25 Francis St
Perth Cultural Centre
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9427 3102
http://www.aromacafe.com.au/
Hours:
Mon-Thu 7:30 - 19:00
Fri-Sun 7:30 - 17:00
The coffee is not bad, but a bit bland, weak if you prefer, and you'll need a long macchiato for the coffee to taste like the flat-white you want.
Their food is OK. They have a varied selection of hot pastry food (pies, sausage rolls), sandwiches, pannini, muffins, quiches, and daily hot dishes (mostly pasta based, although they also have schnitzels) and fresh salads. They all are tasty (and better than many take-aways around), and the staff is very accommodating regarding any variation you want. Still the pasta can be soggy and overcooked if you go late lunch times. The latest addition to the sweet section are little colourful macaroons, which are surprisingly good.
The place is very functional, with clean lines, photos of the the old library hanging from the wall, and lovely orange chairs outside, which really cheer the place up. Their outdoor seating area is very pleasant, as it has a sort of mini-pool in front of it, and is very summery and enjoyable when the weather is good; however, the seagulls also like it, and they can become an annoyance if they see you eating or there are left overs on other tables. The café can be noisy, and it is crowded most times of the day, but I still find it pleasant to catch up with colleagues, and it is family and children friendly. Most of the visitors of the café are staff from the State Library, TAFE and ATO, the occasional backpacker and TAFE student, mums/dads/grandparents with kids, and some others droppers by needed of a quick stop to refuel.
The service is t-e-r-r-i-f-i-c regarding friendliness and efficiency, especially having into account the huge amount of visitors they have, all day long, for both take-away and indoors. All the staff are terrific, and you will rarely find a grumpy, rude or nosey waiter/waitress there. They treat you with courtesy and respect, and work their socks off every single day. They serve you f-a-s-t!
My main complaint is the coffee beans they use, and that I would like changed to produce a coffee that has more taste and creaminess. The place is very nice per se, and I think they could improve it and make it more funky, by reorganising the seating area indoors with more individual or 2-people tables, and change a bit the decoration, so it is less plain, less library-ish and more inner city style - make the place trendier and more intimate! There must be a way to deter those annoying seagulls outside. They have a loyalty card system.
