Funky Cute Perth Blackboards

Perth is blooming with arty people, Arts and artsy blackboards, written with colourful chalks. New businesses are joining the "movement", and old ones are catching up, too, with chalkboards popping up like mushrooms in our Perthian urban forest. Forget about the traditional laminated ones with the logo, motto and open-close signs that are so widespread in Perth. Chalkboards are the latest coolest thing.

They are much more dynamic than the traditional ones - a cheap fun way of marketing any business in general by informing of opening hours, specials, sales, news, sending any message to the outer world or just a means to gave way to the creativity of the people behind the business. They are also more versatile and more beautiful! They have that old school feeling that is really charming. In general, they are cute with drawings, cartoons inspired characters, bold typos, and funny artsy details added to the written message. Some are truly artistic, others intriguing, others wordy and thoughtful, others kitsch, while others are as plain boring as the laminated ones. 

Blackboard spotting has become a visual hobby of mine when walking the streets.   When I take my camera or mobile out, people look at me as if I was landing from Pluto, but some of them really deserve my landing.

Keep up the good work and the creativity businesses of Perth!

A Little slideshow with some photos

 

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Perth Train Station (Perth WA)

378 Wellington St
Perth Western Australia 6000 
http://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/


Perth Train Station is the heart of the city, literally, the way to connect with people, to wait for people, to buy your newspaper, to have a coffee, to go to the a doctor, and, I forgot!, to catch a train.

There is something special about this station, truly. It is the mix of old and new, the easiness and functionality of the design, the cosiness of the atmosphere, and the good vibe of the space in general. This was one of the first things that caught my attention when I moved to Perth, as most train stations elsewhere are too crowded, too complicated, too ugly, too smelly, to big, too noisy, too "trainy", if you know what I mean. The place is very safe all day around, even at night, a thing you can't say of other train stations in Perth.

The fact that there are a few coffee shops, a newsagent, doctor and physiotherapy practices, a dental practice, a hairdresser, and a few other business and resting places around, makes the place a lively spot, accentuated by the fact that the train station upper level is a pass way between the Cultural Centre and the Shopping area in the CBD.

The trains depart on time almost every time, and the service is terrific even on Sundays. If there are delays or disruptions, you are properly informed and guided to replacement buses. 

The are a few ticket machines for individual tickets in front of the entrance area, but better use a multi-rider if you are going to be in Perth for a few days (if you are a visitor), which you can purchase and recharge at the newsagent on the same floor. Do buy your ticket because the security guards at the entrance and exit will stop you, and, if you don't have one, they won't have any pity, no matter you had it and lost it.

The only down in the Station is the size of the information office, which needs to be enlarged, as it is always crowded, especially now that the TransWA office has closed its door and the Transperth information office has taken over the booking and sale of those tickets. 

The place is being refurbished at the moment, and it wont be long that we have a completely different space, unfortunately.

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King Street (Pert WA)

King Street is a flashback of Perth splendorous past and a street listed with the Heritage Council of Western Australia. It traverses the two main arteries of the CBD -Murray and Hay St- and is metres away from the other artery -William Street- but it has a completely different vibe and atmosphere from those. 

King Street looks like a piece of old Europe transported to our laid back Perth. Despite its narrowness and short length, the street concentrates a considerable number of high-end fashion shops gracefully mixed with others more accessible, and a few cafés and bistros. However, it is not an ostentatious street per se, but for the brands that have decided to settle here. In other words, the posh shops have settled here because the street has class, it is not that the street has class because it has fancy shops.

I love the fact that, despite being so central and surrounded by busy streets, King St never seems to be too busy or overcrowded. On the contrary, is peaceful, quiet and pleasant to walk around. It is very cinematic, in a way; the sort of little street that you'd see reproduced in Hollywood studios for romantic movie scenes at night.  It has a sort of micro climate, too, and it always feels colder than the surrounding area.

King Street attracts an increasing number of newly-weeds, with their lovable joyful aura of happiness, dismounting from their hired limousine or Rolls-Royce, walking hand by hand and kissing while professional photographers immortalise the moment in front of the poshest shops: Tiffany's and Louis Vuitton amongst the preferred. "Oh Gosh of the Tiffanian Olympus bless our union with plenty of Vuittoned family members. Amen".  The wedding, and even proposal, love parade on the Street reflects, in a way, the day-dreaming and aspirations of many young well-off people (getting rich fast from mining, building, and land and stock-market speculation) enamoured and obsessed with well-known luxury brands, which give them the look they are looking for their newly-found public persona. I don't want to be hyper-critical. I love "Bally" bags and some jewellery by Tiffany's, but I don't think I would parade in front of any of those shops on my wedding day. Mr Bally is not going to give me what I don't have, make me happier, or make my wedding day more memorable.  
 

