Outdoor

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Little By Little – Berwick – Sunday 3 July 2016 – Breakfast

Little Ben

Little By Little Ben

It takes dedication to drive for three-quarters of an hour to eat breakfast. Our love of this meal is extreme and there are good reasons, especially when you live in the best breakfast city in the world. All we needed for inspiration was the suggestion by Chayse from O.My that this place is top quality and it was immediately on the list.

Little By Little is not on the prettiest patch of dirt in Berwick with a dilapidated car park disguising a little house that has been turned into a café. A local in Berwick told me that originally an application had been made to demolish. While I don’t always support heritage restrictions, in this case it has worked well because the café that came about is a terrific vibrant meeting place for locals.

The main room in the café has plenty of light filtering in through the windows, and although packed, has a comfortable open feel. We are near the back door that in summer would provide a cooling breeze, but today when it opens it is like walking down the freezer aisle! Catherine has already been sussing out what the best offerings on the menu are, and naturally is in a much better position to order than I am.

Moroccan eggs

French Cassoulet

The Little By Little Ben is basically eggs benedict, but with pork. It didn’t grab me on the menu, but when it came out for Catherine it was glistening. Each element is quality, especially the hollandaise and the incredibly indulgent shredded pork. As a combination we all know the usual Benedict it is a classic, and this one is brilliant.
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My dish of French Cassoulet has a variety of beans and chorizo sausage, again with perfectly poached eggs on top. There is plenty of flavour in the casserole and it is a solid dish, great for winter. The coffee is well made here, and I’m pretty sure I ended up trying three to make sure. There is an excellent range of treats so the last coffee was joined by a Portuguese tart with nice thick custard and a denser base than usual.

Yes it is a long way to go, but the drive is well worth it. Sitting here lingering over some excellent food and coffee, with nice enthusiastic service, feels like we actually are away from it all. It is a feeling that is difficult for inner city cafes to achieve.

Little by Little Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Post script:

Catherine was back with a group of friends again (Saturday 25 July 2016) and had another excellent experience. Her Chai Panna Cotta dish was delicious, and is presented in spectacular fashion, and the hot chocolate is decadent, as it should be.

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Chai Panna Cotta - served with granola, dark chocolate soil, cinnamon meringues, dehydrated orange and fresh fruits

Chai Panna Cotta – served with granola, dark chocolate soil, cinnamon meringues, dehydrated orange and fresh fruits

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Good Things – Mosman Park – Sunday 26 June 2016 – Breakfast

The Hulk - smashed avocado with peas, fresh mint, pickled onion, papitas, sesame, whipped feta and toast, and a poached egg (on the side)

The Hulk – smashed avocado with peas, fresh mint, pickled onion, papitas, sesame, whipped feta and toast, and a poached egg (on the side)

I took for granted the winter sun in Perth. It came around every year and didn’t bring as much excitement as the heat of summer or the seasons in between that are hardly distinct from the summer I experience now in Melbourne.

If Good Things is anything to judge by, the long hibernation of winter is not as depressing in Perth anymore. Like all aspects of this city, winter is becoming more popular and with weather like this it is hard to see why it wouldn’t be.

In a non-descript part of Mosman Park, there are tables full of customers outside, with several groups standing waiting for the next table or their takeaway coffee. Interestingly, the tables here are mainly for groups of four meaning there are lots of spare seats on tables of three and two.

In any case it takes little time for us to be offered a seat on the window and with the sun beaming in we are happy to take it. Oddly, like many places in Perth, everything happens at the table, except the ability to order. It could have been a disaster because I forgot one aspect of Catherine’s order, but luckily the staff were quick to accommodate, and I was back in the good books.

Huevos Rancheros - smoked and pulled beef brisket with Mexican fry bread, charred corn, tomato salsa, fried eggs, jalapeño sour cream & cilantro

Huevos Rancheros – smoked and pulled beef brisket with Mexican fry bread, charred corn, tomato salsa, fried eggs, jalapeño sour cream & cilantro

My order of Huevos Rancheros with smoked and pulled beef brisket on Mexican fry bread is a well thought through combination. There is a generous serving of fried eggs, the yolks of which are needed to partially soften the fried bread, along with a good helping of tomato salsa, grilled corn, and jalepeno sour cream. It is a filling breakfast, but there is a freshness to it, and I’m sold.

Catherine’s smashed avocado nicknamed “The Hulk”, which is initially missing a poached egg (thanks to me!), is also generous, with plenty of avocado and peas stacked over two pieces of sourdough with whipped feta. As you would expect, it all works well together, and seems to be a staple of Good Things.

With the sun shining through the window we linger a bit longer than usual, ordering a second coffee. They use a rotating offering of single origins and today’s Proud Mary roasted beans are high quality. There’s a good portfolio of diverse coffees becoming available across Perth, which is excellent to see.

Good Things is popular for a reason. There is plenty of thought in the food we ate, great coffee, and all of this comes in a nicely fitted-out café. I’m glad we gave it a go and we’ll be back again.

Good Things Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato