Chapels on Whatley, Maylands

When I get asked to go out for breakfast, I typically think of the Aussie (or variations of English) breakfasts that are becoming an increasingly popular pastime in Perth.  But what happens when you mix a bit of Asian influence into this Aussie tradition?

Chapels originally started out as an Asian furniture store, stocking many unique items from antique furniture through to very intricate and detailed furniture.  As Chapels renovated and turned part of the venue into a cafe, they cut back on the furniture floor space and created a fusion brunch cafe experience to set itself apart from other cafes in the area.

Chapels' heritage as an Asian furniture store is seen throughout from the furnishings (such as short seated chairs with straight-vertical backs), its Chinese tea section available for retail sale as well as in its menu, and some Asian inspired menu selections.

The menu offers a variety of breakfast/brunch type options sure to cater for many tastes.  You get your usuals such as a "big breakfast" right through to Asian influenced options such as kim chi pancakes - something which makes me curious to try.

Also available are a variety of European style cakes, devonshire tea, and even a tea appreciation experience.

 Ozzie Breakfast - $22.50

The plate initially seemed small for what was on it, with no room to manoeuvre - I found it difficult to move any of the ingredients around including the bread and I decided against trying to put the poached eggs on the slanting bread which were on the stack of mushrooms.  Not a big issue, but noticeable for someone like me who likes to move around what's on my plate and break my runny egg yolks on my bread.

Other than the logistical issues, this was a decent breakfast but on the higher end of pricing for what I would have expected for a breakfast (many big breakfasts tend to scrape in just below $20, but perhaps the ingredients such as the distinct sausage - see below - were justification for this).  Going through the elements on the plate, there were:

• Princi bacon – the bacon was getting towards being crispy, but otherwise nicely cooked;
• A sausage – fat and meaty, the sausage was a bit dry to eat by itself and not seasoned  as much as other sausages – perhaps this was a healthier sausage as opposed to the usual high fat content ones;
• New Norcia bread – nothing too special about the taste and texture of bread but it was a nice normal sandwich bread that was toasted well enough to get that toasty crunch;
• Eggs (I ordered poached) – the eggs were cooked perfectly, gooey inside – just unfortunate that without significant rearranging the egg yolks just ran onto the plate rather than say on my toast;
• Mushrooms – sliced thinly and sautéed lightly;
• Tomato – half a lightly grilled tomato; and
• Condiments – butter and a sweet and sour salsa that tasted like barbecue sauce mixed with tomato chutney, which added a bit of welcome “sauce” especially to the sausage.

Bacon and egg flatini - $14.95

This 'flatini' which seemed like panini that had been flat-press-toasted was filled with bacon, fried eggs, and tomato.  I didn't try this but was told it was very nice.  The flatini did look and sound good in concept with the bacon, eggs and tomato combination conveniently constructed into a neat 'toastie'.

Cappuccino - $3.90

For someone who likes to buy organic coffee, I find it increasingly hard to find places that sell it these days with some places going out of business or reverting back to non-organic beans.  Chapels proudly states that they use Yahava organic coffee beans in their coffee which are roasted down South.  The price is on the high side of 'normal' coffee prices (actually, I think it's comparable to many other coffee shops as it's increasingly difficult to find places that do $3.50 or below these days) but considering organic fair trade beans cost more, the price is very reasonable.

The coffee itself seemed just ok - smooth, but a bit on the light side compared to what I'm used to.

White monkey tea

With the Chinese teas being served in a nice see-through teapot that appeared to magnify the tea leaves, Chapel's has a 'bottomless' tea policy.  Good for the tea drinkers, not so great for weak bladders.

We liked: The uniqueness of the decor, with oriental furniture; the healthier approach to the menu (but still far from being a health-food cafe); bottomless teapots.

We didn't like: Slightly pricier than other similar offerings around.

Other points to note: You can book ahead - weekend breakfasts can get very busy; Chapels is also an Asian furniture store.
Chapels on Whatley Cafe Maylands reviews and photos

Chapels on Whatley
196 Whatley Crescent
MAYLANDS WA 6051
(08) 9272 7738
http://www.chapelsonwhatley.com.au/

Trading Hours
Wednesday to Monday: 8am - 5pm