If you aren't a local, include King Street in your visit itinerary. Wander around. Seat at any café and get the vibe of the city, especially during the weekends, as this is Perth's G-spot. Right there. Yeah baby. Don't hesitate to enter any shop, even the poshest ones, this is Perth after all, a casual city where rich people can wear flip-flops and talk as if you were deaf. I have always found that if you enter the poshest shop with poise and emitting the vibe "I am a posh in disguise" everybody is going to respect you and bow at you. In fact, I am always surprised at finding those high-end shop attendants and doormen at King St attentive and respectful, while petty shop attendants in the CBD give you the cold shoulder just because they decide that their stuff is not for you.

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The Pearl of Highgate (Highgate, Perth WA)

189 Lincoln St
Highgate Western Australia 6003
(08) 9228 9011
Hours:
    Mon Closed
    Tue-Fri 7:00 - 16:00
    Sat-Sun 7:00 - 13:00

Don't get distracted by the tiny size of the  bakery, its suburban location, and the small display cabinet. This is a decent traditional bakery that has a great range of fussy breads, breadly products, traditional and gluten-free cakes, savoury and sweet pies, cookies and a selection of gourmet jams.


I have had several tasting sessions, and my favourite thing so far, among the sweets, is the gluten-free chocolate & Kahlua slice, which is light and tasty without being ultra-sweet or heavy; you can easily have two of those without realising you are having two of those or feeling bloated.Their chocolate pastry is also delicious. Among their savoury things, their chicken-curry and chilli with carne pies are yummy - full of chunks (and not of that disgusting thick gravy that other pies have), and tastes divine even cold. I would go to the Pearl mostly for the pies. They are worth the trip.

There are so many eye-candy and taste-candy things that is difficult to choose one thing. I am not into sweets, so being tempted so many times  is a good sign that the bakery is good. In fact, once you try it, you will find an excuse to make a detour and end at their doorstep, especially if you are at or around Hyde Park. No wonder the place is fully packed at 8am on Sundays!

The service is very fast and friendly, matter of fact most times.

They have takeaway coffee using a pod machine, but that is never too tempting to me. If they had a seating area and a coffee machine, they would make a fortune.

The main downs of the place is that their selection of breads is limited, and that the taste and texture of most tartlets and cakes is somewhat a bit muffin-ish. They are lovely and moist, but not a proper tartlet properly speaking.

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Pearls in the City (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

657 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9271 8854
http://www.pearlsinthecity.com.au/
Hours:
    Mon-Wed, Fri 9:00 - 17:30
    Thu 9:00 - 19:00
    Sat 9:00 - 17:00
    Sun 11:00 - 17:00

Pearls in the City Mt Lawley opened its doors beside the Astor Theatre last October to bring class to the fashion retail in the area. They sell trendy fashion jewellery in different materials plus a huge range of pearls in different styles suitable for women of all ages, not the usual  granny stuff. I especially like their Stirling silver and enamel pieces, and the mix-and-match pendants by Dutch brand My IMenso, which were the first thing that caught my eye.

This is not a cheap shop, but many of their pieces are affordable. All of them are timeless, classy, artsy, and some of them unique. Something you can wear over and over again until the end of times. The shop is perfect to "poshify" your wardrobe or to give a classy gift to a love one.The shop even has a gift-wrapping service with beautiful boxes if you really want to impress them.

A lovely lady called Ljljiana attends to her customers with great attentiveness. If she sees a spark in your eye in front of any piece on display, even if you don't intend to buy, she will be happy to let you try anything you fancy.

Drop by if you are in Mount Lawley, even if it is just to browse around. Don't be discouraged by the posh atmosphere or the this-is-not-a-shop-for-me sort of feeling, or by the nahh-this-is-a-middleagies-shop thought. or even by the they-are-going-to-call-the-police-to evict-me-from here angst you feel when you know that your budget is tight for this sort of shop. Be brave. Trying on is free! They are on sales right now.


Don't get confused by the poor boring selection of pieces displayed on their website. The shop is much much much better!

Put a ring on their Like thumb in Blingybook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pearls-in-the-City/328966716172 

If you are a man and give your lady a gift from here, you'll go from Pearls in the City to SATC in the blink of an eye :P.

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Mt Lawley News (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

668 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9272 8848

A newsagent is a newsagent, right?, so what is new or different about Mt Lawley News? In the first place, it has local flavour. The place has been in its current location in front of the Astor Theatre and the Astor Gallery since I can remember, i. e. since arrived in Perth, and is a local institution in Beaufort St.

In the second place, the newsagent has a bigger and better selection of magazines than other newsagents, including a wider selection of "odd" magazines, plus international versions of some fashion and gossip magazines, a decent selection of stationary, cards and party needs, photocopier and lottery services.

