Nine West (Forrest Chase, Perth WA)

Forrest Chase Shopping Centre
207 Murray St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9325 5052
http://www.ninewest.com.au
Hours:
    Mon-Thu 9:00 - 17:30
    Fri 9:00 - 21:00
    Sat 9:00 - 17:00
    Sun 11:00 - 17:00 

The Nine West branch shop on Forrest Chase is an open shop that has always wonderful window displays. The interior has a very classy minimal celled wall showcasing their bags and shoes, and, to top up all, a great lighting that really makes the products on display look their best. In fact, the whole shop has an air of elite and luxury that is, however, very far from what it is. 

 
The design of their pieces is trendy and classy, with a good mix of classy flats and the latest trends in shoes, handbags, wallets and clutches. The pricing is fantastic for the handbags but a bit up for the shoes having into account that the materials and overall quality of the products is  medium in the best cases. Still they look like a million dollar! Kudos to Nine West. Still, plastic is plastic, no matter you call it faux-leather or synthetic. I would not mind the syntheticity of it, if the materials were softer in the shoes and less rigid in the bags.

The shop-attendants are welcoming and helpful, and let you wander around freely or approach you depending on your shopping aura and vibe.

Nine West is a perfect place for decently priced fashion seasonal fixes, especially for those that you do not want to spend much money on as they are not going to be trendy next year. Nine West is also a perfect place for Vegans and animal activists who do not use leather but want to look  "à la mode".

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"Agora" by Alejandro Amenábar (2009)

A biopic loosely based on the story of the great Late-Roman female Philosopher, Astronomer and Mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria.


Most movies about the Roman Empire are unsubstantial, entertaining in the best cases. Have a look at the titles produced in Hollywood recently and you will see what I am talking about. We do not  have many movies that offer an intimate study of a brilliant female intellectual. We do not have many movies in which women are treated with respect or not presented subordinated to men. However, Agora does just that - the contrary.

This is a movie about the decadence of Rome not about the Roman Empire. The movie shows with great easiness and without lecturing, the decadence of the Roman Empire, and the processes of conversion of pagan societies into Christianity.

This is a movie about Early Christians, but not the victimised heroes that we are usually presented with in old Hollywood and European films.

This is a movie about a woman who was intellectually respected and revered by men, a woman who preached by example and was true to herself until the last moments of her life.  

This is a movie about an epic quest for knowledge and understanding, not about epic battles.

This is a movie about ideas not about special effects.

This is a movie against fundamentalism, dogmatism, intolerance, ignorance and irrationality, about the necessity of Philosophy and Science to advance and build a better world. The movie shows that mobs are never right or understanding, just a bunch of stupid animals, even if the principles that brought them together are valid in essence and origin.

Rachel Weiz really shines in this movie, despite the Mathematics of it! She looks beautiful beyond words. Most importantly, she wholeheartedly embraces her character and portrays Hypatia with talent, class and conviction. Oscar Isaac also offers a heartfelt convincing performance as Prefect Orestes, as well as Michael Lonsdale as Hypatia's father Theon. I had a mix of feelings regarding Max Minghella's performance as freed slave Davus, whose dramatic intensity I considered overbearing at times. The same can be said of some of the actors playing the fanatic Christian characters in the movie.

The digital reconstruction of Alexandria is beautiful and realistic. Malta Landscapes beautiful. The sets, the lighting, the colours, the dresses, the actors' characterisation, the mood and cinematography of the films  are all wonderful.

Agora has also some flaws. 1/ Firstly, that it is a little too long and slow-paced. 2/ Secondly, all the explanatory texts that link different periods in the movie are too long and distracting, and very TV-series-ish; I agree that the viewer needs of some historical  contextualisation, but I am not sure that this was the best way to do it. 3/ Thirdly, although the space-to-earth shots showing the roundness of Earth before falling onto Alexandria are relevant to Hypatia's quest about the shape and movement of Earth, they are unnecessarily repetitive, and a final single scene with this would have sufficed and served as a modern thoughtful epilogue. 4/ Finally, the movie has historical inaccuracies, artistic licences that can be taken by the word by many viewers; still, this happens in almost any American historical movie and nobody seems to care, perhaps because they are sugar-coated and more easily digested. 

