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  • A mood for Coode food

    COODE STREET CAFE, Mt Lawley

    by JENNY D’ANGER:

    The Coode Street Cafe is tucked away in the back bits of Bayswater’s slice of Mt Lawley but the secret has been well and truly out for years now.

    On a rainy Thursday lunchtime the place was heaving with customers. And little wonder, with the cafe groaning under the weight of a slew of “best breakfast” awards collected since 2007.

    Breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake: Coode Street does it all brilliantly.

    Take one look at the food cabinets with the contents glistening like Crown jewels and promising a sweet or savoury gem, and it’s no wonder.

    The range of cakes immediately caught my attention: Too vast to mention, but suffice to say I wasn’t going to overdo the savouries.

    Lit up like a Broadway play there were plenty of these on display too, including chicken pies, bacon and leek tarts, smoked salmon, goats cheese and asparagus tarts and quiches.

    Apart from a couple of sweet things everything is made on the premises, owner Terry Burgon told the Voice.

    The cafe started as a deli 20 years ago and “converted” from there, he says, adding it’s been a long process.

    Getting down to business I pointed to the sweet potato and spinach tart ($15.50).

    The mix of sweet potato and the sharpness of feta, with a perfectly cooked pastry case was great, as was the homemade beetroot and pumpkin salad it came with.

    It was “buyer beware” for Dave, who’d ordered the tuna patty ($15.50) without reading the fine print.

    They were delicious but, with feta mixed through, weren’t a suitable choice for my cheese-allergy afflicted man.

    The waiter was a delight, whipping away the patty and in no time returning with a couple of free-range poached eggs on toast.

    “Creamy,” hubby declared, his happy smile restored.

    The lemon zingers ($7.50) we washed our food down with were terrific, the sharpness of the lemon winning out over the sweetness of the apple, and a pleasing ginger “zing” after taste.

    Time to revisit the cake cabinet. “It’s like a Cherry Ripe,” the waiter said as I eyed off a slice of the lovebite ($7.50).

    One of the few cakes not made at the cafe, it came from North Fremantle sweeties Rawsome.

    Based on the Paleo diet they’re raw, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, sugar-free—and one would think taste-free, but how wrong one would be. A Cherry Ripe it was, on steroids, a rich chocolate delight, topped with shredded coconut. If this is good for you, sign me up.

    D’Angerous went for the lemon meringue ($7), and reckoned it could have been sharper but that didn’t stop him eating the lot.

    Two hours passed in a flash as we talked, ate and watched the rain fall gently over the tree-lined street from the warmth of our window seat. Blissful.

    SEE THE MENU HERE

    MAKE A BOOKING HERE

    Coode Street Cafe
    http://www.coodestreetcafe.com.au
    Corner Coode St and Third Ave, Mt Lawley
    Open 7 days 7am–5pm
    9371 9900

  • A new level of sophistication

    AMANI, Leederville:

    Upon arrival at Amani Wine Bar you’re met at the door by a charming hostess who shows you to your table.

    That’s right, full table service. Welcome to a whole new level of sophistication, right here in the heart of Leederville’s Oxford Street district (opposite the Luna).

    Of course, there’s also the black velvet settee or the long banquette if you prefer, where you can watch the bar staff shake, rattle and roll their cocktail magic.

    Amani drips with class on every level: From its Manhattan-inspired monochromatic decor and long bar, to European mirrors and mood lighting to exemplary levels of personal service.

    Aficionado will appreciate the depth and complexity of the extensive wine list, which is constantly updated (feel free to ask questions—the staff know their stuff). It’s not all serious though—with wine cocktails and punches lots of fun to share (the Kentucky Rose and Passion of the Crusta are two in-house faves) and there’s plenty of great beers and ciders too. With winter upon us, mulled wine has made a welcome return and where better to enjoy it than next to Amani’s open fire?

    The world-class menu is designed to excite and to share, with Chef Josh Kucharick passionate about in-season ingredients.

    Josh’s fine-dining share plates offer a variety of first-class flavours and textures to taste with friends, whether lunch or dinner for two, a pre- or post-movie wine and platter or a full-menu function for many (with special dietary requirements happily catered for).

    With free wi-fi for customers, Amani’s also the perfect place to visit for a quick wind-down or business lunch.

    There’s always something new at Amani: New menus, new wines, High Teas in July (fantastic functions for the ladies) and live entertainment every Sunday evening.

    For dining, bookings are always recommended, and particularly for Saturday nights.

    SEE THE MENU HERE

    MAKE A BOOKING HERE

    Amani Wine Bar
    http://www.amaniwinebar.com
    Shop 1/162 Oxford St, Leederville
    Ph 9444 7761

  • The Dairy of the Dead

    18. 789ARTSJust when you thought every last drop of green blood had been squeezed out of the zombie genre, along comes Michael Logan with Apocalypse Cow (Forget the cud, they want blood…).

