - 9am – 12.00 midnight

Sunday – 9am – 10.00pm

If I were to tell you there’s a small bar where you can take a burger or pizza from next door, plonk yourself down on plump sofa, order a sinister bottle of red and the staff would be cool with that, you would think I’m telling a porky pie.

But there is. It’s approachable, friendly and fosters a sense of community. It’s called The Stanley.

A relatively new small bar situated next to the Flipside burger bar, The Stanley offers a casual yet classy approach to the small bar scene. There is no socialite premise here, of course if you want to mingle so be it, but it’s also nice to just sit on the plush array of sofas and chairs (there is even a chaise longue) and soak up the house party like atmosphere. Rearrange the small chairs to your group’s liking. It’s no biggie.

If you’re coming here, don’t think about cocktails. There is not a Boston Shaker to be seen. You will however find rows of Riedel O (funky stemless wine glasses) and a well considered rack of Reds and Whites; with all but two wines offered by the glass. Generally speaking the focal points of wines fall into WA for whites, and South Australia for Red. There are some international runners and I’m sure this will change over time. There are some usual suspects for an international beer list and cider drinkers are not left out in the cold.

The intention for this small bar to be a place where locals can swan down, have a leisurely glass of whatever for whatever, is not far off the mark. It reveals the Irish flare by the management, for something reminiscent of home, seen by the blinged up Jesus and the patron saint of The Stanley. It’s all very cheeky. The Sunday morning priests would be getting hot around the collar. Oh, and check out the toilet door signs. I LOL’D.

It’s a little bit of cheeky ecclesiastical wholesome fun.

Catha-holic.

The Stanely

Wednesday – Thursday 4pm – 11pm

Friday and Saturday 3pm-12pm

Sunday 2pm-10pm

294 Cambridge St, Wembley

08 93474481

Golden King BBQ Express is a place like this:

You order, you eat, you leave. Done.

Any given lunch service will see all tables turn over at least thrice with a queue of takeaway-ers clogging the procession of those filing in. I’ve been shoved onto a table with a complete stranger before. Now sharing a table with a stranger may be one thing, but the food is the reason we all endure such comical economics.

For 5 years I have viewed this haphazard approach to service. Why? Because the food is excellent. Their egg noodles are cooked to perfection, roast duck – tender and char siu draws a queue out the door. They don’t care much about presentation here either. The decor is tacky and all you can really hear is the bone crunching sound of a meat cleaver sectioning off duck, and roast pork. Who cares if the service is rushed, inattentive and lost in translation. When I get my plate of combination wet fried ho-fun and with egg sauce, all is forgiven.

I challenge any reader to find me a better ho-fun anywhere in Perth. And for the price.

Shop 19 Morley Markets

Morley

Monday – Sunday 10am – 9 pm

Phone 9375 666

You’ll have to put your blinkers if you’re sensitive about dining in places that err into third world territory.

Traipse into the James St. Check.

Cross dingy car park. Check.

Enter iron gates to graffitied alley way. Check.

Find chairs and tables, and enter door way.

Welcome to Ezra Pound.

It’s currently the word on everybody’s lips. Ezra Pound. Ezra Pound. Ezra Pound. I just rolls off the tongue like a Tom Collins on a hot spring day. Except it was wild and wooly and I had a Negroni. It still hit the spot even though it was 15C. It was expertly made by owner slash manager Talmage, formerly of 1907 and West End Deli. This is his first venture into the small bar scene. Not bad for a 24 year old.

Ezra’s going for the friendly American neighbourhood bar feel. There’s a table perfect for the dealing of cards, crescents of chairs for playful banter and what looks like pews of a church for something different. The atmosphere is friendly, almost as if this were in some ghetto and we were the privileged few to gain entrance. Some decor is tired, worn and weary. Other parts are plush and new. To pay homage to the man himself – Ezra – there is a book cabinet of various works of poetry.

The main feature here are classic cocktails. Tom Collins, Negroni, Sidecar, Old Fashioned. Don’t be offended if you’re refused a JD’s and Coke. Go elsewhere for that. Wines, are ‘In focus’ meaning a bi-monthly rotation of wine from different producers, acquainting the public with different styles. Not a Sauvignon Blanc to be seen. Horay. Beers follow the same suite.

It’s an of eclectic mix of novelty and nouveau. Coopers longneck in brown paper bags, old (and functional) cash register, signature cocktails in jam jars (courtesy of Matt from Palace Foods). Not entirely un-Northbridge. I half expected to see an ‘old timer’ with shiny skin and white fleecy hair playing the blues on a harmonica. It is Northbridge after all.

Ezra Pound
Williams Lane, Northbridge

(189 William St)

Tuesday 4pm-12am

Wednesday-Saturday 1pm-12am

Sunday 1pm-10pm

Prohibitionatory Charm.

For those that grace Beaufort Street would know there used to be an old shop at 513. Correct me if i’m wrong but was it a kebab shop, right? I remember it because there is a florist further down the road with the most amazing blooms. They’re always beaming towards the sun, perfect to take a few happy snaps.

But I digress.
So there’s going to be a small bar in that retail cavity left behind. I saw the Notice of Application the other week. Yes. It took me a while to actually blog this, and hopefully full renovations are well underway.

Mezza Tapas is the name.

Watch this space.

It’s one of those places where you would go if you wanted to be seen.

That is, it has a VIP lounge, complete with red roped off barriers that overlook the ‘lower loft’ and bar. You would get to rub shoulders with the DJ on any given night and have first preference service. If you were lucky enough — Wolfe Lane has it for you.

Make no mistake about it. This bar is chic. Wolfe Lane echos a lofty ambition of New York – an air of exclusivity, dedecance and no expenses spared. It has high ceilings and modern low key furniture. For all the sparse decorations, the ceiling roses call the strongest from black lacquered candelabras. Less is more in this case.

The wines are a hotchpotch collection of left off centre – the beers also mimic that seam. Spirits are top shelf, and presented as you would expect. It’s a given for a bar who’s focus is on cocktails. For grumbling bellys there is a small tapas menu on offer.

Rumor has it that the Perth Fashion Festival 2009 will wind down there.

Wolfe Lane

Wolf Lane, off Murray St Perth

Phone 93224671

Wednesday – Saturday 2pm – 12am

Sunday 2pm – 10pm

Relax your purse strings and you’ll have a good time.