The depiction of the Christian mobs made Agora unmarketable in the American market, where Christian fundamentalism has power, and the movie had a very limited release. Christian fundamentalist groups all over the world, infused in their own dogmatism, were unable to see beyond the obvious and publicly complained about the film. 

Agora is, despite its flaws, a great movie with good acting, magnificent atmosphere, a powerful message, and a big heart. If you are looking for just entertainment, battles, action, and erotic moments in the Roman Empire this film  is not for you. Still, there are hundred reasons to watch this movie, especially if you are seeking for something different to feed your mind.

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Perth Underground Station (Perth WA)

Corner William St & Murray St Mall
13 62 13
(08) 9428 1900
Tranperth Info

This much needed station opened its doors in 2007 at the corner between William St and the Murray St Mall, coinciding with the opening of the new Mandurah train line. It is a stop for the Mandurah,  Joondalup and Clarkson's train lines.

THE GOOD
- It is in the heart of Perth CBD, easy to access for regular an disable commuters or mums with proms.
- The place is squeaky clean and shiny, and very pleasant.
- The colour-coded flat signing is very easy to follow. You will hardly get lost here, not even if you venture and walk the pedestrian underground passage connecting this station to Perth Central.
- They have a very efficient information system. There is a Transperth information kiosk, stands with timetable brochures, electronic boards at the entrance and all over the place (with info about minutes left for the next train to depart, platform number, and number of cars) plus voice over messages informing of the arrival and departure of the trains, and giving security messages. 

THE NOT SO GOOD
Despite everything, the station is not as customer friendly as it should be, especially taking into consideration that it is five years old.  
* The seating area and number of benches is ridiculously small.
* Perth Underground does not have public toilets in the premises, not even a paid rest place. Shocking!
* The first thing you notice before you get to the platforms is the largeness of the corridors. Even if the train is full at peak hours. It is great having lots of room to move around without having other passengers rubbing your shoulders. Still, the space is large enough to be used to provide commuters some services.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
- Public Toilets needed right there right now.
- A  Rest Room rea is needed.
- More seating benches are needed at the platforms and in the corridors. There is room for them!
- A newsagent kiosk and takeaway coffee/food kiosks could easily fit in the corridors and pedestrian walking area, as well as any sort of Japanese Style vending machine. It would be a good source of revenue for Transperth, and beneficial for businesses and commuters.
- Make the Transperth info office more eye-pleasing. At present, it looks like those found in stations built 20 years ago - Ugly and unfriendly. Are we in 2012 yet?

Please, Transperth Masterminds, think about us beyond we getting onto the trains. 

MIND
For non-regular users of Transperth, Perth underground is not Perth Station or Perth Central, which always refers to the Central Station located between  Wellington and Roe Streets and facing Forrest Place. 

ALSO MIND
Although the electronic boards show info about the Fremantle and Midland lines, you have to go to the Perth Central to catch those. If you enter Perth Underground, you have about 300 metres of pedestrian underground walk to get there. I always find more pleasant walking the city, and it takes you the same time. Unless you are changing trains of course. 

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Lawley's Bakery Café (Highgate, Perth WA)

616 Beaufort St
Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9328 6866
http://www.lawleys.com.au/
Hours:
    Mon-Sun 6:30 - 18:00

Mount Lawley's bakery café sells a huge range of breads, cakes, pastries, and pies at good prices.

THE PLACE - The whole place looks large and rambling, and the seating area is unglamorous.  At the same time, it has an air of familiarity that can be really welcoming and it is very pleasant for normal days visits. That is why it attracts a mix of people of all ages, gender and professions.