    The novel’s a satire about cattle transformed into human-eating zombies, after a secret government bio-weapon goes awry.

    As Britain descends into zombie chaos, ministers cynically blame al-Qaeda.

    Only a twisted Glaswegian could write about heifers stomping about Britain, munching on nubile girls and having sex with lollipop men.

    “It’s a biting social and political satire through the sadly underused medium of zombie cows,” quips Logan.

    “I have always loved zombies and wanted to write a light-hearted novel in the genre without being repetitive.

    “It struck me that nobody had done zombie animals, which struck me as a little odd given that most global pandemics that are supposed to wipe out the world start with animals (SARS, bird flu, etc).”

    Logan’s debut novel is a testament to the dark British sense of humour—the penumbra between uneasiness and laughter.

    The kind exemplified in UK TV shows The League of Gentlemen and The Thick of It.

    Logan, 42, says growing up in Glasgow helped forge his mordant wit.

    “Glaswegians are simultaneously very dark and very funny people,” he says.

    “It can often be difficult to tell whether somebody is screaming abuse at you or telling a joke.

    “Sometimes they seem to be the same thing.”

    Logan made his fiction-writing breakthrough in 2011: As joint winner of The Terry Pratchett first novel award he was given a publishing deal.

    For many years, he was an author trapped in an engineer’s body.

    He spent his 20s working as an electronics engineer in the gloomy central belt of Scotland, satisfying his creative urge by playing guitar in bands and drinking lots of beer.

    On turning 30 he started to dabble with fiction and quickly found recognition when a number of his short stories appeared in literary journals.

    Buoyed by success, Logan moved with his then-partner to Budapest and tried his hand at journalism, learning Hungarian and working at The Budapest Times.

    “I felt no love nor particular natural aptitude for engineering, so getting out to do something I loved felt wonderful,” he says.

    In 2008, he and his wife—who works in humanitarian aid—relocated again to Kenya.

    Logan, who still works as a journo in Nairobi, says African culture is a great muse.

    “The thing I love the most about Kenya and the wider continent is that everything is changing so quickly,” he says.

    “There is chaos and energy and a loose attitude towards rules, which creates a sense of freedom you don’t feel in developed nations.

    “It is definitely stimulating.”

    Apocalypse Cow was released in Australia this month.

    (The Ed says: Pedants may recall the 2006 NZ flick, “Black Sheep”, about killer sheep feasting on people but of course they were mutants, not zombies.)

    by STEPHEN POLLOCK

  • Make home a royal occasion

    With the world agog at the imminent arrival of a new royal baby, it seemed appropriate to be reviewing a home on Queen Street, as I’d been hoping for a girl.

    The little princess would have made history, with recent historic changes to succession laws meaning a first-born girl is no longer passed over for a younger brother.

    Of course given the longevity of the Windsors, she’d have had to wait awhile, with Liz going strong, Charles next in line and then her own dad.

    This three-bedroom Bayswater home too has longevity on its side.

    It’s one of the original homesteads in the area, and the lovely four-bedroom, weatherboard cottage has plenty of grace, charm and elegance, as befitting the Swan colony’s squattocracy.

    Embracing the home the wrap-around verandah gazes out over a swathe of grass, rose beds and a central fountain.

    Come spring the view will be framed with gorgeous, dripping bunches of mauve wisteria, thanks to an ancient vine stretching the length of the verandah.

    As to be expected in a home of this vintage, the ceilings are high, jarrah floors flow, and there’s plenty of decorative fire places and ceiling roses.

    A section of the verandah has been enclosed forming a huge dressing-room and ensuite for the main bedroom.

    Winter or summer the central lounge is a refuge from the hurly burly, with a beautiful fireplace and elegant French doors to the verandah.

    A rear extension houses the kitchen/dining area.

    The kitchen is a spacious domain with timber-fronted cupboards and plenty of bench space.

    From the sink you can see the Darling Ranges, and watch planes coming and going at the international airport—but it’s far enough away for the sound to be on mute, the vendor says.

    Step through a bank of doors to the covered patio and you’d think you were in the country with a swathe of grass and terraced garden looking out across the leafy suburb’s many trees to the hills beyond.

    Despite the “country” feel this delightful home, sitting on 1009sqm, is central to a swag of shops, cafes and restaurants, and you’ll have no excuse for being late catching a plane. For more sedate pursuits closer to home, the river foreshore is a short walk away.

    by JENNY D’ANGER

    51 Queen Street, Bayswater
    EIO from $929,000
    Carlos Lehn | 0416 206 736
    Acton Mt Lawley | 9272 2488

  • Buzz about on-road cafes

    • Nick Bond from Foam, De Williams from Atlas Devine and Alannah MacTiernan enjoying a break in the rain. Photo by Jeremy Dixon
    • Nick Bond from Foam, De Williams from Atlas Devine and Alannah MacTiernan enjoying a break in the rain. Photo by Jeremy Dixon

    01. 788NEWS 2Vincent city council has set aside $30,000 for on-road cafes after a successful trial.