In the third place, and most importantly, they offer a terrific service every time you visit, every day, every week, every year no matter you are the only person in the shop or the last one in a long cue in a busy day. They have hundreds of people visiting their shop, but they never seem to be overwhelmed, stressed or in a bad mood. The guys behind the counter, are fast, helpful, cheerful, respectful and have a sempiternal willingness to smile, greet and say something nice or in the right tone to the customer, since ever, always. Like Wow!

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Mariposa (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

665 Beaufort St 
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
 (08) 9272 6867 
Website
Facebook
Hours: 
     Mon-Sat 10:00 - 17:00 
     Sun 11:00 - 16:00

Mariposa is one of my favourite words in Spanish and indeed one of those shops that honours their beautiful name. They are one of the few perfumerys, a real one, in Australia, and have a huge range of male and female perfumes from exclusive world perfumiers, Creed, L'Artisan, and Amuage included. I could expend my whole salary buying the many fanciful good-quality divine-smell soaps, creams, candles, sprays, perfumes and make-up items they have. Everything is chic and exclusive. They don't sell mass-produced corporate-owned fashion brands, but perfumes and perfume-related products that have a piece of history in the History of Perfume, or that have been making perfumes in a very hand-crafty sort of way, or are very innovative in the products they use. Mariposa is, indeed, a niche perfumery. 

The ambience of the shop is very clean and modern, with the wood shelves full of bottles of perfume for you to test, and their beautiful goods and packaging really shining. The shop is a bit small, but it is easy to browse around. 

Mariposa stands out not only for the products they sell, but also for their customer service. Mariposa's shop attendants are really wonderful. They will spend their time with you, generously, if you show interest in any of the perfumes, even if you say you aren't going to buy anything at the moment. They know their gild, and are passionate about what they sell, and about providing you with a great experience as a shopper. All the girls are approachable, chatty and very knowledgeable. Truly, they deserve the salary they get. They are that sort of shop attendants who can actually hold a conversation on perfume, instead of the usual lorikeets selling designer perfumes at Myers or David Jones. When you leave the shop, you leave feeling like a Royal, convinced that this is one of those places that truly understands what good service is and how to win customers.

Mariposa has two main downsides. The first one is their simplistic website, with barely any information about the shop, brands they cater for, or even an online-shop or sample program, as other high-end perfumeries have overseas.  This should be Mariposa's next step. Facebook, is a bit, how to put it?, too "popular" for such an exclusive shop. 

The second downside is the fact that they rarely have samples. Or at least this has been my experience in the past. This is, actually, a big downside for a proper perfumery. You win people with samples, so you make sure that they the big perfume houses send you a big bunch of those. 


MIND 
The products they sell are fantastic, high quality and very exclusive. Therefore, the prices have to match that. Still, you know that you pay the right price for the product, and that the prices are not inflated by the corporate brand behind the designer. These are nor corporate brands products, thank Gosh. Still, you can buy a box of adorable French Anisette drops or a posh Marseilles hand-wash or soap, and I am sure you can afford that. Sometimes you have to forget about the world and indulge yourself, because life it is too short, and you are a chic girl after all. Be grateful for being able to afford things like these, and enjoy your whimsical purchase at Mariposa. 

On the other hand, they hold special perfume events and personalised attention from invited perfumiers. The last one was a hit, held on 8 and and an encore on 10 May 2013, with the presence of of Libertine's mastermind in the shop!

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Planet Books (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

634-648 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9328 7464
http://www.planetvideo.com.au/library/books/
Hours:
    Mon-Sun 10:00 - 23:00

There is something about Planet Books, Mary. There always has been since they opened six years ago. There is much than hype here, otherwise the allure would have vanished long ago.

Planet books is always crowded with a bunch of eclectic quiet people reading their books, looking at their books, seating on the couch perusing their books, browsing their stationary, and, occasionally, buying something. It is the relaxed atmosphere, their open but cosy space, the small popular children corner, the freedom to do whatever you like without anybody pestering your derrière, and the fact that you can find a mix of mainstream and independent titles, and an interesting mix of shelves devoted to the Arts what makes of the place so popular. Moreover, you enter a planet and have the whole Universe at your feet, with Planet Video, Planet Music and Daily Planet all interconnected.

The  prices of their fiction and mainstream non-fiction books are average. Last week I purchased the latest Murakami's, and it is only  three dollars more expensive than in The Book Depository - a good price! Their graphic design and illustration area is very expensive, but most people approaching those shelves, me among them, stay there perusing... They used to have all the editions of the Exposé Magazine and a great selection of illustrators, but this is no longer the case, and the selection of illustrators is not as good as used to be, but is still decent. Their painting and Arts shelves are a bit mainstream for my taste, still good.

