Shop 3, 80 Walcott St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9272 6708
http://www.scentsoftaste.com.au
Hours:
Mon Closed
Tue-Fri 8:00 - 17:30
Sat 8:00 - 16:00
Sun 8:00 - 13:00
Scents of Taste is a tiny French Patisserie and bakery managed and operated by two real "Frenchies" Olivier Collas and Franck Gire, selling wonderful sweets, cakes and savoury treats. It is located in the heart of Mt Lawley, squeezed up by the Fat Dragon and Spectacles. The indoors area is very small, and includes both the baking and shop areas, but they have a nice alfresco area spread around the shop's footpath and part of the car park with umbrellas and funky super-cool orange chairs.
I have had a few tasting sessions of sweets, to my surprise!, me being more into savoury stuff, but everything I've tried is very good. Two cakes stand out for me despite being average-looking: the Pear & Almond Tartlet, and the Lemon Lime Broulee Tartlet, especially the latter. They are light, very fresh and full of flavour, with a nice thick creamy texture, constant fruity implosion of flavour in your mouth, and a yummy pastry base. Among the rich and sweeter cakes, I recommend you the gorgeous-looking architecturally-designed mousse-ish Chocolate & Caramel Fudge Tartlet. One of the things I
like most about Scents of Taste's tartlets is that their bases are excellent regarding hardness, richness, and flavour. I usually don't eat the tartlets' base as most bakeries make them
too hard, too sweet, or too rich, so I feel sickened after the first bite; but Scents of Taste' pastry bases are fine pastry and taste great.
All their pastries are divine, but the Danish pastry is to die for - just heavenly. I thought it has been made just thinking about my own personal taste, with a great mix of textures, flavours, and colours. So satisfying at all levels! The purple macaroons are divine, too, with the filling zesty, fruity and very light, and the macaroon melts in your mouth.
The big cakes look great, especially the colourful macaroon ones. Unfortunately, you have to buy the whole cake, as no slices are served. Sigh! Find an excuse to organise a tea party at your place to buy one of those. I think, they would sell the slices easily, I cannot understand why they do not do so.
Their macaroons are huge and so good! Not the usual ultra-sugary cookie you find elsewhere. They taste divine, and have the flavour of the fruit or ingredient right there, in your mouth, not as an accessory, if you know what I mean.
The savoury section is less aesthetically pleasing but more substantial for your stomach, with an original mix of wraps, pies, sandwiches, quiches and pastries of considerable size and filling, which will make happy any hungry man - manly food!
They also have a few imported foods, coming directly from France: canard cassoulet and tinned blocs of real foie-grass. I am just making a wish list right now!
Service is friendly. One of the guys is very outgoing, extremely friendly and attentive, and the soul of the shop, and he is the one who attends to the customers. The other guy is much more serious, the baker, and the let's do business right of type.
The Pricing is very good for the pastries, which are absolutely divine. Average price for deluxe pastries sounds good to me. However, the mini-tartlets and mini-cakes are pricey: average 7 bucks. Macaroons are 5 bucks. If you want to be satisfied you need at least two or each (or is it just me?). Their savoury food is also pricey. Having said so, comparatively speaking, buying a whole cake is not that expensive.
Their paper bags, for takeaway, are so beautiful! Look at the photo and tell me otherwise!
The main down of the site is, firstly, that they don't have a proper enclosed cafeteria to seat and enjoy their sweets, as their alfresco area is not convenient on rainy cold days. Secondly, the pricing of the small cakes and tartlets; they are very good but a bit expensive too. The main sin of Scents of Taste is, however, their absolutely tasteless coffee
(Griffiths'). What a disappointment! A good coffee enhances
the flavour of any sweet, but if it tastes of nothing, you
better grab the sweets and have the coffee elsewhere, or, my trick in
emergency cases, order a topped-up macchiato, and no sugar.
TIP
+ If you are short of money and just want to grab one thing, go definitely for the Danish, it is big, it tastes divine, and it looks divine.
+ If you want just one treat go for the Lemon Lime Brulee Tartlet.
NOTE
They only bake brioches on Saturday, just if the guy has the time, which is rarely - his words! If you get them in the shop, you are lucky.