THE FOOD 

* Their breakfast menu are acceptable and decently priced. The Big Lawley's breakfast is quite big and filling.  Not bad, but as good as the one you could easily prepare at home. 

* Their pies are completely forgettable, and are not baked on site, but by a supplier in Osborne Park. They had a few unusual things and flavours, and some of them look tempting, but they lack in flavour and are filling with lots of thick gravy and spare drops of the supposed filling. Go and grab yours elsewhere.

* Some of the sweets, on the contrary, are great. I am very picky with sweets, and I cannot stand too much sweetness or lack of flavour. In that regard, some of Lawley's sweets fit my palate perfectly. 

- The fruit tartlets and matching petit-fours are delicious, especially the berries and citrus ones. The chocolate petit-fours are average. Some of the other tartlets are too sweet, and not that exciting, an example being the forgettable lemon lime brulee tartlet. 

- The fruit cheese cakes are great: very light, mousse-like, fresh, right amount of sugar, very tasty and quite big.

* Lawley's has a great variety of breads: gluten free, sourdough, sweet, savoury, Italian, German, French, Turkish, and everything in between. They are not cheap, but not expensive either for that sort of gourmet bread. The most exotic breads are great for special occasions and whimsical moments. My favourite loaves are the sourdough fig & fennel, and the sultanas & walnuts (the latter especially), which are perfect for gourmet breakfasts at home.  Their rye and sunflower lunch rolls are my fav bread in here, followed by the simple rye long rolls - fluffy but dark in colour and rich in rye.

THE COFFEE

I have heard so many things about the coffee, that I was expecting one of those "weakies" that are spreading throughout Perth like the Plague. To my surprise the coffee was quite strong and dark, a bit bitter actually, so it definitely needed of sweetening. It was really well prepared and decent.  

THE SERVICE

 The service is uneven, varies from person to person, but most staff are friendly and nice; still, there is an I-don't-care-about-you air that really annoys me, which is especially evident when visiting in the quieter hours of the afternoon-evening. You could place yourself in front of any of the stands, nobody in the shop, and none of the staff would even care. It has happened to me. Still, I have found that when the place is really full, and flooded with customers, the guys put the batteries on and are very fast, efficient, friendly and serviceable. Should not be the other way around? Puzzling! Some of the guys do not give a damn about customers, unless they find them flirting material. But, hey, this is not high school, or is it?
* I  expect the staff to know the basic ingredients and taste of the products they sell as this is part of the job. I asked a staff member a few questions: Is this hot? Is this very sweet? Is this chocolate? Is this spicy? Dunno. I haven't tried it. That is unacceptable.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

1/ The owners should be training new staff to know the basic ingredients and taste of the products on sale, so they can inform customers when they ask. You do not have to try anything, just learn it by heart.
2/ The staff should make an effort to show a bit of more enthusiasm and friendliness towards customers, especially when the shop is empty.
3/ The seating area needs a revamp, and a bit of detachment from the selling area. The floor absolutely needs to be changed, as it makes the place looks uglier than it actually is. 
3/ Lawley's does not accept EPFTOS unless you expend +10$. They should charge a few cents for this sort of transaction, so it benefits both the business and the customer, not just the business.
6/ They should have different sizes of packing boxes. They pack the petit-fours and cakes without any care, unless you ask them to do so. They have big boxes for big cakes, and cartoon trays for others, but not small covered boxes. So, if you are walking with your sweets, you will get a deformed amorphous thing when you get home. 
7/ Remove the chocolate cheese cake from the menu. Good looks are not enough. It tastes odd!
8/ The bread slicer does slice the bread unevenly. So please fix that. It is annoying getting slices that are too thin and others too thick in the same loaf! 

RECOMMENDATIONS

- Go to Lawley's for the fruit cheesecakes, the fruit tartlets, fruit petit-fours, and sweet breads. I prefer New Norcia sourdoughs any time, to be honest, but the sweet breads here are fantastic as well as the rye lunch rolls.

