Perth and the North West - Options?
Hello. My wife and I have a trip coming up in April to Perth, and the North West Coast.
We will be staying in Fremantle. Any advice on breakfast spots with a nice water view? Willing to travel up as far as Cottesloe.
We then head up north for a week, with nights spent in Monkey Mia, Coral Bay and Exmouth. Any restaurant/cafe recommendations up here?
Also on ANZAC day we are in Perth. Want a long lunch dining experience.
Thanks in advance.
RWA
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TheHuntress
Apr 1, 2012 05:42 AM
I don't know about getting a nice breakfast with a water view, but I always enjoyed Moore & Moore on Henry St. in Freo. I haven't been for a while, but when I used to frequent Freo they made fabulous breakfasts and lunches. They also have local artists displaying their work if you're into that kind of thing. Generally things can be a bit hit and miss in Freo, but if you go for a wander you might stumble upon something good.
To be honest as far as food goes up the North coast there's not a huge amount available. Things may have changed as tourism has developed over the years, but from memory you might have little to choose from other than standard pub grub fare. Exmouth did have a Chinese restaurant once upon a time, but I remember little about it other than my father horrifying the owners with his rampaging table cloth tricks...sorry I'm not of any more help. I would definitely second verysimple's idea of getting a stack of fresh seafood (which will be amazing if local!) and cooking it yourself.
I'd ring around and check what is actually open on ANZAC Day in Perth as things do get sporadic, but again, I'd second the suggestion of Duende in Leederville or Clarences in Mount Lawley. Otherwise, if you have a car, I'd suggest somewhere in the Swan Valley at a winery such as Jane Brook or Sitella's, both of which are very pleasant on a sunny Autumn afternoon.
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There aren't that many places in Fremantle that I would recommend for breakfast - not on the basis of the atmosphere or food, but mainly because of the service. Obviously it depends on what you prefer, so while I like a certain level of friendliness combined with attentiveness and find that the hipster-ness of Fremantle tends to result in most places being a little "too cool", that might be what you like. Anyway, there's basically nothing in North Fremantle or Mosman Park so I think your best bet would be to head up to Cottesloe as you said: Il Lido is my favourite out of the beachfront spots, but Barchetta is also quite nice. Definitely wouldn't recommend Beaches and maybe it's just my bad luck but my experiences at the Blue Duck have been a bit erratic. Anyway, cruise along the Cottesloe strip and see what takes your fancy.
For the long lunch - I'm thinking of places that have a great atmosphere so you can people-watch while you eat, and great beverage selections - Duende in Leederville springs to mind, as do Cantina 663 or Clarence's in Mt Lawley. Further west, Bistro Felix, Lamont's, or Amphoras also have very good reputations. Beware of the multitude of pubs passing themselves off as restaurants; you'll pay as much as, or slightly more than you would in an actual restaurant, but with wildly inadequate service.
If you want to do a little research on these places, urbanspoon is the best source for Australian restaurant information and generally has the most up-to-date info re opening hours and contact numbers - just take the reviews with a very large grain of salt as a lot (not all) of the writers seem pretty clueless. http://www.urbanspoon.com/c/348/Weste...
Can't help with the North-West I'm sorry; my parents actually used to own the beach shack bistro in Monkey Mia but that was a longgggg time ago. I think the best value option would be for you to buy a sh**-tonne of fresh awesome seafood in one of the towns and then barbecue it yourself on the beach!
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The Blue Duck is a great breakfast option in Nth Cottesloe
http://www.blueduck.com.auAnd the food at the Indiana was well worth a long lunch when I went there 3-4 years ago
http://indiana.com.au
But I'm sure there are places with better food
