Jessica Warriner

Slip down the laneway parallel to Newcastle Street – just off Oxford Street – and you’ll find yourself face to face with the blue tin exterior of the Blue Flamingo. Sheltered behind the main drags, a snazzy retro-font sign guides you into the tropical-themed bar. It’s the new-look garden of the Leederville Hotel, and the space is huge – sunny, airy, and ideal for lazing around when there’s good weather about. It's easy to see why they’ve planned a series of summer shows here. The front bar, dubbed the ‘Good Time Bar Cocktail Club,’ is home to charming barkeeps in Hawaiian shirts who mix up a mean cocktail. Beer and wine lists channel Latin America and their cocktails are inspired by “the liquor that brings the good times” – pisco, tequila and rum. Décor is straight out of California or Florida in the ‘60s. From the big bubble lights hanging above each booth to palm trees and painted patterns of blue, salmon pink and cream, it’s kitsch and it works. There are wooden benches perfect for grabbing a jug and chilling out with mates on, and low-slung chairs to lean back in and imbibe while you listen to the upbeat jazz and Latin tracks on rotation. The back bar and kitchen — look for the very in-theme pink neon dolphin overhead — serves up share plates and snacks a-plenty. The share plates are a decent size between two, and come with a plethora of hot sauces to douse the likes of guacamole, salsa roje and tortilla chips. The menu offerings also include pulled pork and grilled pinea

First things first — if you want to score one of Chu Bakery’s locally renowned loaves, you’d better rock up early. Late risers don’t have a chance at snagging one of the sourdough wonders or linseed treasures. The racks of loaves and baguettes empty fast. But if you missed out, all is not lost — you can still sample their gluten-filled slices in the form of their in-house eats. The simple shop with white tiles and warm, light woods is a welcoming little spot to bustle into and grab some baked goods. A small terrarium sits in the window, tiny golden letters spelling out “CHU” in the soil. Angular golden light shades beam down over the barista, while bakers work away in the back room and bags of flour sit stacked on a pallet in the corner. Stopping by for lunch, you can feel a bit spoiled for choice from the range of delicious bread-based eats on offer. Toast slices come loaded with hummus, cucumber and chilli, or avo-whipped feta, prosciutto, pear and brie. Chu Bakery’s sourdough is spectacular and thoroughly deserves its reputation. The ham, cheddar, and Dijon mustard toastie on sourdough is dense, just the right amount of chewy. When it comes to desserts, the chu puffs are an instant attention-grabber. Chances are you have caught one of these babies as you scrolled through your Instagram feed such as the green matcha yuzu chu puff (choux pastry with matcha chantilly cream and yuzu jelly). The green tea chantilly is thick and mousse-like, and there’s an unusual burst of flavo

Smashup is the newest banh mi player in town, and their fare comes with a twist. The cafe’s take on the Vietnamese favourite incorporates Korean barbecue. They’ve been calling Hay Street home since October 2015, sandwiched between Japanese café Freshmade and the Corner Café, and they've been turning out brand new flavours for hungry passersby. The shop has a sleek, dark interior — a black tiled counter and black tables, accented by cream stools. Black shades and oversized globes hang low over the barista. Should you wish to bask in the sun, there’s outdoor seating. Curious lunchtimers file in at 12, some of them regulars, others newbies. “Have you been here before?” the counter staff ask. They’re very curious to hear your opinions on how the Vietnamese and Korean combo goes down. The recipe is different and so is the ordering procedure. Don’t expect to ask for a sandwich and stand back checking your phone — you’ll be shuffling along the opposite side of the counter to your banh mi creator as you assemble your meal to your personal taste. The final result from our venture was a toasted Vietnamese-style baguette with pâté, mayonnaise, radish, carrot, cucumber, coriander, a couple of hot sauces and Korean barbeque pork, both spicy and regular. The flavours in our Frankenstein banh mi worked well — it was enjoyably spicy, with tender pork and tangy pickled vegetables. Apart from the baguettes, there are mashup bowls too, with bases including Korean sweet potato noodles and bimbim

Directly opposite the front gates of the Perth Mint on the sleepy side of town, Duotone is breathing fresh air into staid East Perth. The café on Hay Street is serving up healthy eats and superfood smoothies to add a little spark to your system. Ranging from a bright yellow ‘Natalie’ to vivid green ‘Lulu’, their smoothies are packed with all the good stuff you need to balance out that chocolate croissant you scarfed on your way to work this morning. The ‘Scarlet’ two-tone smoothie is a tart, tasty combo of raspberry, beets, acai, strawberry, pomegranate, lemon and mint. A creamy beige layer sits atop an eye-popping scarlet tone in the glass bottle. When it comes to eats, we’ve recently seen a bunch of new places focus on one food and max it out with endless variations and experiments. Get Ya Fix has jaffles, Jack Rabbit Slim’s has fries, and now Duotone has toast. Their toast menu here offers a world of sweet and savoury choices generously loaded with toppings. Avocado toast, for example, is a Middle Eastern treat, layering ripe avocado slices with a spread of hummus, chilli flakes and dukkah. Beyond the toast menu, there’s a case of gluten-free and dairy-free sweets on rotation, plus granola jars for the breakfast crowd. Caffeine-seekers will find a decent brew waiting with carefully curated beans on hand (including Zest Coffee). Duotone’s minimalist design showcases a shared, low table at the front of the shop, topped with a big vase filled to the brim with sunflowers, whit

Get Ya Fix isn’t just a boutique bike purveyor — they’ve got flat whites and quality eats at their William Street space too. Expertly brewing Rockingham-roasted Five Senses beans and swirling them with locally sourced milk, the shop is all about supporting Australian makers and keeping things as hometown-centric as possible. From their coffee beans to Pedal Mafia threads, this focus even extends to the smallest elements of the shop — if you pick up a jaffle, chances are it’s got herbs and veggies from their own micro-farm. The shopfront on the border of Highgate is plain and grey, but you can’t miss it if you keep an eye out for their oft-cheeky blackboard, wooden benches, and neighbours Northbridge Motors (of course, there’ll be some bikes on the scene too). A bright and airy interior showcases their curated bicycle stock, clothes and accessories on one side, and swish new barista counter on the other. It’s a seriously good-looking place, minimalist and clean – there’s a slick concrete counter-top, big exposed light globes hanging from the ceiling, and tiny pot plants and cacti add some bursts of green to the space. If you’re in no rush, take a seat inside on one of Get Ya Fix’s comfy grey seats by the window and check out a couple of commissions by local underground artist Dolus on their walls. On the coffee shop side of things, breakfast includes healthy wraps, and lunch sees the team serve up wickedly delicious jaffles, with the occasional sojourn to Vietnam via tasty and