TARTS, Northbridge
by JENNY D’ANGER:
How to have a 15-minute orgasm using nothing but an apple assaulted my eyes during a Google search for the name of a local raw food company.
I passed on the notion and instead rang Tarts Cafe, where staff reminded me the company I was looking for was called Rawgasm (it supplies treats to the cafe).
Fruit and sex have long had a symbiotic relationship so it’s apt that Tarts Cafe and Gourmet Food and Gifts is found in Lake Street, Northbridge, once a hangout for prostitutes.
“My, how times have changed,” I thought, somewhat primly, driving past funky eateries and shops on my way there.
It’s apparently called Tarts not because of the streetwalkers but because it’s so tempting—uhhh huh—and tempted I was, to eat more than I should, and to buy things I didn’t really need.
Owner John Vallini and partner Sandra took over the place seven years ago introducing a more varied menu that includes a terrific range of vegetarian and vegan dishes.
I was hoping my lunch companion would go for something meaty, in the interests of carnivorous readers, but alas he opted for a savoury muffin: They’re homemade, the size of a Valiant’s hubcap and crammed with spinach and chunks of fetta.
“Light, fluffy and delicious,” was the verdict.
For meat eaters there’s plenty of choice, including a steak sandwich ($19.90) with scotch fillet, baconnaise (dunno, you’ll have to ask, sounds smoky) sauce, pesto tomato, caramelised onion, served with salad. Chips are an optional extra for $2.50 more.
Or, there’s the slow-cooked beef cheeks ($26), with asparagus and potato croquettes, and topped with a fried egg.
My eye was caught by the roast tower ($23.90), a stack of char-grilled vegetables, topped with thick house-made hommus (so good and so unusual I had to verify it was just hommus) and a couple of perfectly cooked asparagus spears that were warm and crunchy.
A very good coffee washed down a rich brownie ($4.90) from Rawgasm while my lunch partner downed a second cappuccino and hoed into a strawberry tart ($6.90) that was groaning with strawberries and served with a rich, thick cream.
All but the Rawgasm cakes are made on the premises.
Like Dr Who’s Tardis, Tarts is much bigger than it appears from the street.
Along with pavement seating there’s a “board room”, “lounge room” a limestone-walled cellar for private functions and a delightful garden setting at the rear.
Tarts Cafe and Gourmet Food and Gifts
212 Lake Street, Northbridge
Phone 9328 6607
Open 7 days, 7am to 3.30pm and for dinner Tues–Fri
Perth Voice Interactive 
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