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.
Morning Glory Perth
Shop 39 Carillon City
680 Hay Street
Perth WA 6000
Phone: 9226 0555
http://www.facebook.com/morninggloryperth
Cuteness elevated to the square, multiplied by two - that is Morning Glory. A Korean franchise gift shop with hyper-cute stationary, toys & plush bears, hair accessories, cartoons miniatures, Vans shoes, school bags, Asian music CDs and posters, among many other things.
Most of their stuff is cartoon or video-game related (Totoro, Pokemon, Mario Bros, Domo, and Hello Kitty, among others). In fact, Morning Glory was one of the first places to give Hello Kitty a throne in Perth before she rose to International stardom.
The ambience of the shop is very child-like, colourful and fun. The music playing is always Asian, Korean I guess, and it really helps the visitor to transport oneself to a cool place in Korea or Japan, and gives it a stamp of authenticity.
The service is friendly if you ask the attendants about anything. Otherwise, they let you wander around without bothering you. However, do so with care, because:
+ if you break something, you pay it. The aisles are narrow, so please ballet your body around, especially if you have a Totoro kind of figure, or are carrying a big bag.
+ Hello Kitty Ninja will behead you if your enter the shop with food and/or drinks.
+ Domo is watching your movements with his spy camera - show him your teeth.
+ Pokemon will fulminate you if you remove the cellophane wrapping from the CDs.
The prices are high, although some of the little things are affordable, and their Vans shoes are average price I would say. To give an example. Those teeny-weeny string accessories you attach to your mobile, with a bell and a cartoon character, may cost you 3-5 bucks in Japan, but you pay here at least 10$, unless they are on sale. The really cheap ones are always ugly, those that I never like. I am saying this because I bought quite a few of them in Japan four years ago at a trifle of the price I had bought them here before my trip.
Morning Glory brings out the child in anybody and it is pleasure to wander around. I cannot pass by without sticking my nose to their shop-window and, if I have the time, browsing around and even buying a little something.
Morning Glory is perfect for children gifts and for adults who want to feed their inner child.
Shop 2, 166 Murray St Mall
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9221 9944
Hours:
Mo-Thur - 6.30-18.00
Fri - 6.30-21.00
Sat - 8.00-17.30
Sun- 9.30-17.30
Website
Gloria Jean's Murray St in the CBD is fully packed almost every time of the day, every day of the week. One feels tempted to attribute their success to their central location, but there are better-looking cafés in the city that aren't half as crowded. Why, then, is so popular?
Firstly, and most importantly, they have a decent coffee. Their iced and flavoured coffees, are very good. Secondly, the service is terrific. Most of the staff are welcoming, smiley, very funky, willing to please, and fast at serving the crowds even at peak hours, so it is ideal for take-away. You rock guys! I love that the customer's name is asked when you order, so you won't be mydeared, sweethearted, darlinged or madamed, but called by your name instead. Isn't that cool? Thirdly, the place has two small differentiated seating areas: one open (perfect for people watching) and another semi-hidden (sought after by quiet lunchers).
If this was not enough, they have free Wi-Fi, a loyalty card program, they have a small selection of savoury and sweet light food, a varied selection of Gloria Jean's mugs, Thermos, coffee beans & ground coffee, grinders, flavoured syrups, and other little temptations.
Any not-so-good things? Yes, they have a few:
* The place can be noisy at times, and a bit messy at times.
* The space between tables is very small, even for this small reviewer.
* The place is not enclosed.
* They are a bit pricey for both prepared and ground coffee. In fact you will find their ground flavoured coffees at Woolies cheaper than they sell it ;O.
* Their food is average. But you have a Bakers' Delight and a Shimuzu Sushi at a microsecond from the café to quiet the cookie monster in your stomach.
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.
Eternal Sunshine is a philosophical analysis of the nature of love and relationships. It reflects very well the changing emotions associated with falling in love and the ups and downs of personal relationships, and how unnecessary it is to erase our emotional past to survive. None of this is said or discussed in the movie, as this is a metaphorical film that uses the visual narrative to approach these points.