- This is a perfect place to get home-made style breakfast, which is great for lazy cooks (me!) and tradies.
- If you fancy some of the petit-fours, but do not need them for any special event, buy the matching tartlets, which are bigger, comparatively cheaper, and taste the same. 
- If you need to use your card for little purchases go elsewhere, so you are not forced to buy anything you do not want. 
- If you find the service annoying write a review. Most of the times, being understanding does not help things to improve. Hopefully, many people complaining about the poor service will make it better. 

UPDATE 15/8/2012

Not even two weeks from my review on this place, and Lawley's has moved from their unglamorous previous location to a very nice, smaller but cozier, location a few meters up the hill, now at 616 Beaufort St in a little building painted with their trademark  blue colour, in front of Zakka. It looks way better, cleaner, much more modern and much more inviting to have something in the premises. 

Some of the lazy people that used to be there are not longer there, at least at the times I usually visit, and most of them are quite nice and attentive.

Well done Lawleys!

Now that bread slicer is still slicing my bread badly. Is it so costly replacing or fixing the one they have? The one at Lawley's Subiaco works perfectly.

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T2 Tea (Perth WA)

Shop 4/ 726 Hay St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9226 2429
http://t2tea.com/
Hours:
    Mon-Thu 9:00 - 18:00
    Fri 9:00 - 21:00
    Sat 9:00 - 17:00
    Sun 11:00 - 17:00
 In the Kingdom of Coffee, T2 is a serious contender to the throne. T2 Tea sells anything and everything related to tea in the East and the West. T2 is an Australian brand that succeeds at what it does because there is passion behind the project. Not only that, they have gorgeous shops with clever marketing policies implemented in how things are presented and offered to you. The most important thing is that they sell more than 100 varieties of tea, mostly loose, but also in convenient tea bags. They have certified organic tea, and a great variety of white, green, yellow, Oolong and black teas, plus tisanes, fruit, herbal and floral blend teas, rooibos and honeybush teas, and even vintage tea. Not enough, they have bottled  unsweetened iced tea. Wow! 

I have tried many T2 teas and tisanas, and some of them smell good but taste OK, or at least do not taste as the name of the tea or the smell of the team made you think. Those that deliver, to me, are among the tea bag teas: Gorgeous Geisha (green tea) and the Red Fancy Fruit (rooibos based). Among the flavoursome tisanes I would recommended the Spi Chai  (spicy but delicate), Apple Chunky (mostly dried apple), an the Toasty Nugat (chunky apple, syrup, vanilla and almonds), which are great both cold and hot; the same can be said of Vanilla Slice and Strawberry & Cream (red fruit based). Among the green teas, Sencha Peach and Sencha Sensations are both fabulous in taste and aroma. I find most of the black teas at T2 a bit disappointing or not worth the money, really. Still the Monk Pear has a distinctive aroma and flavour, and it is quite nice for a medium-strength breakfast tea; it might not be your cup of tea. The Oolong teas are quite nice, but nothing wow -at least to me- to pay their high price.  

They sell gorgeous tea sets, cups, saucers, mugs, and jugs from the very simple to the romantic and ethnic, to the vintage; the latter are expensive, but cheaper than in other places. All of this, plus a huge selection of tea storing, brewing, and serving tools.

THE STORE - The Hay St store is quite large but very sleek and cheerful, most of furniture and celled walls in black with a few coloured areas. A perfect place to showcase the beautiful colourful crockery they have. They are very clever at mixing the very well organised and illuminated cells in the wall, with the more street-market-like piles of stuff in the stand-alone tables and shelves, which appeals to different sort of customers. The piles always make you enter and wander around, as it gives the shop a casual shop air, while the rest is what the shop is meant to be - a posh tea shop. Every time I enter here, I tell myself that whomever is designing the shops, is doing an awesome job at marketing what is for sale. 