    Councillor Dudley Maier nicked the idea from San Francisco and it’s been so successful outside Foam Coffee Bar on Oxford Street that neighbouring councils have been asking for tips.

    “It’s absolutely lovely… I have a wide demographic of people telling me they like to go there,” mayor Alannah MacTiernan says.

    Council candidate Stuart Lofthouse owns a cafe across the road and says more needs to be done to let people know it’s not Foam’s exclusive domain.

    Ms MacTiernan says you often see people sitting down to unwrap a Subway: “Whilst it is outside one business, there’s no doubt that other people are using it.

    “There are going to be people opposed to it because it’s losing parking bays, but it is a trade-off.”

    by DAVID BELL

  • Mini blocks spook Vincent

    Vincent city council is spooked by a raft of new density measures which will see 120sqm blocks appearing in its heritage-rich suburbs.

    Mayor Alannah MacTiernan warns the changes, imposed by the state government’s power planning mandarins, will be a huge threat to the area’s heritage streetscapes.

    They will allow owners of 240sqm blocks to sub-divide and Ms MacTiernan fears a gold rush-style influx of developers keen to bowl over century-old homes. The changes come into effect on August 2.

    “It has the potential to so fundamentally change the area in a very dramatic way and very quickly, that we must alert the community to it and we must engage them and find out how it is that they’d like us to respond,” Ms MacTiernan says.

    More than 550 houses will be affected across character streets like Chatsworth Road, Carr Place, and parts of the Hyde Park Precinct.

    “A great many of these houses which would be 100 years old plus, would now be vulnerable to development.

    “I’ve proposed to write out to the affected people and let them know that this is coming up, and say there are a number of ways in which to approach it.

    “One way would be to declare some of these areas heritage protected areas.

    “It might mean a revisitation of the streetscape policy, it might be that we just get as many houses as we can onto the municipal heritage inventory.”

    Ms MacTiernan added she’s not opposed to subdivision if the house being flattened isn’t a heritage building.

    “Our concern is not to oppose the subdivision potential, but it is to say that we are concerned that will come at the broadscale demolition of some of our oldest heritage architecture.”

    Letters to affected landowners and a public forum is planned for August.

    by DAVID BELL

  • McGrath ponders tilt for mayor

    • Warren McGrath
    • Warren McGrath

    Vincent deputy mayor Warren McGrath isn’t ruling out a tilt at the top job.

    “I haven’t discounted it,” he says.

    An associate and state manager with Eco Logical Australia environmental consultants, he says he’d have to carefully consider his career and the best interests of the company before making a tilt.

    Cr McGrath says he’d quit his job if he was elected.

    “I wouldn’t want to do the job unless I was able to give it everything I could.”

    But he also wants some clarity about the future of his council.

    “It’s a little unclear what’s happening at the moment with the timing of elections and local government reform—there’s a lot that I’d have to consider [along with] my own family and friends.”

    Cr John Carey says he’s also considering it.

    “I have had local residents approach me to run, which has been really nice to get that feedback.”

    He says the council’s efforts at sprucing up town centres has been well received by locals and he’d want that to continue.

    “We’ve seen some incredible momentum over the past two years with the new council. I think everyone’s acknowledged that, people are saying things are moving, longstanding issues are finally being resolved. So I really want that to continue. My biggest concern is that I don’t want us to lose momentum.”

    Cr Carey, who currently works on environmental campaigns as WA manager of Pew Charitable Trusts, also said he’d drop his job if elected.

    “It’s something you have to give your all to.”

    There’s whisper around town that former councillors might make a reappearance at October’s elections.

    Simon Chester (who unsuccessfully contested the 2007 election) has been an occasional sight in the public gallery at council meetings.

    He says “I’m not that happy with the direction that Vincent’s taking, so there is a bit of motivation there, but at the moment I have other commitments.

    “I’m not happy with the level of consultation [and how] decisions seem to be made from the top down.”

    The Voice tried to get in touch with former councillor Sally Lake, who had two attempts at the mayoralty, to see if she was pondering round three. We didn’t hear back before going to print.

    by DAVID BELL

     

  • Big jump for Pride

    •The Jump Climb lads at their Beaufort Street digs. Photo by Jeremy Dixon
    •The Jump Climb lads at their Beaufort Street digs. Photo by Jeremy Dixon

    From humble beginnings as a side-line project during uni, Mt Lawley based Jump Climb events management has picked up the handling of this year’s Pride festival.

    “Our first event was Coopers Barefoot Bowls in Mount Lawley,” Paul Fletcher chuckles.