They have a cute selection of posh stationary, sweet drops in cheeky boxes, and the funniest postcards in the city, so irreverent and politically incorrect that I always find myself laughing out loud at them.

The promotion of local artists and writers has been one of their focus since Planet Books opened its doors. This is, precisely, the place where Shaun Tan has launched and signed his books before he was known outside Perth not to say an Oscar Winner. Other local artists also launch and have launched their work here. Join their mailing list through their website and you will get the invitation, or check their Fasebookie: http://www.facebook.com/atPlanetBooks

The service is minimal, as this is part of the appeal to the visitors, many of us just book voyeurs or people who know what they are looking for. One of the owners used to be behind the counter at the beginning, and he was terrific to talk to. The current staff are courteous but a bit nosey-posey at times.

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Ware (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

Astor Arcade shop 3
665 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9271 8338
http://www.waremtlawley.com.au
Hours:
    Mon-Fri 10:00 - 17:30
    Sat 10:00 - 17:00
    Sun 11:00 - 16:00

Ware has been one of my favourite shops for gifts and fancy shopping for years, as it has a great selection of quirky, funky, cute and vintage-inspired items: gift-cards, cards, wrapping papers, children toys, play-games, decoration items, kitchenware, "writtingware", plus a small selection of women and children apparel, jewellery and other fashion items, handbags, and so on. So many cute things talking to you directly, with a cheerful  buy me, buy me, buy me! It is very easy not to ignore the call and stop yourself from buying a little something.

Ware, though, it is not what used to be. They have less artsy innovative pieces they used to. In fact, Ware used to be the "it" shop to find items that nobody else had, with an awesome range of high-design and world-class illustrators items. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, and, at present, their items are more mainstream than ever, and not exclusive at all. To be completely fair, their bag selection has always been ugly and unstylish, and somewhat diminishes the rest of the shop, which is quite quirky and fun.

The staff are always very helpful, friendly and easy-going, and they will let you browse around without being disturbed.

The prices vary from the cheap little thing to the expensive item, pricey in general, so you better restrain yourself, and limit your visits for personal or seasonal gifts, or just to buy gift cards, if you can!

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Swan River (Perth & Fremantle WA)

Photo courtesy of Greg O'Beirne,  Via Wikipedia

Wild an tame at once, gracious in its movement, and harmonious in its meandering course, the Swan River looks and feels more like a lake. This lake-like soul is what gives the Swan its specific idiosyncrasy, and also that special something that differentiates Perth from other cities with rivers.

The Swan is a warm hug holding together areas and people that are alien to each other, the walking friend that says hello to joggers and walkers at sunrise or sunset, the backyard of the many million-dollar houses nested on its shores, the view for contemplative picnickers looking for serenity and hidden places in the heart of the city,  the free theatre from where Perthites look at the sky in special days, a friend to the highway, an initiation road for drinkers going to the brewery and students going to the University, and a relaxing cradle for tourists taking a ferry to Fremantle. Most importantly, the Swan is the mirror on which Perth looks at herself day and night when she wants to look prettier than she is - Mirror mirror on the Swan.

The Swan is also a paradise for blue algae, mutant fish, and dead creatures, who dream of those days in which the algae were green and living elsewhere, the only mutants around were the newly-arrived settlers, and the only dead the rocks on their shores. Days of large horizons and wide spaces bygone.

A lyric river, with a heart full of regrets, that mesmerises despite its toxicity.

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Emerge Art Space (Mount Lawley, Perth WA) - RELOCATED

676A Beaufort St 
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050 
(09) 2716 459 
http://www.emerge-art.com.au 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Emerge-Art-Space/151606848217955 
Hours: 
Wed-Sat 11:00 - 16:00 

Emergence Art Space is a small commercial gallery that exhibits and sells contemporary Australian Art. Located in the heart of Mount Lawley, a few steps from almost any bar, café or restaurant in Beaufort's coffee strip, EAS is a microcosms of talent and good taste to be enjoyed by art lovers and posh art collectors. The gallery exhibits and represents a group of  local painters and sculptors with different and distinctive styles.

The building might not catch you attention, but the pieces of art in their shop-window might do so. There are two main exhibition areas, the pretty one downstairs at street level with wooden floors and great lighting, really well curated, which holds the solo exhibitions, and the space upstairs and the long corridor, which isn't that glamorous or good, and showcases individual pieces by different artists not as wow as the ones downstairs.

Enter Emergence, don't be shy - the curator will welcome you and tell you a bit about the exhibition, even if your wallet is not big enough to purchase any of the pieces hanging from the wall. This is one of those places that, a-priori, you expect nosey people, and find welcoming warm art dealers with a good nose for talent.

