Peninsula Tea Gardens, Maylands

I like lazing around on a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Some may gear up for a Sunday sesh, others may find their way to the beach (I'm missing Summer already!), and then there's always the popular cafe culture that's suitable all day long.  The cafe culture is responsible for our reportedly increasing coffee consumption but there still seems to be a small increasing trend towards tea in the form of high tea or else the age old cream tea.

One of the more popular Perth tea places that come to mind is Peninsula Tea Gardens over near Tranby House in Maylands.

Approaching Peninsula Tea Gardens, walking alongside the river and through the bush greenery provide a great prelude to some scones with jam and cream (or a high tea).  The venue itself opens up to glimpses (due to the angle) or the river and the green surrounds making a good setting for a nice afternoon of tea drinking.

Pensinsula Tea Gardens is probably most known for its high tea menu.  Whilst the menu has a few lunch options (eg steak sandwich, quiche, and smoked salmon salad) and tea options (eg cream tea / Devonshire tea) the Parisian Afternoon Tea looks to be amongst the more popular of the menu options.

Having not booked and not having the appetite for high tea (I needed a meaty meal before I went out for scones), we ordered a Riverside Cream Tea ($12.50) for each of us which came with two scones served with jam and cream, and a choice of tea in a pot.

Tea cups used as part of Riverside Cream Tea - $12.50

Scones with raisins and scone with raspberries (part of Riverside Cream Tea - $12.50)

The scones were warm and soft in texture.  They were not dry, but quite crumbly.  The scones came with a choice between plain, raisins, blueberries and raspberries, however given they were out of blueberries I opted for one with raisins and one with raspberries.

The dried fruit in the scones, which for being dried through the baking process were still quite juicy, added quite a bit of sweetness.  Overall I thought the scones were quite good and enjoyable on a lazy afternoon.

The scones were also served, as to be expected, with jam and cream.

We liked: The scenic venue along the river; decent scones for a light (or heavier and lengthier) afternoon tea.

We didn't like: Having to wait for a table if you haven't booked; the décor/furnishings seems like it could be spruced up a bit; though I didn't try it, the cakes in the fridge selection looked quite ordinary; service can be a bit chaotic but is still friendly.

Other things to note: You can only book a table for certain menu items (generally high tea set menus) on Sunday afternoons - otherwise just turn up and try your luck.

Peninsula Tea Gardens
Tranby (Peninsula Farm)
Johnson Road
Maylands WA 6051
(08) 9272 8894
http://www.peninsulateagardens.com 

Trading Hours
Tuesday to Sunday - 10am to 5pm

Patisserie Fiorentina, North Perth

Patisserie Fiorentina North Perth blog, review, and photos
One of the great things about Perth's growing cafe culture is the selection of great home-made style food they offer.  Not only do you get your "bacon and eggs" but the home cooked cakes and biscuits are always a plus... and taking this to another level when you have a patisserie full to select from!

Patisserie Fiorentina North Perth is another breakfast/lunch cafes on the Angove Street cafe strip.  It has indoor and al fresco dining that, during the breakfast and lunch peak hours, often is busy close to capacity.  Despite this, you should generally be able to find a table (or else take an extremely short stroll to any of the neighbouring cafes).

As suggested by its Italian sounding name, Patisserie Fiorentina has distinct Italian (pastry) influences in its offerings.  Apart from a relatively "normal" breakfast and lunch menu (which seem to offer lighter to moderate selections in comparison to say a "big breakfast"), there are a wide selection of Italian pastries available in the large display fridge along with a selection of larger party and wedding cakes available to pre-order.  Rounding the food selections off are those compulsory coffees and teas to complete the Italian cafe experience.

Ham, Benedict eggs - $14.50

The Eggs Benedict was served on New Norcia bread with honey leg ham.

The eggs were well overdone for me (i.e. cooked through solid and not at all runny), and one of the two slices of bread on the plate had one side that was burnt quite black (looking around, I wasn't the only one with burnt bread) giving a charcoal taste.  Not a great start.

Apart from the obvious disappointments above, which might have just been due to an off day, the combination of the creamy sauce with a notable and welcome amount of acidity, the lightly sweet and thinly sliced honey leg ham and otherwise well toasted crunchy bread hit the spot for a decent breakfast that didn't leave me feeling like I'd overeaten.

Ricotta bruschetta - $8

A lighter meal than the Eggs Benedict, the ricotta bruschetta were slices of sour dough bread topped with sweetened rose valley ricotta and honey and fresh strawberries.

I initially thought this was an unusual breakfast meal but after a taste I thought it wasn't a bad sweet breakfast.  The red strawberries and the dusted icing helped to make this quite attractive too. Still, I prefer my breakfasts savoury.

Below I've included a few more photos of bits and pieces from previous occasions.

Baci cake - a rich multilayered chocolate cake

Apple strudel

Apple pie

Cappuccino - a mild coffee

We liked: Large range of cakes and pastries baked on premises; large range to select from.

We didn't like: On the occasion I went half the bread was burnt and the poached eggs cooked solid (quality control?)

Other things to note: Whilst there is a large range of cakes and pastries on display, you need to order the tortes in advance; dine in and takeaway available.

Patisserie Fiorentina
44 Angove Street
North Perth WA 6006
(08) 9328 7442
http://www.fiorentina.com.au/

Trading Hours
Open for breakfast and lunch