Perth Cultural Centre
Perth 6006
http://www.perthculturalcentre.com.au/About/Wetland/
The Wetland [sic] is a fresh water pond located in the Cultural Centre, in the space connecting James St Amphitheatre and the Art Gallery of Western Australia, and created by redeveloping the previous water fountain but still including Stuart Green's beautiful sculpture.
The place recreates one of the swamps that were part of Perth natural environment at the arrival of the first European settlers. The area is very small but it is beautifully done. It has a great layout and a terrific mix of native greenery and wooden and metallic elements, a large colourful seating area, and a wooden deck stage. A bunch of happy frogs, native fish, and insects consider the pond home, as well as many seagulls, which come here to perform their bath rituals or have a swim. The fact that the central focal viewpoint of the Wetland has no human movement, but a stone façade as a background really helps to immerse yourself in this little artificial micro-cosmos. The world is left at your back, and it feels far away from the hectic urban surroundings.
The place is a favourite with quiet lunchers and coffee sippers, small children wanting to spot frogs, school groups, loners, and people attending some of the environmental talks and performances that take place at the central stage.
The Wetland is a beautiful special spot, perfect to relax in the middle of the city.
Between Francis Street, William Street and Roe Street
Northbridge Western Australia
(08) 9222 8000
http://www.perthculturalcentre.com.au/
The soul of the city - this is the Cultural Centre. An under-appreciated free heart, taken for granted, by many Perthites. In a five-minute walk you will have free access to the State Library (the most visited public building in WA), the Art Gallery and PICA, two theatres (The Blue Room and the State Theatre), the Museum of Western Australia, a musical playground, an urban orchard, and a wetlands pond, and some nice sculptures. We should be clapping out of joy!
The central plaza with its colourful steps has become a modern sort of agora for concerts and festivals, and also a favourite among open-air lunchers since the setting of the big screen in the middle of the square, which showcases great shorts all day long. You can watch the shorts, read your magazine or book, or watch humans pass by in their colourful dresses, hairdos, and attitudes.
There are gazillion coffee shops, eateries, cafés and pubs in Northbridge and in his area, which is another bonus to stay around.
The only thing lacking for the place to be world class is, a more impacting architecture and sculptures, and, above all, the monetary patronage necessary to bring bigger shows and exhibitions to the city, and to provide better funding for the functioning of these institutions. Hopefully, when the redevelopment project is finished, the place will have a more edgy aura.
The vibrancy of the place is not always evident, as the place has also become a passage way from William St to Beaufort St to the CBD and vice versa, and many of the beautiful spots in the area are passed unnoticed. Still, some of the new developments are attracting an increasing number of people coming to the Cultural Centre to stay, not to pass by.
702 Hay St
Piccadilly Arcade, Shop 24-26
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 6460 1866
http://www.foneezy.com.au/
Hours:
Mon-Sat 9:00 - 18:00
Sun 12:00 - 18:00
Phone Ezy in Picadilly Arcade is the cheapest shop for mobile repairs, and mobile and USB modem unlocking in the CBD. They also sell a few prepaid mobile combos, nothing fancy but modern, convenient and decently priced. They have a small selection of mobile accessories, but it is limited and pricey.
The service has always been OK, matter of fact, but efficient and reliable. I go there mostly for unlocking and repairs, and the guys have always been clear regarding their service, timing and pricing; if they can't do something, they will tell you straight away. If you go a peak
times, you will certainly will be asked to leave your device with them
and return later. The cues are here, and not in other places at 100 or 200 metres, for a reason.
Repairs start from 30$ and unlocks from 20$.
Best time to visit is early hours of the morning, otherwise the cues can be long and the waiting time ditto.
If you want fancy phones, go elsewhere.
669 Beaufort Street
Mt Lawley 6050
Ph: 9271 9444
Hours:
Mo-Su: 11AM - 10PM
http://www.grilld.com.au/
Grill'd Mount Lawley is one of those restaurants that succeeds because does things well and keeps it simple. It offers five things that guarantee success once the hype of a new business wanes out: good food, good sizing, good service, good location, and a nice ambience suitable to all sorts of people.
The location is fantastic, with enclosed and balcony areas, very welcoming and spacious, in the heart of Mt Lawley. Seat there and let the world pass by.
The selection of burgers is very good, with a variety of beef, chicken, lamb and vegetarian patties, plus steak sandwiches and salads. They have gluten-free buns, too. The chicken burgers, well, they are not burgers to me, as to be a burger the meat has to be minced and in a patty. It it has a fillet and not a patty, it is not a burger - simple!
I have tried some of their fancy beef burgers in the past, but now I go directly for the Simple Grill'd without cheese, which is a simple burger delicious in its simplicity, filling but not heavy on your stomach. I love their fries, both in serving sizes, cut, crunchiness, and that mix of rosemary and salt that makes them taste so delicious on their own. The size of the burgers is great, even the smallest one will leave you satisfied, and I eat a lot!
If you have any concerns with the preparation of your food, no problem, seat in front of their assembling area and see how they do it. It is also, how to put it?, entertaining!
The service is very good. I have rarely found a nosey-posey guy/gal, no matter how cool or funky they look. They are a bunch of friendly hard-working chaps, and very accommodating about anything.
The visitors are, uhmmm, mostly men, lots of families during the weekends, and burger lovers in general.
They certainly could improve their plating and sides, but Grill'd serves burgers in its wonderful original rusticity and primitive awesomeness.
TIP
They have free Wi-fi.
Location: 8.5
Layout: 7
Ambience: 7
Pricing: 8
Food: 8
Service: 9
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.
