Toast

Sunday 24 May 2009

Toast
Shop 21/60 Royal Street, East Perth
(08) 9221 7553

1. Comfort and Surroundings

Alexander: My first breakfast in East Perth was a pleasant surprise. There were plenty of people in the area which provided for the right amount of bustle on an otherwise relatively sleepy street. Toast looks great - it has a distinct theme without feeling rigid or overdone. There are tables inside and outside. It's counter service but there weren't any difficulties ordering. The condiments tray was conveniently located. The table next to us was inhabited by rude people who didn't have any concept of personal space (with a chair continuously banging against our table), but even that didn't dent Toast's cool, casual vibe. 4 from me.

Lola: Having found the development of East Perth overly manufactured, I've previously avoided the suburb. There was nothing contrived about Toast. With its red vinyl chairs, antique Pastis bottles serving as water bottles and miniature blackboard table numbers, the decor proved fresh and delightful. I chose the comfortable bench seat across the back of the room and took advantage of one of the many cushions that were lying about. Toast was pleasant and inviting and deserves a 4 from me too.

2. Service

Alexander: It's counter service but the people working there were so nice that I can't really mark it down for that. Our drinks came out quickly (which is what you want), but the food wasn't rushed out, providing just enough delay to allow a decent portion of conversation before stuffing our faces. Perfect. Plates were cleared quickly and with minimal invasiveness. I'm going 4 again.

Lola: The staff here are delightful and incredibly good at what they do. The way the counter service works here makes for maximum efficiency, however, as a rule I won't give above a 4 for this kind of set up. Therefore they receive the maximum counter service score of 4.

3. Tastiness

Alexander: I ordered the cheesy scrambled eggs with chives, roast tomatoes and rye bread. It was good - enough food without being too massive. The eggs weren't super cheesy, but that was probably a good thing to avoid excessive richness. The tomatoes were sweet and well cooked. I was really excited when I saw rye bread on the menu, but unfortunately this was probably the least delicious part of the meal (the pieces being slightly tiny in size and a tad over-toasted). There was a good variety of innovative other things on the menu, and I look forward to trying some of the other options. A 3 from me.

Lola: My choice this Sunday were the corn fritters with scrambled eggs, avocado and hollandaise. I'm a big fan of the corn fritter and resultantly might be quite hard to please, but these were just the way I like them. With not too much unnecessary batter holding them together the focus was on the good stuff. Eggs were poached to perfection and the avocado was fresh and plentiful. The dish only fell short because I prefer my hollandaise with slightly more tang, but that's very much a personal quirk. Once again, a 4 here.

4. Drinks

Alexander: My iced mocha was pretty awesome. Sweet and strong without being overpowering. Cold. Served in a tall glass. Just the way I like it - 4.5.

Lola: Top marks! I couldn't fault my hot chocolate. With its great flavour, temperature and size, I was Goldilocks and it was baby bear's porridge. Since there was no room for improvement I have to give a 5.

5. Fiscal matters

Alexander: Prices are pretty standard and definitely reasonable. My food was $15 and my drink was $5.50, so I definitely didn't feel ripped off. Other items on the menu provided a suitable range of prices. Not much more to say on this front. I'm giving it a 3.

Lola: I feel similarly to Alexander on this issue as Toast offers average Perth prices and, accordingly, I'm giving an average 3.5. My fritters were a reasonable $16.50 and my hot chocolate $4.40.

The verdict...

Comfort & Surroundings: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Tastiness: 7/10
Drinks: 9.5/10
Fiscal Matters: 6.5/10
TOTAL: 39/50

Sensations en Ardross

Sunday 19 April 2009

Sensations en Ardross
43A Ardross Street, Applecross
(08) 9364 8806

1. Comfort and Surroundings

Lola: Needing a south of the river location we once again ventured to Applecross, this time trying the spot just next door to the location of our last expedition. Accordingly, the view and surrounds were just as nice, though I couldn't help but compare the seating arrangements to Jacs. The table and chairs this week were adequate but not particularly comfortable and I felt a little cramped. It's nice there, but nothing special, so I'll give it a 3.

Alexander: Our table felt like it was a bit smooshed in between other tables, which wasn't very impressive. The decor is a bit of a jumble without any discernible theme. Also, the line of people waiting to order tends to snake through the tables, meaning things felt a little unsettled. It also made it hard to reach the condiments table! This may sound harsh, but I am going with a 2.

2. Service

Lola: You order at the counter at Sensations which I don't mind at all. The girl who served me was friendly and accommodating, granting substitutions and answering questions. They also provide water and a huge range of condiments for self-service, meaning there was no further contact with staff. I find this kind of set-up often results in not being able to obtain access to what you want because it has inevitably been taken by a customer for exclusive use at their own table, but they had so much on offer that we weren't disappointed. No problems but I can't give more than 3.5 since we largely served ourselves.

Alexander: I didn't have much contact with the people working at Sensations because Lola ordered my breakfast for me. The brief encounters I had with the waitresses were pleasant though. As a self-service place, the marks are never going to be super high from me - I'm giving it a 3.

3. Tastiness

Lola: I really liked the menu and was torn between many dishes! I finally chose the breakfast wrap minus the fresh tomato. This was a thin crepe with perfect scrambled eggs, chives and avocado inside. Unfortunately the avocado you see in the picture was almost the entire amount of avocado in the wrap. Sigh. While the eggs were cooked to perfection I did expect a bit more out of each bite. I was still pretty happy though and would like to return and try another option! But for this meal, a 2.5.

Alexander: It was a big menu and in the end I went for the scrambled eggs with spinach and feta. The scrambled eggs were well cooked and there was a good (but not overpowering) amount of spinach and feta included. The combination of flavours definitely worked and the bread held it all together. I could probably have used a bigger serve though. All in all, 3.5.

4. Drinks

Lola: My chai was extremely disappointing. It was insipid, tasting of slightly flavoured warm milk. The flavour itself was promising but was not brewed for long enough! Only a 1.5 from my end.

Alexander: Given how fussy I am about drinks, I am surprised to be giving a higher mark than Lola. I ordered a cappuccino and, while not the most exciting coffee in the world, it still hit the spot - a 3 effort.

5. Fiscal matters

Lola: At $18.50 for my fairly small and simple crepe I thought the prices were a bit steep. I have to go a 2.5.

Alexander: The prices weren't exorbitant but they were on the high end of the scale. It's pretty much what you would expect from Ardross Street in Applecross. Given it's self-service, I think the menu was a bit overpriced, so I am only giving it 2.5.

The verdict...

Comfort & Surroundings: 5/10
Service: 6.5/10
Tastiness: 6/10
Drinks: 4.5/10
Fiscal Matters: 5/10
TOTAL: 27/50