The quality of the artworks exhibited in the main area is fantastic and varied, from abstract to figurative, surrealism to realism, conceptual art and anything in between, including Aboriginal Art, depending on the solo exhibition and artists featured each month.

Right now, when this review is written, there is a fantastic exhibition by Australo-French tin sculptor Pierre Capponi that made me wish badly to be a "poshie" of the world to buy something.

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The Foot Locker (Perth WA)

197 Murray St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9221 4365
http://www.footlocker.com.au

The Foot Locker sells a good selection of female, male and children sports and casual trainers, plus basket shoes for men, hip-hop clothing, and some accessories (watches, hats,  sport bags, socks, t-shirts, pants, etc.) from a selection of well-known International brands. Regarding shoes, the range of prices is great, from the very expensive 300-dollar runners to the 80-Dollar (or less) ones for adults, even less if you are lucky or they are on sale.

The shop is a bit run down and not very funky, to be honest, and the space would need a restructuring to make it trendier and more comfortable for the visitor. However, the staff work their socks off and run -literally- to attend to you fasta fasta and give you what you want at the price your want. They are not only fast, but also knowledgeable, and, unlike other places, they won't trick you to buy the most expensive item, but will listen to you and provide you with what you want within the price range you want. They don't have the time to breath, so don't expect them to smile at you if you go when the place is busy, which happens most weekends.

Foot Locker keeps me returning to them each time I need a new pair of trainers, and that is because of their prices and service. They have a membership club with discounts and offers and a wonderful return and refund policy of 28 days! They also have hidden discounts that you only discover when paying for your purchase. I got 20% off my already cheap Adidas runners!. They really are ahead in service from the surrounding sport shops, that is always my experience.

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Yuzu Kaiten Sushi (Mount Lawley, Perth WA)

Shop 11, 649 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9227 1880
http://www.yuzu.com.au
Hours:
  Tue-Fri 11:30-14:00 and 17:00-21:30
  Sat-Sun 11:30-14:30 and 17:30-21:30

 
Semi-hidden and squeezed up by The fish & chips shop and Fresh Provisions in Mount Lawley, Yuzu Kaiten Sushi is an authentic Japanese restaurant that delivers at all fronts.

The place is tiny, but the space so well organised and taken advantage of that it looks and feels much bigger than actually is. The atmosphere is very pleasant, with a stylish mix of green and black colours and jazz music playing all day long.

The food is fresh, good, varied, tasty and good-priced. The train offers a mix of sushi (maki and gunken), sashimi, fried food, and carpaccio dishes of different prices, with the usual pieces that you find in other train restaurants in Perth. You can order a bento set if you prefer, or order the more expensive dishes from their a-la-carte menu.

They have lunch specials: bento trays for 9.50$ (choose 1 main. 3 sides and a sauce of your selection), or a burger combo for 13.50$ consisting of the burger (chicken katsu, chicken teriyaki, or prawn katsu) with sweet potato fries plus a drink of your selection. The burger meals are delicious.

The selection of soft drinks is OK. It makes me always happy finding unsweetened O Cha green tea, which goes well with everything if you don't want the usual hot green tea or sweetened flavoured teas.

The service is terrific, with a super-friendly all over cashier-waitress taking care of anything you need.

The place attracts mostly quiet people, wanting to enjoy their meal alone or with another person. It is not good for groups, and that is always a blessing, to me. A good deal of visitors are also "take-away-yees".

My main criticism to the place is the abuse in the use of  mayonnaise and spiced mayo. Please, let customers decide whether we want mayo or not, and in which quantity. They got it right with their fried food, as a dollop is put on the plate, but some of the maki rolls and sashimi pieces have it on; it looks, uhmmm?, decorative?, but it is a bit, uhmmm? invasive? My suggestion: have an artistically-set dollop of mayo on the plate, instead of on the food and everybody will be happy.

I love the place, and the fact that is never crowded or empty. The reason might the its odd location and the lack of visible sign anywhere around. A blessing in disguise because you want your quiet good sushi place to be your little secret forever. Amen.

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Aisuru Sushi (Perth WA)

208 William St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9328 8578
http://www.facebook.com/aisurusushi
Hours:
    Tue-Sun 12:00 - 14:30
    Tue-Thu 18:00 - 21:30
     Fri-Sun 18:00 - 22:00
 
Aisuru Sushi is in the heart of Northbridge, and always buzzing with customers any time of the day or the evening, day after day. That is so, because Aisuru offers a mix of Japanese, Chinese and "Fushion" artistically-plated dishes. In fact, they look as if they were going to be photographed for a food magazine. Moreover, the restaurant has a contemporary classy minimalist interior with three different seating areas, and a good relaxed posh ambience.

Aisuru's Miso soup is my favourite Miso ever. A good fresh miso, golden tan, not the usual vintage maroon from sachets you find elsewhere. 
The Agedashi Tofu makes a perfect entré. Tofu is always a bit of a pin to cook, as it is tasteless by nature. However this this dish is great: Curd tofu (creme caramel texture) inside, finely glazed and crunchy on the outside, floating in a very light marinating sauce with some dry herbs on top. Warm. A great mix of textures in your mouth, with a very delicate but distinct flavour. It is like eating three clouds fallen from a fairy-tale sky into a tiny pond.
 
The Plum Roll is, by far, my favourite roll at Aisuru. Unlike other rolls, they are perfectly rolled, and the sauce and oil used as a base are delicious. The dish is moist, flavoursome, colourful, and yummy.

The Black Velvet Roll has "caviar" on top and warm tempura prawn in the middle, avocado, crab, rice, and it tastes good. However, the rolls crumbled easily when pressed by the chopsticks, probably because they were rolled too fast and/or the rice was a bit loose. I found the sauce two thick and not a match for the rolls - my opinion.

Very similar to the other is the Caterpillar Roll, again with rolls badly rolled, but lovely overall.

I love the popcorn tempura, but I would rather have it with that much mayonnaise!

Among the things that haven't wow me are the vegan Pyogo Roll, which was tasteless per se, but brought to life by the delicate semi-gelatinous sauce on which the rolls were resting on. The Waygu beef tempura was a bit bland, not especially flavoursome.

Their banch tea, although in a tea-bag, it is lovely.

Service is t-e-r-r-i-f-i-c, and the waitresses very helpful, friendly, and fast; they will attend you with their über-cool Ipad in their hands so you can see the photo of every item in the menu, as well as the items you are ordering.

THE NOT SO GOOD
1/ The place is expensive. Forget what "Bargain Bites" in the "Sunday Times" says. Unless you eat like a canary, you are going to have a BIG bill. Usually, I pay about 35 bucks for my lunch there, and I never leave full.
 
2/ In a place like this, and at those prices, I expect the details to be posher. I expect good quality paper napkins instead of the cheap ones they have. I expect wooden washable chopsticks not the usual disposable ones. I expect a good selection of Japanese teas (not just one), and a bigger selection of Asian soft drinks, too. I also expect a pot of tea per table not a cup with a teabag, even if they refill it regularly with hot water.
 
3/ Let your taste-buds decide without taking into account a-priory wow-ness uttered by somebody else in a newspaper. Fact: some dishes taste great and others just look great.

4/ They need bigger dishes to plate their half-serves and side dishes, so we have a bit of more room to move the food around without creating a mess on the table.

5/ Some of the rolls are badly rolled...


6/ The menu hasn't changed in months. What about getting a bit creative?

TIPS
* Order a full serve of sushi, as they offer 8 pieces and are relatively cheaper than the half serves, more filling, and they are plated wonderfully.

* Try anything that you would not find in other sushi places, as those dishes are what you should come here for, beyond the presentation. I would not order teriyaki varieties or vegan rolls here, honestly.

***

This is a good place to have a special dinner with somebody, you know, one of those occasions in which you don't mind the bill, order many half servers, many sides, plus dessert and the drinks, anything you fancy, the quantity you fancy, so you end the night fulfilled and having a foodorgasmic experience.
 
This is the last hype sushi place in Perth CBD. Go, and let people see you are there. OMG yore heerr chooo!

Food 7/10 (presentation 8.5, taste 7)
Tea 7.5/10
Ambience 7.5/10
Layout 7.5/10
Service 9/10
Pricing 6/10
Overall, 7.5

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Crazy Clark's (Perth WA) - CLOSED

166 Murray St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9202 1034
http://www.crazyclarks.com.au
Hours:
    Mon-Thu 8:00 - 18:00
    Fri 8:00 - 20:00
    Sat 8:00 - 17:00
    Sun 11:00 - 17:00

Crazy Clark is and unglamorous but cheap variety store located in the very heart of the city, tucked around Myers, David Jones and the Forrest Chase shopping area.

The store is reasonable big and they sell a huge range of products that go from the the useful and necessary to the superfluous and dispensable, and everything in between. They have a variety of packaged & tinned food products, stationary, gift items, cards, painting and art-crafts material, things for your laundry, pantry and pets needs, garden and electrical, some small kitchen electric items and seasonal  electronics . Crazy Clark's sells well-known brands, generic brands, look-alike brands all at terrific prices. However, brands and products change a lot from time to time.

The staff are friendly or just OK, but always very fast at the cash-out machines and always ready to help in the aisles.

A must place for unemployed people, students, backpackers, working families in need of school and crafts supplies for their kids, and bargain-hunters in general.

