YOU’LL REALLY NEED A SECOND DAY ...
[ MORNING ]
Mount Lawley, once an inner-city thoroughfare that people would pass through on their way to the city, has been one of the major players in Perth’s rebirth. The suburb effortlessly blends old and new, with this symbiotic relationship playing out every day along Beaufort Street. The Art Deco curves of the century-old Astor Theatre (astortheatre perth.com), for instance, contrast with the urban aesthetic of Standby Espresso (1 Raglan Road, Mount Lawley; 0439 984 704), a tiny coffee stand attached to late-night gourmet grocery Fresh Provisions (provisions.com.au).
People also take breakfast seriously in this part of town. Weekend queues are inevitable at Mary Street Bakery (mary streetbakery.com.au) but loyal customers patiently wait their turn to dine, safe in the knowledge that Gerrard Mitchell’s brunch creations will hit the mark. Anyone for a bright fish ceviche with tiny fried Mexican corn puffs? Good bread and baked treats, including the eatery’s signature doughnuts, make it possible to take a little of that Mary Street magic on the road.
Afterwards, stop by Planet bookshop (planetbooks.com.au) for your fill of literature and counterculture. Further north along Beaufort Street, homewares store La Luna (879 Beaufort Street, Mount Lawley; 08 6150 9730) stocks products from local and overseas designers.
[ NOON ]
Never mind the number of high-tech gadgets hidden in your kitchen cupboards; in food circles nowadays, it’s all about what’s growing in your garden. While Millbrook Winery (millbrookwinery. com.au) might not enjoy the global fame of destination diners such as Brae in regional Victoria or New York’s Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Guy Jeffreys is as committed as any chef/gardener on the planet when it comes to tending his on-site kitchen garden (bonus: lunch at Millbrook is also considerably less expensive than the aforementioned restaurants). Although this picturesque estate in Jarrahdale is an easy one-hour drive from the city centre, it’s best to pay for that drive, leaving you free to enjoy the ride (and the winery’s range of keenly priced drops). Jeffreys uses a light touch in the kitchen, preferring his ingredients to be the star. The majority of vegetables and fruits used in the kitchen are grown on site, which probably explains why the heirloom tomatoes – bravely and simply served with nothing but salt – are bursting with sweetness, the baked beans are a picture of creamy comfort and the berry compote accompanying featherweight doughnut balls tastes like the pure essence of summer.
[NIGHT]
While visitors are drawn to the alfresco restaurants and cafés along Fremantle’s so-called Cappuccino Strip (a stretch of pavement on the suburb’s main artery, South Terrace), most of the port city’s best
eating and drinking is found in its rejuvenated West End. Two of the suburb’s best options are within walking distance of each other, making it all too easy to experience both in a single evening. The first of those is Bread in Common (breadincommon.com.au), a converted warehouse that bakes its own loaves in volcanic wood-fired ovens. Executive chef Scott Brannigan works tirelessly with local farmers to source the ingredients for his regularly changing menus. Nearby is equally new Strange Company (strangecompany. com.au), a bar/restaurant housed in a one-time wetsuit factory. Great drinks courtesy of bar manager Darcy Travers keep the party humming while MoVida alumnus Ricky Mandozzi keeps the food on-brief.
After dinner – or dinners, even – head to North Fremantle to check out who’s playing at Mojos Bar (mojosbar.com.au), one of the suburb’s many incubators for live music.