I love the fact that they have three or four pots of brewed tea prepared for customers to taste. A great gesture, and a very clever marketing policy.  

THE NITTY-GRITTY - * The place is pricey for everything, but especially for tea infusers, canisters and for simple organic tisanes (chamomile, peppermint and even simple rooibos), which can be found at your local IGA, Woolies Coles or Chinese store for a fraction of the price. You can find beautiful simple tea sets at bargain prices at Asian Shops, so come to T2 just for the posh ones.
* Many of their teas are weak, so if you are into strong tea, many of them will be too "girly" for you. 
* Many of their teas smell divine, like an otherworldly experience, but then they taste bland. Still, they are a good way of eating with your senses, just using your olfactory senses. Try the  strawberry cream tea, and then you will understand what I am talking about.  
* Service is uneven. Sometimes I am greeted with a big smile on arrival and offered a cup of their brewed teas, while others I am treated matter of fact with a nosey attitude, and others I am left to browse around without being disturbed. The staff can get uptight if you make certain sort of questions. Like, does T2 have sales? Like, Do you recycle the tasting paper cups? There is no need to look at me as I was landing from Pluto, I am just asking. 
 * Although this affects the whole brand, I find shocking that they do no use recyclable tasting cups, as the ones they have cannot be recycled after use. Are we in the 21st century yet?
* They rarely have sales. So uncool. If something is too expense and/or I can find it cheaper elsewhere I will go elsewhere, unless you are selling ambrosia. 

***

If you are not a tea drinker, I invite you to visit T2 shop in Hay St, taste some of their varieties of tea, and then tell me that you cannot find anything that suits your taste. If you already like tea, this is heaven!  

TIP
 The golden leafed decorated cups and saucers are not microwaveable.

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To Pepper or not to Pepper

Another sin of Perth Restaurants.

It is becoming increasingly popular asking customers if they want pepper in their dish, the waiter flashing a huge pepper grinder that they move as if they were playing a musical tropical instrument. 

Just in the last week, I have found the same foolish nonsense anti-gourmet practice in three different restaurants in the city. None of them are high class or the top of the range. I guess they think this is something that will impress the customer, or that it is the right thing to do. The thing is that, if you ask the waiters, if the dish has already any, they usually do not know. You do this sort of thing when somebody is cooking for you and this somebody, in his/her house, knows for a fact that the food has no pepper and the dish needs it.

It is a ridiculous practice. Who has decided that it is good peppering or salting your food before it has been tasted? Who has decided that this practice is appropriate in a good restaurant?

Do I need to develop my sixth foodie-sense to learn by osmosis that my dish indeed needs pepper before trying it?

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Coffee Shot Missing. Help!

Most Perth cafés offering take-away options have tree sizes: Small, Regular and XL.

Here it is the sin spreading throughout our city. The small cup has one shot of coffee, the medium has two. And the large has... two and an a half shots instead of three. What?! What?! What?

They, of course, do not tell you, no written signs, they let you delude yourself. Delusion makes people happy. Placebo effect delivered to you with your cuppa and a big smile every day. Baristas are all so good-looking that you can't help it and smile back at them. Still, if you ask, they will tell you. 

These sort of policies are a bit of a cheat to consumers and coffee lovers who, like us, spend a little fortune on coffee, and expect their coffee to be perfect and wonderful every time every size. Moreover, the missing shot (or half a shot) makes a huge difference in the flavour of the coffee you drink, wherefore most XL takeaways taste bland and latte-ish.

If this was not enough sin, some cafés put one and a half shots in the regular, and two in the large, the small still having one. What the flack?!

I always ask them to add the missing shot or half shot; they smile and say "of course", but the coffee still tastes bland. I guess it is another dollop of delusional smile sweetened with an elusive shot.  

Many cafés have a great coffee indoors, but then it tastes watery and bland when prepared for takeaway. We pay a lot of money for our coffee, so please, deliver. Should we order two small coffee cups to get what we want?

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