    The company ran a few music shows at venues around Perth and music for Rottofest, then hit the big time when it won the tender for the Beaufort Street festival—now the biggest one-day festival in the city with more than 100,000 people.

    Now they’ve been taken on board for this year’s Pridefest.

    It’s a tough gig: Traditionally Pride has lost money on its festivals and has needed bailing out on several occasions.

    “We’re not here to dwell on the past… we’re just really excited to see the growth and development in the future,” Mr Fletcher says.

    A big change is also on the horizon for this November’s parade, with the traditionally night-time knees up moving to the day.

    “I think it’ll be great,” Mr Fletcher says.

    “Internationally, the biggest [pride parades] are generally in the day.

    “The idea of the Pride parade being during the day is to really incorporate businesses around Northbridge as well, so the guys who are such big advocates of the parade get decent daytime trade and get involved as well.

    This year’s fairday, usually held the same month as the parade, will be moved to February. And for those worried the edgy nature of the nighttime entertainment will be lost by the move to the daytime parade, a new event is planned for the evening set with a big party at Russell Square.

    by DAVID BELL

     

  • Italiano goes for gold

    • Cr Giovanni Italiano outside Stirling city council. Photo by Jeremy Dixon
    • Cr Giovanni Italiano outside Stirling city council. Photo by Jeremy Dixon

    GIOVANNI ITALIANO will try to wrest the gold chains from Stirling mayor David Boothman at the October council elections.

    The Osborne Park councillor told the Voice he is ready for another crack at becoming mayor after narrowly losing to Cr Boothman two years ago.

    Stirling’s mayor is decided by a vote of councillors, and Cr Italiano thought had enough support in 2011.

    He was left crestfallen when ally Cr Joe Ferrante went on a business trip at the eleventh hour and left him one vote short.

    Cr Elizabeth Re switched her allegiance to Cr Boothman when a new vote was called.

    “I’ve been a councillor for 15 years, so I’ve got plenty of experience and knowledge to bring to the role,” said 62-year-old Cr Italiano.

    “I’m on the council’s Development Assessment Panel, a board member of the Stirling City Centre Alliance and have applied to be a council representative with the Metropolitan Regional Authority, so I’ve got my finger in a lot of pies.

    “I’m really passionate about transforming Stirling’s city centre into a world-class hub,” he said.

    Cr Italiano, who works as a builder, is backing council’s ambitious $16 billion plan to turn Stirling into “Perth’s second CBD”.

    Cr Boothman, 62, denied rumours he would step down as mayor because of personal reasons at the election.

    He says he plans to re-contest his position and wants to oversee the much anticipated Scarborough Beach redevelopment.

    “Now we’ve secured government funding for the Scarborough Beach project, it will be a very exciting time to be mayor,” he said.

    “I also want to see a first-class rail system in Stirling; right now people are complaining about sardine conditions on trains—we don’t even have a proper rail network for people to use.”

    Cr Boothman was elected mayor in 2007 when his name was pulled out of a hat, leading to the nickname “Bingo Boothman.”

    The hat technique is used if the Stirling mayoral contest is tied after two rounds of voting.

    Last month the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal increased maximum annual mayoral allowances from $60,000 to $85,000, making the role more lucrative.

    by STEPHEN POLLOCK

  • Mayor to settle suit

    Bayswater mayor Terry Kenyon and two of his councillors have agreed to settle in a bitter, drawn-out defamation case.

    Cr Kenyon was suing Mike Anderton and Mike Sabatino over information that appeared in articles in the media in 2009 and 2010.

    The articles—related to CCTV footage of Cr Kenyon carrying a bottle to a room of ratepayers during the 2009 council elections—had been sent to the Crime and Corruption Commission by Crs Sabatino and Anderton.

    The CCC later referred the matter to the WA local government department which took no action against the mayor.

    The settlement, still being negotiated, will make a dent in Cr Kenyon’s legal bill. The Voice has heard varying estimations of the bill, ranging from $300,000 up to $500,000.

    Cr’s Anderton and Sabatino have each spent over $100,000 on legal representation.

    Cr Kenyon won the first phase of the complex legal battle in March when WA Supreme Court judge Rene Le Miere ruled Cr Kenyon had proved the two councillors had effectively published the information by leaking the CCC submission to the media.

    Cr Kenyon decided not to go ahead with the second phase—proving that articles in WA Today and the Sunday Times had defamed him—and instead offered to settle.

    In December 2009 former mayor Lou Magro met with Sunday Times journo Glenn Cordingley at a coffee shop, where they discussed the CCC submission. Mr Magro, a political ally of Crs Sabatino and Anderton, gave him a copy.

    Crs Anderton and Sabatino declined to comment, saying the matter was confidential.

    Cr Kenyon, for several years, has refused to speak to the Voice.

    by STEPHEN POLLOCK