THE staff at Old Lane Eats were run off their feet as Fringe Festival punters grabbed a bite to eat, but even though the waiters were sweating, their smiles never slipped. A mate and I were off to see the cabaret show Club Swizzle, and were looking for somewhere quick and cheap to eat. Perth’s…

WHEN the Layup Cafe changed managers recently, owner Vicki Sorrenson wanted an inviting eatery where denizens could meet, so she renamed it The Local. “I want it to be a place to catch up, as a community base,” she told the Voice. I was heading elsewhere for lunch, but the beaming smile of a young…

IN hummus we trust” is the quirky motto of The Hummus Club in Northbridge. And after the first mouthful, I was singing “Hallelujah, I’m a born again devotee”. In the middle of a thick collar of the smoothest, and most flavoursome hummus I’ve had, was a glistening mound of pan- fried mushrooms ($18). Ripping chunks…

THE father-in-law and I were enjoying an alfresco lunch at Sayers Sister in Northbridge, before he heads back to the unforgiving British winter. The temperature was a perfect 34 degrees, as we sipped a carrot, pineapple and orange juice ($8). The unusual mix was cooling and refreshing: the perfect mix of pineapple sweetness, orange sharpness…

WE’VE been missing out on Food Monkey Cafe. I’m not sure how this little gem near the corner of Lake and Newcastle Streets in Northbridge has escaped us, but so far I’m the first Voice journo to drop in. The weather was bordering on miserable and the indoor seating looked, from the street, to be…

IT wasn’t that long ago the area around Lake Street, Northbridge was a hangout for undesirables and street walkers, but these days people cruising the streets are looking for interesting cafes to have something to eat. Which is what I was doing when I rediscovered Tarts Cafe—not named after the ladies of the night—but after…

WINKEL is Dutch for shop and Koffie Winkel literally means coffee shop, but don’t worry, there’s no jazz cigarettes on sale at this Northbridge cafe. It’s borderline heresy to admit you prefer a cup of tea in coffee-obsessed Perth, but give me an Earl Grey any day of the week. In saying that Winkel might…

SWITZERLAND was on at the State Theatre, but my friend and I were in “India”, or as close as you get while still making the first curtain call. Northbridge restaurant Sauma puts a modern twist on traditional Indian cuisine, serving up dishes like wagyu beef samosa with roast cumin and beetroot ketchup ($6) and Fremantle…

THE menu at Red Chilli Sichuan isn’t for the faint-hearted, and not just because it’s the size of a telephone book. With dishes like pickled chicken feet, pork intestines, jelly fish and sliced beef tongue with tripe, you know this Northbridge restaurant is authentic as it gets. If I was braver I may have tried…

THE name of this Northbridge eatery became apparent the minute we stepped inside—the gloom swirling with dark figures and brooding shadows. The trendy black-on-black decor at the Shadow Wine Bar is sure to appeal to its groovy-hipster demographic. Fortunately a single light burned over a booth table, otherwise my dinner companion and I would have…