TIP
Before going to the Woolworths downstairs drop-by Crazy Clark's, and see if they have what you want. If they do, you could save fifty percent. I always find the case with some mid-range shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant and toothpaste brands. The same can be said with tinned fruit, instant coffee and other staples

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Grind Espresso Bar (Perth WA) - CLOSED

Shop 115, Trinity Arcade
671 Hay St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 2260 224
Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos

 
Grind Espresso is a small, functional, cheap and quiet café located in the ground level of Trinity Arcade.

Their coffee is good and their mug-sized glasses are huge, so that is always great. Go for them if you crave a big coffee fix. However, their standard cup is, well, standard size.

They have a selection of hot basic Asian dishes, western favourites, and sandwiches prepared on the spot, which are just OK.

The service is friendly and fast.

They have free Wi-Fi - Hooray!

The place attracts a various mix of quiet people, free-Wi-Fi-holics, professionals looking for an escape from the business of the surrounding cafés, and daughters and sons having a rendezvous with their mums or dads.

Grind Espresso would need to improve three things to attract more customers: 1/ The dim lights are a bit pub-ish, a feeling that is accentuated by the lack of natural light in the underground area the café is located, and by the dark furniture. A slight change in the lighting would certainly brighten up the place still keeping its cozy feeling. 2- A bit of soft music would also create ambience and dilute the sound of the conversations from the surrounding tables. 3- The selection of dishes is nice, but a bit of more care in their preparation takes little effort, and making them a bit tastier ditto.

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Piccadilly Cinemas (Perth WA) - CLOSED

700 Hay Street
Piccadilly Arcade
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9322 3577
http://www.piccadillycinemas.com/
Hours:
    Mon-Sun 10:00 - 23:00


Let us rejoice - Perth only cinema left in the city centre is also Perth only heritage listed Art-Deco Cinema. Cinema one is really splendid, and will remind you of the Astor and Paradiso. The cinema is in the heart of the city and has the advantage of his discounted priced on special days.

In the last few five years, the Piccadilly has tried to revamp itself by changing their pricing policies and the selection of titles they show, to make the cinema more popular and profitable, but, by doing so, the magic of the Piccadilly has been progressively vanishing.

The movies shown nowadays are mostly average Hollywood blockbusters (bland romances, action movies, animation and popular comedies) and rarely good titles. It used to be the contrary, the occasional blockbuster was a rarity among mostly good films (the same as those shown at the Luna cinemas) although screened one or two weeks after they premiered elsewhere - which explained the super-duper prices at the time.The increase in prices has not had a reflection in the managing and repairing of the cinema beyond what is strictly necessary. I just want to pinpoint a few issues that the cinema needs to address, as they are charging us full price for the movies at present. Here are some of the Piccadilly's peccadilloes:

1/ Most of the cinema rooms have their seats and/or upholstery in different state of decay, but, instead of fixing or replacing them, soft red cushions have been placed over the seats; still, the cracks in the upper part of some seats are clearly visible.

2/ The space between rows in cinema room 2 (what I call the steep room) is ridiculously small even for my tiny legs, so you can imagine how uncomfortable can be for a normal guy.

3/ The smallest cinema room seems to be in a better shape, however, their seats are flat on the ground, without any considerable gradation, so if somebody seats in front of you, you won't see anything, unless you are really tall. On the other hand, the first row  is too close to the screen to watch a movie comfortably from there.

4/ Their toilets have been in need of an overhaul since ever, with some of their doors' locks being broken for months without being repaired - Piccadillian bottoms, rebel! The same can be said of their rusty rattling lift, which you feel is going to stop working right there right now; the only improvement has been the change in colour of the doors from an ugly tone of pink to an ugly tone of red.

5/ For many years the Piccadilly's website has been ugly-looking and badly designed - completely amateur and unfit for any cinema. Fortunately, they have relaunched it lately, and its design and aesthetics are decent. However, underneath the showing times they have added: "No responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information". It is ridiculous and disgraceful. Then, why are they bothering to display them?

6/No EFPTOS. Yes, you are hearing well. Only cash.

Their bar is OK, but has one of those high counters I hate, too short for me and for part of the staff behind it. The staff, on the other hand, vary in their level of friendliness, some of them are really friendly and easy going, while others seem to be a bit nosey.

If you are a movie lover, you will visit the Piccadilly rarely, for some isolated animated films and comedies you fancy. However, if you like just entertainment movies, Piccadilly will be your personal paradise in the city. Despite everything, I always enjoy visiting the cinema, per se, as I like the feeling of watching a movie like people do in the movies - in cinemas that are old and beautiful!

Let's stop rejoicing for a minute and let's hope that the much needed refurbishment and overhaul of the Piccadilly will bring us the splendour of the old cinema, and also  a better selection of movies.

