There's No Place Like Oz

In early 2011, Adam, Nicole, and I kicked off our two-month road trip along the southern coast of Australia. During the trip, we honed our camping skills, battled swarms of insects, visited some of the country’s most beautiful beaches, and of course, ate some delicious food. This post is the final in the road trip series and highlights the tasty eats we found in Western Australia.

Our top finds between the SA/WA border and Perth

Naked Bean Coffee
21 Sanford Road, Albany

While waiting for our cafe of choice to open for brekky, we popped into Naked Bean Coffee. Tucked away in an industrial corner of town, you have to seek this place out to find it — and MAN is it worth it. We placed our orders and took a seat at the long, tall table, grabbing a few food magazines to peruse while the barista made our cappuccinos.

With the first few sips, I knew I had a coffee that was close to perfection. In fact, it was this cappuccino that inspired me to decide on the three best coffees I’d had in my entire year in Australia. By the time I flew home, this cup was still on the list.

York Street Cafe
184 York Street, Albany

Wherever we ate, we usually ordered different dishes so we could taste each others and sample more items from the menu. At York St Cafe, we all chose the brioche french toast with orange rosewater butter. Who needs variety when there is brioche french toast to be had?!

Teahouse Nornalup
6684 South Coast Highway

We almost didn’t stop at the Teahouse, but I am sooo glad we did. On a stretch of road with few options, we pulled into the parking lot with low expectations. Inside, we were surprised to find a quiet place to have lunch and a menu that gave us hope for a nice meal.

Adam and I split the chicken club with beer battered fries. I have no words to describe it other than FOODGASMIC. I have no clue what they did to make the sandwich taste so amazing, but Adam and I both took our first bites and then looked at each other in awe. THIS was a sandwich! And it was the best meal I’d had since a few weeks prior in Melbourne.

Millers Ice Cream
Margaret River region

Sometimes I cheat on the whole dairy free thing and have a coffee or scoop of ice cream. With a handful of fun flavors to choose from, I somehow managed to narrow the selection to a scoop of lime & coconut and a scoop of custard & strawberry. YUM!!

Taste & Graze
Shop 3/16 Mandurah Tce, Mandurah

We were wicked hungry one afternoon and couldn’t find a cafe that seemed worth the visit until we stumbled upon Taste & Graze. I opted for a delicious and healthy sandwich — pumpkin (butternut squash), feta, sundried tomato and rocket on the tastiest baguette I’ve ever had.

Cafes and cakes in Perth

Thank goodness for the food magazines at Naked Bean Coffee in Albany. Without them, Nicole and I wouldn’t have read about Mrs S and Sherbert, two gems located on the same block in Perth. They were both so lovely that we visited each place twice O:-)

Mrs S
178 Whatley Cres, Maylands

If I lived in Perth, Mrs S would be my local cafe. Sun light streams through large windows, locals meet one another for a leisurely chat and coffee, and pretty cakes line the counter. I could easily sit for hours with a cup of coffee and be happy. In fact, I did one day. And the cappuccino won BEST CUP OF COFFEE I HAD IN OZ. Ever.

Adam and I have similar tastes, so we split a sweet and savory dish for brunch.

Coconut bread with citrus curd, mango, and rhubarb — we both LOVED it. One of my favorite meals all year long.

Field mushroom, house baked ricotta, & pesto on ciabatta

We also split the avocado, olive tapenade, goat curd & slow-roasted tomato on rye on a subsequent visit. For dessert, the three of us shared a piece of chocolate sour cream cake.

Sherbert
206B Whatley Crescent

If Mrs S was my happy place, Sherbert was Nicole’s. Just a few shops away from Mrs S, Sherbert is the promised land for any cake lover. Take-away sandwiches, frittatas, and the like are also available.

Photo by Nicole

Every cake looked absolutely scrumptious, but the three of us finally agreed on two flavors to split amongst the group. First was a flourless chocolate and raspberry cake with a thin, glossy layer of chocolate ganache and side of cream. *melts into puddle* We paired this with a coconut cake with a heavenly passionfruit icing. I can’t pick a favorite between the two!

On our way out of town, we stopped by again to pick up a take-away lunch. Adam and I shared two items — a roast butternut squash frittata with basil & feta and free range chicken on sourdough with piquillo peppers, feta, rocket, avocado, and mayo. It was a great dinner to have as we made camp in the middle of nowhere that evening!

Toast
21/60 Royal Street, East Perth

Long before we arrived in Perth, I asked my Twitter pal The Food Pornographer for cafe suggestions. She enthusiastically recommended Toast, and the road trip trio made multiple visits for breakfast or lunch. A couple of our selections were home runs, including my first meal — polenta toast with mushrooms, soft Italian cheese, and parsley.

Photo by Adam

Food in Fremantle (aka Freo)

Fidel’s Cafe

Fidel’s was a cute spot for breakfast. Our coffees were average but the meals were tasty. I think I had pancakes — and maybe they were gluten free? How did I not take notes here?!

Fish & chip ice cream at Kailis

I read about Australia’s first fish & chip ice cream from The Food Pornographer and I had to try it!

Unlike Adriano Zumbo’s fish & chip macaron, I did not find the ice cream enjoyable — so much so that I simply couldn’t eat it. But if you’re in Freo, I highly recommend you give it a go for the novelty factor alone.

Little Creatures Brewery

This spacious, mega trendy yet relaxed brewery/restaurant hosts countless tourists and locals daily. The road trip trio stepped out of the heat and cooled down with a beer before meeting Brooke for dinner (and another beer). If I lived in Freo or Perth, I could see Little Creatures being the “it” place to meet on a Friday or Saturday night with friends.

Australia Roadtrip: The End

This post officially concludes the road trip series!

I’m not sure what I’ll write about next, but rest assured there are plenty more food posts in the near future 🙂