Eternal Sunshine is one of those movies that many people would see twice to fully catch all the details, because the editing and what happens in the film is complex. There are three different narrative time moments, narrated in non-chronological order, sometimes overlapping each other. It is not a film for simple minded people or those who have to have everything simply explained and presented to them. The film needs of an attentive attention and mental involvement, but the poetry of the images, the oddity of the story will captivate you very soon and you won't even notice that you are making any effort to understand the whole thing.
Jim Carrey surprises everybody with a role that shows the great actor he can be, and how versatile he is, too. He's superb as Joel, a lonely insecure and depressed guy who tends to get involved with women who are his opposite, who faces love, abandonment, rejection, loneliness, and companionship. Also excellent (and outside of their usual roles) is Kate Winslet in her role as Clementine, a cheeky cheerful girl addicted to flashy hair dyes who is attracted to boring men.
The lyricism of the music, the surreal scenes, the poetic cinematography, the part of the movie showing Joel efforts to preserve the memories of the past he initially wanted to destroy, the fact that the special effects are no such a thing but camera tricks and the result of a meticulous preparation and tampering of the movie sets, adds even more artistic value to this unique piece. The director and the editor of the film really deserve a big praise, as the movie is indebted to them beyond belief.
The only flaws I saw in the movie are the little romance mini-stories related to the technicians and doctor of the Lacuna Clinic (which do not contribute much to a film that, otherwise, would have been perfect), and the outcome linked to those actions could have been presented in a different way.
I would not call this movie a comedy, but a light drama.
Eternal Sunshine is a magical, unique and unforgettable movie. A piece of art, really, and of the best movies by Gondry.
A brilliant Sci-Fic movie. Something that makes the genre proud, but explores new ideas and narrative, and offers a story that is clever, thrilling and entertaining. It had to be a non-Hollywood director, a South African (and some "Kiwis" too) to come up with such a good story and cast.
The narrative of the film is great as the film is presented as a documentary that tells the story of the leading character in the past, with the colours and realistic use of the camera of documentaries, but still developing a fictional story that is presented as real. The use of the faded ochre colours it helps to convey realism and past tense, and gives credibility to the whole setting.
The main character is superbly played by an unknown (at least to me) Shartlo Copley, who has done a tremendous job playing with credibility a demanding character that goes from being a naive a little bit jerky soft-mannered public officer to an action fighter. He has later on being part of the remake of the A-Team for the big screen.
If you want stunning star special effects this is not your movie. This is a movie in which those effects are powerfully developed but subtly and realistically integrated in the story, which is what matters here. The aliens are greatly designed, especially their language, character, social structure and biology, points that are all relevant to the story, never self-indulgent.
The director has done a super-job in directing a movie that could have been cheesy or comic (in the bad sense) irrelevant and unsubstantial, but is nothing of that. We cannot forget Peter Jackson's production and the creative team in New Zealand either, who deserve a great praise for supporting such a great project!
My main problem with the movie was the setting, the fact that the spaceship stops over South Africa and the relationship that the locals establish with the newly arrived. Don't take me wrong, I think it is great that a country that is not the USA or an Anglo-Saxon country is chosen as a set of a movie; that's great! It is also true that the setting is perfect to explain many of the social reactions that we see happening in the story. My concern has to do with the fact that the movie, involuntary demonizes South African society and black people in general, and Nigerians in particular, who are portrayed as a despicable subhuman group. All of this was unnecessary, truly. Imagine how much verisimilar the storyline would have been if the setting was an invented country in which the social groups are not from a certain known country, just humans. Unintentionally, the script has done something that I usually hate in Hollywood movies - that is, that the bad guys are most of the time black, mixed race or dark colour, and/or non-Anglo-Saxon people, while the hero is usually a white Anglo-Saxon person.
The personal relationship between the leading human and alien characters vaguely reminded me of the one shown in "Enemy Mine", although both movies are quite different in story and narrative.
I loved the last scene of the movie, really tender and full of hope. I would say that the movie was left open to a sequel, which I would definitely welcome.
Sci-Fi fans will love the movie, and lovers of good movies in general, too.
N. B.: Oh, I've just realised that I forgot to write the synopsis of the film... well, in cases like this, please visit IMdb. :)