MIND
You can now buy tickets online via their website or just following this link. You can pay with credit card and Paypal, which is great.

MONEY TIPS
* There is a NAB cash machine by Target, in case of emergency.

* They have reduced prices all day long on Tuesdays.

* They have just started a Backpackers Monday special of 8 bucks all day long for 2D movies. The backpackers will need to show their International passport or student card. It is unclear if YHA, Nomad and other backpackers cards are accepted as their website doesn't mention anything about the most popular backpacker cards...  

UPDATE 7/12/2013
Unfortunately, this Perth icon has closed down its door.  The website is no longer working, and it a sad farewell. The place needed of a refurbishment and more care and enthusiasm, but it was lovely. There was some incidents with roofs falling down and asbestos scare mid this year, and I wonder if that is related to the closing down.

it is very sad. Big sigh.

The only cinema left in the city at present is Paradiso.

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Iku Sushi (Perth WA)

Shop WG.07, 140 William Street
Perth, WA 6000
08 9322 6008

http://www.ikusushi.com/
 http://www.facebook.com/iku.sushi1




 Iku Sushi is a tiny funky sushi place in the heart of the city that really deserves the good reviews it has everywhere. No wonder it is always packed to the rafters at peak hours, inside and outside.

Why is this place so popular? It is the quality and variety of their food - reasons for which any restaurant should be popular for. Iku Sushi's food is fresh, tasty, varied, good-looking, good-sized, and good-priced. It is up to you if you pack on individual rolls, one of their ready-made sushi trays or salads, add a side dish, or go for one of the hot options prepared in their kitchen. Whatever you order, you are going to like it and want more. Feel free to eat like a pig, after all is healthy food... unless you choose the unhealthy options like the fried sushi "burger" varieties (I found the filling good, but the whole thing sickening, truly).

Their coffee is good in general, although it depends on the barista!

The service is terrific, especially having into account the volume of people visiting the place at peak hours. The staff are a cool, friendly and smiley bunch of people. They are a bit flat out at times, so you have to ask them to clean a table for you if any is available, but, if that is the case, they will do so in a microsecond.

What else you want? I don't know you, but I would like them having a bigger seating area, so we don't have to pass by, find the place fully packed, and go elsewhere for our sushi.

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London Court Café (Perth WA)

Shops 13-15
15 London Court
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9225 4141
Their Website
Hours:
Mon-Sun 8:30 - 17:30

The location is divine, no matter you seat indoors or outside, especially if you like to watch people passing by and small streets. The place indoors is very small, but with a good layout and decoration, and overall it feels very cosy and European in style.

Their coffee is one of those coffees so weak that, if you put sugar or sweetener in it, tastes of nothing. Even if you don't sweeten it, it is not very tasty, no matter the Segafredo cup! The also have a selection of iced coffees but I haven't tried them yet.

They have a small but good selection of breakfast and lunch dishes, especially appealing for gluten-free and vegetarian lovers. They have a great selection of gluten-free savoury cakes, fritters, and ready-to-order breakfast, plus a variety of salads, panini, sandwiches, cooked pasta, and a few sweets.

I tried the gluten-free breakfast and it was very nice and filling, with two eggs poached to my taste, wonderfully cooked mushrooms, two types of fritters, roasted tomato and avocado. It sounds good and tasted good, but unsalted. I missed a bit of olive oil dressing or at least having the fritters reheated and moist, which wasn't the case.

All their fritters, savoury cakes and panini look wonderful in the fridge, but, since they are already there, you know that they aren't going to be moist or as fresh as if somebody prepares for you on the spot. On the other hand, if they had to prepare everything on the spot it would take a while for your good to come out, so it is a matter, perhaps, of having the fritters prepared but uncooked, just to fry when the customer asks for them. The display of sweets was average and it did not tempted me to add anything to my main dish.

The service was OK.

The place is a bit pricey, gluten-free breakfast and coffee 21 Dollars.  

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Kalm Wellness Centre (North Perth, WA)

66 Angove St
North Perth Western Australia 6006
(08) 9328 2823
http://kalmbodyworks.com.au/

KALM Wellness Centre, recently relocated from Fiztgerald St to a more convenient location on Angove St, is one of those small practices where the attention to the client is personalised, prices competitive and the quality of the service terrific.

I have known some of the staff for a few years already, and they are not only friendly, but terrific therapists, who always help me with my constant back problems.

They offer a range of remedial and pain-relief massage techniques, as well as relaxation massage, coaching, hypnotherapy and osteopathy, among other services.

Their new place on Angove is really beautiful, welcoming and calming, and really close to some good coffee shops, pubs and restaurants.

You can see the profile of each therapist, and book online through their website.

This is one of those practices that, to me, sets an example what a private-boutique practice should be.

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