SCARLET-faced, sweaty and on the verge of passing-out – I felt like I was in the hot box in The Bridge on the River Kwai. I was actually in Mary Street Bakery on a stinking hot Tuesday afternoon, and it appeared there was no air conditioning. I took refuge under a large ceiling fan in…

ELMAR’S recently closed one of its outlets in Myaree, so I was worried the sausage kaiser might be in financial strife. But thankfully their flagship store in Highgate appears to be in rude health and was overflowing with snags, cured meats, pâté and tales of German gymnastics when I visited on Tuesday morning. Elmar’s is…

I HALF expected to see David Attenborough sinking a pint while watching pandas mate, when I walked through the main bar at The Beaufort.  That’s because the jungle theme has been taken to the nth degree with lush foliage and verdure at every corner, trees sprouting towards the atrium’s glass ceiling, and green tiles and lights…

IF you’re going to Side Door Barbecue for dinner, then it might be worth fasting for a few days beforehand. The American-style portions are so gigantic that even Clive Palmer would probably raise the white flag and waddle back to his Learjet with a full belly. The good news is that Side Door hasn’t scarified…

A BUS load of Japanese tourists had descended on Ischia Restaurant and I surreptitiously checked out what they’d ordered. Pizza of course, its universal, but they were also tucking into bowls of mussels. Since my Japanese is limited to sayonara and saki, communication was difficult, but they seemed happy with sunny Perth and in particular the…

IT was only 11.30am but lunch-goers were already starting to file into the Chu Bakery in Highgate. Clutching one of their tuna baguettes ($7.50) I made the most of a gloriously sunny autumn day and headed across the road to Hyde Park. The in-house bread was wonderfully crunchy and the tuna and mayonnaise had a…

It’s not easy eating BBQ when you have a beard. I spent most of my time at Side Door BBQ in Highgate wiping rich espresso and blue cheese dipping sauce, sausage, gooey cheese and runny egg from my bristles – but I loved every minute of it. My fellow bearded bro Jesse recently returned from…

WHENEVER I see the word tuk tuk, I get visions of D’Angerous Dave driving a jerrybuilt scooter taxi in Thailand. Me, the Thai driver and my 80-year-old mother laughed nervously in the back as we careened around the streets of Chang Mia. It was one of several memorable holiday moments, including a kind local on…

I ADORE Beaufort Street—it has a rockin’ vibe. Spanning three suburbs it reminds me of Freo’s Cappuccino Strip during the mid-2000s. Remember, before it became numb and lifeless? Beaufort Street is a foodie’s paradise and has more restaurants and cafes than you can poke a chopstick at, and not just the familiar suspects like Nando’s and…

I HEARD the thumping chorus of Another One Bites the Dust as an old bloke on a pimped-up gopher barreled down the pavement on Beaufort Street. He made it across the busy Newcastle Street, but only just, and I had to admire his taste in music, and zest for living on the edge. Seems like there’s…